Hi again bloggers,
It's time for more helpful wedding planning tips. This time around I want to share a great article that I found on http://www.modernbride.com/ It was actually in the Atlanta Modern Bride edition, however, for some reason that link is not working. The title of the piece is "Honor Your Roots" which I found interesting because when I was planning my wedding four years ago that's exactly what I wanted to do. My husband and I chose a non-denominational minister and ceremony (we met at a Unity church function), yet I still wanted to incorporate some of both of our ethnic heritage. So I selected a few lines from the traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony (that's my background) and we broke a glass under a handkerchief as an acknowledgement of the Jewish custom (for my husband). It felt good to have a little something from each of our religions as part of our special day.
Marriage celebrations give brides and grooms a chance to celebrate their heritage and ancestry. These days, however, weddings are less about rigid traditions and more about making the service uniquely your own.
So, even if some of the following customs don't fit your background, feel free to borrow them for a rich ceremony you'll remember for a lifetime.
Here are some interesting ways to personalize your wedding ceremony and share your roots. I've added some extra links to the article that I thought might be helpful. (Here's a good site that gives a good summary of several ethnic wedding customs http://members.aol.com/Mjkarl/ethnic.htm
1. Braid your hair on your wedding day. http://www.weddingdetails.com/lore/african.cfmThe ancient African practice has royal associations because only queens had the time for this involved beauty treatment.
2. Say aloha to floral leis, Hawaiian symposia of love. http://www.hawaiibride.com/customs.html
The kahuna pule (religious man) will bind your hands to your man's with these leis to show your commitment. There traditional wedding also includes a hula dance and the draping of the bride and groom in a ceremonial cloth.
3. Fill your day with red and gold. http://www.chcp.org/wedding.html This represents happiness and good luck to the Chinese.
4. Get jazzed like a New Orleans native. Circle the dance floor to the "Marche de Maries" or "March of the Newlyweds" as your parents, grandparents, godparents, siblings, aunts and uncles march in twos behind you. Follow this number with your first dance as husband and wife.
5. Have your groom present you with 13 gold coins as a Spanish symbol of financial security and trust. This custom was also adopted in the Spanish colonies and continues to be popular in Mexico and Latin America.
6. Follow Greek Orthodox tradition: Exchange rings, swap crowns and sip from a cup of wine three times (representative of the Holy Trinity). Three circles around a table of sacred items comple this rite.
7. Include favors of candy-coated Jordan almonds, called confetti, which at Italian (and Greek) wedding feasts represent the sweetness and bitterness of life. http://www.lifeinitaly.com/weddings/wedding-traditions.asp(In the past they were actually thrown at the happy couple.) Yikes!
8. Jump a broom, an African-American tradition that signifies your step into wedded life. http://www.blackrefer.com/wedding.html Because slaves were not allowed to legally marry, they used this act to symbolically sweep the hearth clean and give themselves a fresh start.
9. Participate in a Jewish dance custom at your reception. http://www.allthingsjewish.com/tribe/tribe.asp?authID=969067989&articleID=83http://www.ida.net/users/rdk/ces/maritial_customs.html The bride and groom (and sometimes their parents) are hoisted on chairs above the crowd, holding opposite ends of a handkerchief while they are paraded around the dance floor.
10. Borrow from the Irish and exchange Claddah rings (these are sometime sold/listed as friendship rings, but traditionally served as wedding bands - so my Irish mom says!) http://www.celtarts.com/WEDDING/traditions.htm These rings depict two hands holding a crowned heart. (Legend has it that the first Claddah ring was designed by a goldsmith to give to his love, who waited faithfully for him while he was held captive by pirates.) You can also include an ancient Celtic handfasting ceremony, in which the bride's and groom's hands are bound together with string or ribbon.
Excerpt from an article by Jennifer Ponte Canning
Modern Bride Atlanta
It's time for more helpful wedding planning tips. This time around I want to share a great article that I found on http://www.modernbride.com/ It was actually in the Atlanta Modern Bride edition, however, for some reason that link is not working. The title of the piece is "Honor Your Roots" which I found interesting because when I was planning my wedding four years ago that's exactly what I wanted to do. My husband and I chose a non-denominational minister and ceremony (we met at a Unity church function), yet I still wanted to incorporate some of both of our ethnic heritage. So I selected a few lines from the traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony (that's my background) and we broke a glass under a handkerchief as an acknowledgement of the Jewish custom (for my husband). It felt good to have a little something from each of our religions as part of our special day.
Marriage celebrations give brides and grooms a chance to celebrate their heritage and ancestry. These days, however, weddings are less about rigid traditions and more about making the service uniquely your own.
So, even if some of the following customs don't fit your background, feel free to borrow them for a rich ceremony you'll remember for a lifetime.
Here are some interesting ways to personalize your wedding ceremony and share your roots. I've added some extra links to the article that I thought might be helpful. (Here's a good site that gives a good summary of several ethnic wedding customs http://members.aol.com/Mjkarl/ethnic.htm
1. Braid your hair on your wedding day. http://www.weddingdetails.com/lore/african.cfmThe ancient African practice has royal associations because only queens had the time for this involved beauty treatment.
2. Say aloha to floral leis, Hawaiian symposia of love. http://www.hawaiibride.com/customs.html
The kahuna pule (religious man) will bind your hands to your man's with these leis to show your commitment. There traditional wedding also includes a hula dance and the draping of the bride and groom in a ceremonial cloth.
3. Fill your day with red and gold. http://www.chcp.org/wedding.html This represents happiness and good luck to the Chinese.
4. Get jazzed like a New Orleans native. Circle the dance floor to the "Marche de Maries" or "March of the Newlyweds" as your parents, grandparents, godparents, siblings, aunts and uncles march in twos behind you. Follow this number with your first dance as husband and wife.
5. Have your groom present you with 13 gold coins as a Spanish symbol of financial security and trust. This custom was also adopted in the Spanish colonies and continues to be popular in Mexico and Latin America.
6. Follow Greek Orthodox tradition: Exchange rings, swap crowns and sip from a cup of wine three times (representative of the Holy Trinity). Three circles around a table of sacred items comple this rite.
7. Include favors of candy-coated Jordan almonds, called confetti, which at Italian (and Greek) wedding feasts represent the sweetness and bitterness of life. http://www.lifeinitaly.com/weddings/wedding-traditions.asp(In the past they were actually thrown at the happy couple.) Yikes!
8. Jump a broom, an African-American tradition that signifies your step into wedded life. http://www.blackrefer.com/wedding.html Because slaves were not allowed to legally marry, they used this act to symbolically sweep the hearth clean and give themselves a fresh start.
9. Participate in a Jewish dance custom at your reception. http://www.allthingsjewish.com/tribe/tribe.asp?authID=969067989&articleID=83http://www.ida.net/users/rdk/ces/maritial_customs.html The bride and groom (and sometimes their parents) are hoisted on chairs above the crowd, holding opposite ends of a handkerchief while they are paraded around the dance floor.
10. Borrow from the Irish and exchange Claddah rings (these are sometime sold/listed as friendship rings, but traditionally served as wedding bands - so my Irish mom says!) http://www.celtarts.com/WEDDING/traditions.htm These rings depict two hands holding a crowned heart. (Legend has it that the first Claddah ring was designed by a goldsmith to give to his love, who waited faithfully for him while he was held captive by pirates.) You can also include an ancient Celtic handfasting ceremony, in which the bride's and groom's hands are bound together with string or ribbon.
Excerpt from an article by Jennifer Ponte Canning
Modern Bride Atlanta
posted by Heart Beat @ 7:59 AM
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