A brides Wedding Tradition!

The origin of most of our wedding traditions stem from superstitions, and are handed down by folk lore. Because of this you will find various legends of our most popular customs.  Traditions vary from culture to culture. Some are widely used in modern wedding ceremonies, while others exist only within a certain race or culture. The Bridal Bouquet Toss

Believe it or not, the bridal bouquet toss celebration goes back to fourteenth century France where it was believed that a bride was especially lucky on her wedding day. Guests would rush towards the bride at the end of the ceremony in hopes of tearing off a piece of her dress to take home for their own good fortune. This often ended in a scuffle dangerous for the bride (and guests). For a brief time, in an effort to fend off the wild attacks, the bride would throw her stockings (or garter) until brides began to rebel against this undignified practice. Brides instead switched to throwing the bouquet and that tradition has remained in place.

Today it is still considered lucky to catch the bridal toss bouquet and the event is usually performed to a unique bouquet toss song. It is said that the lucky recipient will be the next to marry. If you are leery of performing the bouquet toss at your own ceremony, consider some great modern alternatives to that traditional bouquet toss. Make a presentation of the bridal toss bouquet to a dear friend instead of tossing it. Or, a great twist is to look inwards at the fortune you've found by presenting the tossing bouquet and tossing garter to a cherished, wedded couple whom inspired you both to become newlyweds.

List of Top 5 Requested Bridal Toss Songs

1. This One is For the Girls (Martina McBride)

2. Just a Girl (No Doubt)

3. Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper)

4. Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend (Marilyn Monroe)

5. I Feel Like a Woman (Shania Twain)

Something Old, Something New ...

Something Old Something New ...Many wedding traditions are rooted in superstition and are closely connected to good luck and bad luck. The following well-known wedding tradition dates back to victorian times.

The complete wedding tradition goes as follows ... Something old something new something borrowed something blue and, a lucky silver sixpence for her shoe.

Something Old ... represents the connection the bride will maintain to her family and the past. Many brides choose to wear an heirloom piece of family jewelry or the wedding gown belonging to a grandmother or mother to uphold this wedding tradition.

Something New ... symbolizes good fortune and success in the brides new life. A new wedding dress, new wedding garter or any other new item can represent this wedding tradition.

Something Borrowed ... serves to remind the bride that friends and family will always be there for her. The borrowed item can be anything of her choosing. Many times it is an antique handkerchief, an item of jewelry or a handbag. It is most often borrowed from the bride's mother, sister or another family member.

Something Blue ... represents loyalty and faithfulness. This symbolism dates back to biblical times when blue stood for purity and constancy. Brides often choose to wear a blue garter to keep with this tradition or blue ribbons in their hair. Violets also represent loyalty and faithfulness. Offering Personalized Violet Flower Seed Favors to wedding guests ties in nicely with this cherished wedding tradition.

A Lucky Silver Sixpence for Her Shoe ... stands for wishes of financial security and happiness for the bride in her new life. To uphold this fun wedding tradition on your wedding day, remember to carry a genuine Lucky Sixpence in your shoe.

Chat soon,

J

Wedding Registries-the 411

Wedding Registries have long been a preferred way for the couple to ensure that people know what they need and for guests to know that their gift will be useful.

In recent years, gift registries have gotten easier for couples to establish and more convenient for guests to access. Most major department and even discount stores offer computerized registries, complete with in-store assistance in selecting items. Some registries can even be created online, and many more can be accessed online by guests looking to shop for the perfect gift.

Proper etiquette dictates that someone other than the bride and groom advises guests where a couple has registered. A family member or a member of the wedding party is acceptable. Etiquette dictates that you do not including gift registry information with your wedding invitations.

The nature of items in a registry has evolved in the past few decades. In the past, it was limited to items such as china and silver. Nowadays, the selections are much bigger. Major Hardware store chains, such as Home Depot offer wedding registry, so instead of china, you can register for a power sander, which you may well find much more useful.

It is, however, still a faux pas to register for cash gifts, anything lewd or vulgar, or anything with an exorbitant price. Whatever you do, don't write "cash-only gifts" on your wedding announcements.
So you look at that rug that Uncle Lester bought you (you know, the one with the giant peacock on it?) and you think that it may not fit with your décor. That’s a sticky situation. Exchanging a gift may offend or hurt a loved one’s feelings, so you have to use your better judgment and consider the risk. If you decide to exchange the gift, you are not obligated to inform the gift giver and your thank you note should be for the original gift receive
d, not the replacement.

If a gift was received broken, was a duplicate or just an incorrect gift, go ahead and attempt to rectify the situation with the retailer. If you’re unable to do so, see if the gift-giver can help you get it straightened out. The store should offer to return, exchange, or replace the gift.

All gifts should promptly be followed by a hand-written thank you card, and not an e-mail. Etiquette dictates that all thank you notes must be written within 3 months of your wedding. This applies to engagement and bridal shower gifts.

When writing your cards, don't worry about sounding original so much as sincere. After all, your Aunt Lucy won’t know that her thank you card sounded strikingly similar to your new husband’s cousin Ted’s card. Just be sure to specifically mention the gift they gave you and how thankful you are that you received it. If you’ve still got lots of space on the card, you can also mention when and how you might use the gift and that the gift will always remind you of the giver.

When writing thank you notes for cash gifts toward a larger purchase (a house or a car, for example), let them know how much you appreciate their cash gift and tell them how the buying process is going. If it’s feasible, invite them over for dinner or take a ride in your car once the purchase is made.

If you are a guest at a wedding and never received a thank you note for a wedding gift sent several months ago, it is perfectly acceptable to inquire whether the couple ever received the gift. You may ask their parents if you feel more comfortable. The gift may have been lost during shipment, a situation which would need to be addressed.

Style color trends for 2011

This past season many couples mixed vintage with modern, this is just one of the hot trends being carried forward; in fact it has gotten much bigger with many couples going with a more Victorian approach. Many Brides and Grooms are actively looking for a connection to past traditions, some are looking to incorporate an item from their mother or grandmother’s wedding memorabilia into the mix.

Knowing that the trend this year is color, brides are seeking out Pantone’s Wedding Colors, http://www.dessy.com/PANTONE which are “the stars” in the fashion world. 2011 colors are African violet, electric blue, chocolate truffle, red, living coral, antique dust rose, and crisp apple. These colors will be the most used and recognized this upcoming season and, when used in a palette, will provide a stimulating and exciting color combination to any wedding.

The bridal gown may be the ceremony’s show stopper, but wedding cakes are the main attraction at the reception. Many brides are incorporating the style of their gown into the designing of their cakes, with the addition of intricate icing, pearl and crystal studding, rosettes and lace. Stately, towering layers with metallic designs and colors are also making a statement.  The one thing that hasn’t changed from year to year is that, this decision is always in the bride’s hands.

We’re seeing the emergence of pinwheels, those colorful windmill decorations that are fun for guests to wave as the bride and groom drive off into their future, après the reception. They are cheerful to look at and more environmentally friendly than rice or confetti and create a festive mood.

Statistics are proving that couples today prefer to have a unique wedding rather than their parent’s traditional wedding of the past. There will still be traditional and ethnic wedding invitations in your mail box and no matter what mode the bride and groom are in- a wedding is a commitment to a future together and may it be blessed with love, laughter and friendship.

Chat soon,

J