Wedding
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Wedding – Weddings by 1WeddingSource.com
In order to signify their intention to marry two people will first get engaged. An engagement comes about as a result of a wedding proposal made by the groom to the bride. If she accepts then he gifts to her an engagement ring which symbolizes an intention to marry. From this point on she is known as his fiancée and he as her fiancé. The period between the marriage proposal and the wedding day is known as the engagement period.
An engagement period can be an indefinite period of time, but during this time the couple will commence with their wedding planning which is the process by which they organize and arrange their wedding day. Planning a wedding can be very intensive and involves organizing the wedding venues for the ceremony and reception, ordering a wedding cake, inviting guests by means of sending out wedding invitations and booking wedding transportation.
A marriage of two people is often a public affair and the size of the wedding can depend largely upon the status of the bride and groom. The way in which a wedding is celebrated has often had much to do with the couple’s affluence, social status, relative wealth and religion. Aside from the union of the bride and groom, a wedding also unites two families, a union which can alter either family’s social standing. This is particularly the case for the bride whom now as an adult woman belongs to her new husband and his family, she also now has the responsibility of ensuring the continuation of his and hers lineage through their children.
Wedding traditions and customs will vary greatly across the world and between different
After the wedding ceremony has finished it is customary to then celebrate with a party known as the wedding reception. Here the bride and groom will entertain their wedding guests with food and drink, music, wedding speeches and dancing. There are many wedding customs and traditions attached to the wedding reception many of which are dictated to by the use of wedding etiquette which provides a code of conduct for the way these wedding traditions should be carried out.
Throughout history weddings have taken place under a legal and religious framework. In ancient times marriages were often between one person and an entire village, who would pledge his allegiance to the residents who in turn would pledge protection and shelter.
In medieval times weddings were forbidden during penitential seasons, high festivals and after midday! Weddings were also by this time a marriage of two families, usually for social status. During the Victorian era the civil wedding was introduced and the era is widely accepted as introducing the ‘white wedding’ and in changing the way in which weddings and marriage were conducted and celebrated.
Across many cultures and faiths there is a range of traditional wedding attire and accessories. These include: •Traditional formal Chinese marriage wear is known as the Cheongsam or Hanfu
•The Javanese people, Indonesia and the Malay people, Malaysia, wear a garment known as Batik and Kebaya.
•Barong Tagalog, is a formal embroidered garment worn by men of the Philippines.
•In Japan the traditional garment is a Kimono.
•A wedding sari is a traditional garment worn by brides in India
•In South India the groom will wear a Dhoti.
•Traditional West African wedding attire is called a Dashiki.
•The traditional garments of Vietnam are known as Aodai.
•Morning dress is a formal men’s attire in western culture.
•In Scotland the Kilt is a traditional garment worn by men, the pattern of which, known as tartan has different colors and weaves according to clan.
•During an Orthodox Jewish wedding, the groom will wear a white robe known as a Kittel. This is worn under the Chuppah and removed after the ceremony.
•Topor is a type of conical headgear
•Black tie is a dinner suit often referred to as a Tuxedo in the United States. In the UK it should traditionally only be worn after 6pm, but is worn during the daytime in the United States
•Wedding suits are variations of the black tie and include colored waistcoats, ties, jackets and accessories.
•White tie is very formal evening dress for gentlemen.
•In South Asia a Sherwani is a long coat-like garment.
•Scandinavian brides wear a wedding crown.
The couple may also request a wedding video be made. This will be done by a wedding videographer who will film all events during the day including the bride getting ready, the ceremony and reception.
The wedding photographs are often taken before the guests sit down to eat at the reception and this time period is often known as the cocktail hour. During this time the assembled wedding guests will entertain themselves and enjoy a welcome drink such as champagne or a cocktail. Many couples will also choose a selection of wedding songs to play during this period and may even serve canapés as a precursor to the reception meal.
A wedding reception is a party hosted by the bride and groom to celebrate their marriage. Traditionally the reception will include a meal known as the wedding breakfast, this term relates to an ancient tradition of fasting before the wedding, with the word breakfast meaning ‘breaking the fast’. This meal can run to three or more courses or take the form of a buffet.
After the wedding breakfast is finished the traditional wedding speeches will take place. These are usually given by the best man, the father of the bride and the groom. At the end of each speech the guests will be asked to raise a glass to the bride and groom in what is known as a wedding toasts.
After the speeches and wedding toasts, the couple will then proceed to cut the wedding cake. This is a symbolic part of the wedding when the couple will hold the cake knife together and cut the first slices of the cake, which they will then feed to each other.
The evening party will usually signal the arrival of further guests who where not invited to the wedding ceremony or wedding breakfast. During the evening party there will often be a second serving of the wedding buffet.
After the evening reception has finished it is customary for the bride and groom to leave for their honeymoon. Some newlywed couples will actually leave during the party and guests will then assemble to send them off in what is known as the ‘going away’ custom. Here the couple’s car will be decorated with signs and a collection of shoes, boots and tin cans tied to the back of the car.
This custom is believed to have been derived from a 300 year old tradition of throwing shoes at people who are about to embark on a journey or enter a new house and is believed to bring luck. A whimsical variation of this was for the chief bridesmaid to retrieve one of these shoes and through it for the other bridesmaids to chase and then again for the men.
There are also many other customs associated with a wedding. In western culture these include tossing the wedding bouquet to all the single female guests. The bride will assemble these guests behind her and then turn her back and throw the bouquet over her head. It is said that whosoever catches the bouquet will be the next to get married.
Another tradition is the bride’s garter. Traditionally the bride would wear a garter and in times past, young single men would scramble to remove the garter from the bride’s leg. Today the bride will remove it herself and throw it to the assembled single men in a custom that resembles the tossing of her bouquet.
It is also customary to shower the newlyweds with confetti. This tradition has a long
Another tradition that has deep roots in history is the custom of giving each wedding guest wedding favors. These little gifts were first started in the 13th century by wealthy European aristocracy whose wedding guests were gifted a small decorative box filled with sugar cubes – a rare delicacy only afforded by the rich in those times. This tradition has continued through the ages with various different types of favors being given. Today wedding favors are given by the bride and groom as a token of thanks to their guests for joining them on their special day.
Wedding gifts are given to the newlywed couple by their guests. Although there is no formal requirement to give a wedding gift, many guests feel that having been treated to such a lavish meal and entertainment that they should give a gift of equal value. Traditionally the bride and groom will put together a wedding gift list, also known as a wedding registry, which will list various items they would like for their new home together. After the wedding it is customary for the bride to send out thank you notes to all those who have given a wedding present.
Every subsequent year after the wedding day and on the same date, the couple will celebrate their wedding anniversary. Each anniversary has an assigned name which is a material of some form, such as paper, leather, and bronze. Significant anniversaries occur in the years of the 25th, 40th, 50th and 60th. Many couples also like to choose significant wedding anniversaries for renewing wedding vows.
In a traditional Chinese marriage, the couple is brought together by a pre arranged agreement between families. Depending on the region of China the bride hails from, the wedding will have different traditions, such as a tea ceremony or the use of a wedding emcee. It is also common in modern Chinese weddings for the bride and groom to attend a photographic studio and pose for glamour style shots wearing different gowns and using different backgrounds.
There are many Jewish wedding traditions most of which take place during the wedding ceremony. One custom is for the groom to cover the bride’s face with a veil, a custom which has its origins in the Bible. Another is the breaking of a glass by the groom at the end of the ceremony. This is said to commemorate the destruction of the holy temple in Jerusalem.
Before the Jewish wedding ceremony can commence the couple must write out a marriage contract known as a Ketubah. This contract specifies the various obligations they have to each other and what should happen in the event of a divorce. This is then signed by two witnesses and will be later read out underneath the Jewish wedding canopy known as a Chuppah.
This Chuppah is constructed with four poles over which is stretched a canopy. This may be a piece of fabric or some other type of material. Another variation of the Chuppah is a prayer shawl held above the couple by four people. Both sets of parents will join the bride and groom under the Chuppah and other family members can present if requested.
A celestial marriage is recognized within the Mormon church, also known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This church will regard a marriage as an eternal affair and recognizes both civil and celestial weddings. Whilst a civil wedding comes under local law and is dissolved upon the death of both bride and groom, a celestial wedding is known as sealings, which binds the couple together as husband and wife for all eternity as long as they are both righteous.
Whilst there are many different traditions and customs associated with weddings across many different faiths and cultures, there are also many different types of wedding.
A double wedding involves two sets of couples getting married simultaneously or in consecutive ceremonies. Sometimes this type of wedding may involve two siblings although in the Philippines, the marriage of two siblings in the same year is considered to be bad luck.
A weekend wedding will take place over the course of a two day weekend. The location and venue could be a luxurious resort taking in special activities such as golf or a spa. It is usual for the bride and groom and all their guests to stay at the same venue as the wedding and for the couple to host a special brunch on the Sunday to bring the weekend to a close.
A military wedding ceremony will usually take place in a military chapel, when the groom will wear his military dress uniform instead of traditional formal dress. After the wedding ceremony the couple may walk from the chapel under a saber arch – an arch of swords provided by fellow service men. Retired servicemen who marry or remarry may also choose a military wedding.
To elope to get married is to get married without the consent of parents or guardians. Eloping can also be a term used for destination weddings which occur away from home or for hastily planned weddings or weddings performed in private.
A gay marriage occurs between two people of the same gender. It can also be known as a civil union or same-sex marriage. Same sex weddings are not legally recognized everywhere in the world and in those places where they are not allowed, the marriage has a more symbolic meaning, with a similar ceremony involving public declarations in front of family and friends.
Other types of wedding or marriage across the world include:
•An After Death Marriage also known as a posthumous marriage is legally allowed in France. This type of wedding permits a person to marry a dead person of the opposite sex.
•Arranged Marriages occur when person or persons arrange for two people other than themselves to be married.
•A Boston Marriage is an historic term given to lesbian relationships.
•Child Marriages occur when parents arrange the future wedding on their children, who are usually very young at the time.
•Chinese Ghost Marriage or Spirit Marriage occurs when one or both parties have died.
•A Common Law marriage is a relationship recognized under law because the people involved have been together and live together for a lengthy period of time.
•Covenant Weddings happen when the couple agree to undergo pre-marital counseling before the wedding and also negotiate and accept limited terms of divorce.
•A Digital Marriage happens within a video or computer game.
•An Endogamous marriage occurs within a group and between members of the group.
•Exogamous marriages occur outside of a group and between members of different groups.
•In Africa a Female Husband Marriage will take place between daughters, who have been raised as males, take a wife. This custom is to ensure the continuity of the family lineage.
•Fleet Marriages took place in England in the 18th century and was the name given to clandestine weddings.
•Flash Marriages is the name given to fast weddings.
•A Forced Marriage is where one or both parties are forced to marry against their will.
•Marriage by Abduction is another form of forced marriage when the ‘bride’ is kidnapped. This practice is common in only a few cultures around the world and is generally regarded by other cultures as detestable.
•In Southern Sudan a Ghost Marriage occurs when a woman from a tribe marries a man from the same tribe who had died before wedlock.
•Group Marriages are a form of polygamous marriage when more than one man and women join together. Any children born within the marriage will come under the parental guardianship of all within the marriage.
•A Line Marriage is another form of group marriage in which new spouses of both sexes join to ensure the marriage does not end.
•A Heqin wedding was a form of arranged marriage in Medieval China and was normally carried out for the purpose of political alliance.
•A Hollywood Marriage is a term given to marriages of celebrities or non-celebrities whose marriages are usually short and end with divorce.
•A Human-Animal Marriage is a union between a human and an animal.
•An Intermarriage or Mixed-Marriage is a wedding that takes place between two people of mixed cultures or religions.
•An Interracial Marriage is between two people of different race.
•An Inter-religious Marriage is another term for an interfaith wedding ceremony and is between two people of different religions.
•A Lavender Marriage is between a man and women and in which one or both are homosexual.
•Levirate Marriage is where a woman will marry one of her husband’s brothers after her husband has died. This would be considered where there were no children from the first marriage in order to continue the family line.
•A Love Marriage is a wedding based on love.
•Mixed-Orientation Weddings occur where one of the parties is homosexual or bisexual.
•Monogamy is the basis of many marriages around the world and is where the couple are exclusive to each other for life or at least the period of the marriage.
•Mop Marriage is where a common law couple could be legally married by a magistrate at the annual Mop Fair.
•A Morganatic Marriage occurs only in certain countries and is a contractual marriage between parties of unequal social status and which prevents any titles and privileges held by the husband being passed down to his wife and children.
•Multiple Marriages are those in which either spouse takes multiple partners – Polyandry where a wife has several husbands or Polygyny where the husband has several wives or in which multiple marriages have occurred – Polygamy.
•A Mutta Marriage occurs between Shia men and women and is a marriage for pleasure.
•Open Marriages are where each partner participates in sexual relationships outside of the marriage without them being considered as committing infidelity.
•Placage is a recognized legal system under which common-law style marriages of wealthy, white Creole men in Louisiana take place.
•A Putative Marriage is entered into in good faith but which could be considered invalid should infidelity occur.
•A Shim-pua Marriage is a Taiwanese arranged marriage which occurs when a poor family with many children will sell a daughter to a rich family for labor purposes and consequently the poorer family would be joined to the richer family through the marriage of the daughter.
•A Sister-Exchange takes place between two husbands who exchange wives (sisters) in order to prevent any women being lost from the domestic group.
•A Sororate Marriage is the male equivalent of a Levirate Marriage in which a man will marry his wife’s sister often upon her sister’s death or should she prove infertile.
•A Trial Marriage is a term given to a period in which a couple will agree to trial their relationship to see if it works out. This type of marriage has no legal status and is not formalized.
•A Walking Marriage is when a husband will spend the night with his wife but then leave to work within his Mother’s household each morning.
•Widow Inheritance is the practice of a widow having the right to acquire a new husband upon her husband’s death from within his extended family and which the family must choose. Once chosen she is legally obliged to marry them.
References:
wedding: Definition, Synonyms from Answers.com Retrieved 19-07-09
Wedding Customs and Superstitions Retrieved 19-07-09
Types of marriages: Information from Answers.com Retrieved 19-07-09
