Week 15 - The Seven Steps (Hindu)

Welcome to week 15 in our ’52 Rituals/Traditions in 52 Weeks’

A Hindu ceremony, in most cases is quite extravagant and beautiful. It incorporates many different rituals and traditions and is often filled with chanting and Sanskrit blessings that began in a time long ago. This ceremony is known as 'samskara' and in India, it can last days or even weeks.

A Hindu ceremony performed in the Western parts of the world are usually a little less extravagant and last at least two hours.

The central component of a Hindu wedding ceremony  is 'Saptapadi', also called the 'Seven Steps'.

In this ritual the bride’s sari is tied to the groom’s clothing (kurta), or a sari shawl may be draped from his shoulder to her sari. He then takes her, linking his pinky finger with hers and leads her in seven steps around the fire.

While this is taking place the priest or officiant chants the seven blessings or vows for a strong union. These are adapted her in English from the Hindu ceremony:

1. May this couple be blessed with an abundance of resources and comforts, and be helpful to one another in all ways.

2. May this couple be strong and complement one another.

3. May this couple be blessed with prosperity and riches on all levels.

4. May this couple be eternally happy.

5. May this couple be blessed with a happy family life.

6. May this couple live in perfect harmony… true to their personal values and their joint promises.

7. May this couple always be the best of friends.

With each step, they throw small bits of puffed rice into the fire, representing prosperity in their new life together. The action of walking around the fire indicates that they agree to these seven blessings. This is considered the most important part of the ceremony as it seals the bond forever.

A simple and easy way to adapt this into contemporary civil marriage ceremony is to light a traditional fire, or use a large candle or pot of fire that can be placed on a small table beside the bride and groom.

The bride and groom can then take seven steps around the table while the seven blessings are spoken in English.  They can still throw the rice into the fire if using a pot or something large enough.

You do not have to be Hindu to use a ritual such as the Seven Steps in your ceremony. Rituals and Traditions are becoming ever popular with couples all over the world and it is at times difficult to find a ritual that truly means something to you. Explore all of the options and don’t be afraid to incorporate something quite different and unique. It will definitely make your ceremony memorable. As long as you stay respectful to the culture the ritual belongs with the use of it, then it makes for a beautiful experience for all.

The Wedding Gurus xx

Movie Review: The 5 Year Engagement

Picture courtesy of: IMDb

Taking some time out from our usual writing, The Wedding Gurus decided to temporarily break free of the chains that usually bind us to our desks, pick up giant popcorn and massively oversized drinks and head to the movies for some fun, lighthearted entertainment.

Of course we couldn't stray too far from our favourite topic 'weddings', so we spent two fun filled hours eating through all of our goodies and watching 'The Five Year Engagement'.

The film starring Jason Segel (Tom) and Emily Blunt (Violet) sees Tom propose to his girllfriend one year after meeting, but as they begin to make plans one thing after another just seems to get in the way and the wedding looks like it will never take place.

The movie had some funny moments, but also some sad ones and definitely a lot of things that many of us who have been engaged can relate to. Just as the couple did in the movie, so often we become consumed with life and getting everything exactly perfect before doing the things that we really want to that we end up never actually getting around to doing what we set out to.


Perhaps we don't see it (or maybe we do on some subconcious level), but we tell ourselves whatever makes it ok - Once we move house, when we have more money, when we start or leave our job.

THERE IS NEVER A RIGHT OR PERFECT TIME

Through alll of the comical twists and turns in the movie, the tear jerking moments and the 'ah-ha' moments, the overall message is clear: CARPE DIEM - SEIZE THE DAY!

The only time that you have is right now so work with what you have, DIY what you can and just go for it!

Overall we loved the movie especially the ending that we will definitely not ruin for you even though we are dying to make comment on.

We give the movie 4 stars out of 5.

The Wedding Gurus
xxx

Hens Night Game - "Clink & Drink"

This game helps break the ice at the beginning of your party whilst helping your guests to identify the relationship each person has to the bride and groom.

Ensure all guests have full glasses of champagne (or soft drink). Announce that if you fall into the catagory of the groups that are about to be called out you are to "clink" the glass of the others within that group and "drink". Here are a list of group catagories to get you started:

• "Clink and Drink" if you are from the family of the bride
• "Clink and Drink" if you are from the family of the groom
• "Clink and Drink" if you went to school with the bride
• "Clink and Drink" if you work with the bride
• "Clink and Drink" if you have known the bride for over 10yrs
• "Clink and Drink" if you are in the bridal party

You could make the game more interactive where you could say "Clink and Drink" if you have an embarrasing story about the bride, then the group members who have clinked are then to each give a 1 minute run down of the embarrasing story.

Enjoy!

The Wedding Gurus xx


Find more fun hens night games here!

Week 14: The Coin / Arras Ceremony

Welcome to week 14 in our ’52 Rituals/Traditions in 52 Weeks’

The Arras or coin ceremony consists of 13 golden coins which are exchanged back and forth between the bride and groom to symbolize wealth and success within their marriage.

"The celebrant drops 13 pieces of coins (silver or gold) called arras into the Groom's waiting hands, who in turn drops it into the Bride's hands. The Bride then puts her hand above the Groom's then drops the arras into his hands again. The Groom allows the coins to then be dropped into a plate held by an attendant.

The metal tinkling of the coins being passed from one pair of hands to the other, is a distinctive reminder of the groom's promise to take care of his wife materially. The bride in return, by giving back the coins to his hands, convey that what they both earn become part of each other's. The trickling sound also signifies abundance and success in the couple's joint efforts."

Wonderful, unique (and sometimes a little strange) weddings

The Wedding Guru's are always on the lookout for really different ideas particularly when it comes to bride styles. Every person is different and has their own unique style, but sometimes, every now and again one will come along that is really out there. We were astonished when we came across 42 year old Elaine Davidson’s wedding photos. 

Elaine is known as the world’s most pierced woman today. She has a total of 6,925 piercings, 192 of which are on her face and 1500 which are internal.

While Elaine's 'extreme' look is definitely not for everyone, her groom clearly sees past all of the piercings and paint to find a woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

Elaine made the Guinness Book of Records in 2000 explaining ‘I don’t really like getting pierced... but I suffer for my art’. She does not remove any of her piercings; she even sleeps with every last one in place at night.

Elaine was accompanied to a registry office in her home town of Edinburgh wearing a white gown as well as pink and white flowers and accessories around her hair.

Along with her trademark piercings all in place she also painted green, yellow and blue paint markings on her face.

Her husband, Douglas Watson, who appears to be exceptionally plain in comparison with no visible piercings, was dressed for the 35-minute ceremony in a dark blue suit with a blue shirt and tie.

While it is easy to be a little shocked by Elaine's look, we really wanted to share this with you and remind everyone that it's YOUR special day and you should have it ANY way that you choose.

The Wedding Gurus

xxx

Celebrity Inspired Wedding Hair

It can be a difficult and overwhealming task trying to choose the perfect hairstyle for your big day. But never fear the celebrities are here to help inspire you with their soft, shiny, wavy, sleek and vintage hairstyles. We have complied what we consider are some of the best and would love for you to let us know who is your favourite by leaving a comment on the bottom of this post.

    Angelina Jolie, Eva Longoria & Nicole Richie

  Jennifer Love Hewitt & Jessica Alba

     Katie Cassidy, Hilary Duff & Amy Adams

    Scarlett Johansson, Tyra Banks & Taylor Swift

   Jennifer Lopez & Lacey Chabert

The weird world of strange & bizarre Wedding Cakes

Wedding cakes are definitely something that every couple spend a lot of time deciding on. When I think of a fabulous wedding cake it conjures up all sorts of perfect images of little handmade flowers and intricately sculpted designs that leave guests in awe. Some cakes, however leave guests shocked for other reasons!

We believe the philosophy of 'each to their own', so we will give you the opportunity to make up your own mind on some of these more 'interesting' designs.

  
                                                 

  

The Wedding Gurus

xxx

Pagan Rituals - Significance of the Broom

Welcome to week 13 in our ’52 Rituals/Traditions in 52 Weeks’

We are playing a bit of catch-up due to falling a little behind, but we are getting back on track by posting some rituals close together and for week 13 we have decided to look at ‘Pagan Rituals’.

A pagan wedding ceremony is often quite different from a normal civil wedding ceremony. It is rich with colour, natural elements and acknowledges the four directions East (Air), South (Fire), West (Water) and North (Earth) as being an essential component that requires recognition (usually at the very beginning of the ceremony) along with many other ritualistic sentiments.

For some, the idea of a Pagan ceremony is very appealing, although if only one party to the marriage (the bride for instance) is Pagan, then it can be problematic to engage in a full Pagan ceremony.

There are many options in such a case for simply incorporating Pagan elements into your ceremony while still maintaining the format of a ‘normal’ wedding ceremony. There are so many it is hard to just pick a few, but we have chosen some that can be easily adapted.

For example, a Pagan ceremony is conducted inside a sacred circle which can be created from rocks, stones or a combination of candles & crystals. The circle is symbolic of the cycles of life, and it is considered a sacred place in which any negativity form the outside world can be left behind while the couples immense love and happiness can be contained within.
The main theme we wanted to look at was the use of ‘Brooms’ in pagan ceremonies and there are at least two ways in which a broom can be used:

Firstly: The broom is used in a sweeping motion to purify the sacred circle. This can be done by the Celebrant (or the bride & groom themselves).

Once the guests have arrived and are in the circle, whoever is performing the ritual, circles the area in an anti-clockwise direction.

The circle is swept and the following words repeated.

“Sweep, sweep, sweep this place
By Power of Air, I cleanse this space.”

The sweeping, often used to begin the cleansing ritual, is then usually followed by other cleansing powers of Light, Liquid, Dirt and Spirit. These are done most often with a red candle; a chalice of water; a bowl of earth and then words that are spoken in the middle of the circle for Spirit.

Secondly: As the primary use of a broom is to clean and sweep, they are thought to represent a new, clean and fresh start for the couple. The bride and groom jump the broom at the end of the ceremony after all of the words have been spoken and this indicates that they are putting the past behind them and are jumping together into their future.

Pagan ceremonies are very moving and unforgettable to take part in. If you ever have the chance to see one, take it because it will be something that will stay with you forever. Many of today’s rituals are adaptations of original Pagan traditions, but to see them performed in their original context and within a ceremony that incorporates many of them is a great experience.

If you are interested in having a Pagan ceremony or even incorporating components into your own ceremony then there are lots of resources available and we would be happy to point you in the right direction.

The Wedding Gurus

xxx

Week 12 - Libation Ceremony

Welcome to week 12 in our ’52 Rituals/Traditions in 52 Weeks’

This week we have decided to look at ‘libation’ in ceremony and how you can use it to create an interesting and heart felt ceremony.

Some traditions or rituals are not unique to just one culture and are in fact practised in many cultures throughout the world. These rituals are often similar in nature, but may have different relevance or meaning depending on who is practising them. This is certainly true for libation rituals.

The libation ritual is a traditional part of ceremony practised by the Greeks, Romans, Africans and Burmese Buddhists to name only a few. The term ‘libation’ actually means ‘the pouring of a liquid offering as a religious ritual’ and this liquid may be any number of things, again dependant upon who is performing it.

In some African cultures, an essential part of any ceremony is the pouring of libation. Sometimes water, but most often a traditional wine is used for the pouring which it is believed shows recognition and thanks to their ancestors and the Gods. A prayer calling all to attend and participate is given by an elder who through this tradition invokes both ancestors and Gods to be present.

The Ancient Romans were also big believers in the use of libation rituals in ceremony, usually consisting of wine and perfumed oil, it was considered an act of great worship.

These days we still see libation rituals used in ceremony and also in showing recognition to those no longer with us. If you live in the United States you may have heard of the term ‘tipping a forty to their memory’ which involves tipping a small amount of liquid (usually liquor) from the glass before drinking, paying respect to and in memory of those no longer with us.

If you are looking for a simple, easy ritual to use in your wedding ceremony that doesn’t cost anything and allows you to word it specifically to recognise something, then a libation ritual is a fabulous idea.

You could ask the head of either of your families,-a grandmother or grandfather, the celebrant or anyone you wish - to lead the ritual and say a few words as to the sentiment of the ritual.

An example of this may be where a loved one has passed away or unable to be present and you are looking for a way to acknowledge those unable to be with you. A libation is a simple, yet powerful way to pay your respect and honour their significance.

The Wedding Gurus

xxx

DIY Pom Pom Tissue Flower Ball

Pompoms make fabulous decorations for events, but unfortunately they can be costly to buy.

We are going to show you how to make them yourself for less than $1 each.

These gorgeous bursts of colour appear as though they are floating in the air, they have so many different creative uses. We love seeing them hung above tables, amongst laterns, or from the branches of a big tree.

All you need for this project is 10 pieces of colourful tissue paper and a paperclip. See our instructional step by step video below.