Week 19: Blackening of the Bride

Welcome to week 19 of our "52 traditions/rituals in 52 weeks".

Yes it is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – blackening of the bride. In this Scottish ritual/tradition the poor bride is subjected to being covered in some disgusting concoctions and substances all in the name of easing her worries. Luckily for the poor bride this takes place in the days leading up to the wedding and never on the day or even the day before.

The most common way of ‘blackening’ the bride is for her friends (debatable) to take her out into the streets and smother her in every awful substance they can find, usually including things like fish guts and molasses, spoiled milk and rotten eggs and occasionally topped off with flour, feathers or anything else that may help her to look ridiculous and smell terrible.

Believe it or not, it is thought that being subjected to this ultimate humiliation will mean that any problems or humiliations the couple may see in the future and within the marriage will seem so much less worrisome or and have little meaning in comparison.

Sadly that is not the end to the ordeal – Completely covered from head to toe in the foul mix and smelling worse than you can imagine, the poor thing is then paraded through the streets, on show for all to see. Her ‘friends’ who walk ahead of her bang pots and pans to ensure the attention of the crowd and then usually lead her to a local pub or club for a celebration of her coming marriage.

Although probably pretty awful and stinky, all in all this would probably be a pretty fun ritual/tradition (or a slightly less foul version of) to do with a group of girlfriends. The photos and the laughs would definitely last a lifetime.

The Wedding Gurus

xxx

A Wedding that Sparkles

www.lovebouquets.co.uk 



The Wedding Gurus

xxx

Please note: These photographs have been compiled from numerous sources including Facebook posts and other web pages. These photographs are not the property of The Wedding Guru's. If you would like any information on contacting the owner of a particular photograph we would be happy to assist.

Hens Night Post It Note Game

This game is a fantastic way to give the bride a fun and memorable night along with some wonderful memories and keepsakes.

Give all of your guests a post-it note and pen and ask them to write a short sentence of a memory they have of the bride. Collect the notes and place them on a hard surface. The bride then has to read out each of the notes and guess who wrote it whilst explaining the story in full out loud. A story about childhood memories, ex boyfriends, drunken nights and girls gossip is welcome and a must to ensure a good laugh!

Find more fun hens night games here!

The 3am Wedding

At The Wedding Gurus we spend hours looking through blog posts, Facebook pages and tweets in order to find interesting, unique stories and up to date information to bring you. Every now and then we come across something that stands out from the crowd and our next post definitely did that!

'The 3am Wedding' by Michelle Wichello really caught our eye and we just knew that we had to share it with you all.

Michelle  also just happens to be one our many fabulous celebrants from 'Blessed Be Ceremonies' as listed on our 'Celebrants' page.

We hope you enjoy this story as much as we did and don't forget to check out Michelles page for other great stories.

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3AM. The wee wee hours of a Wednesday morning in Autumn. An auspicious time for South Australian couple Crystal & Chris. A waterfall. A hill to climb before reaching it. In the dark. A celebrant, two witnesses & a couple of confused police thrown in for good measure (something blue?).

Are they vampires or something? No, they are not. 3am is just a very special time for them as 1 year and 1 day ago at 3am, the Groom proposed to his Bride.

“When I arrived in the car park at 2am on the morning of the ceremony, I was met by the couple and their two witnesses being questioned by the Police.” Explains Michelle Wichello of Blessed Be the celebrant called upon to unite these two in sleepless matrimony. “My first thoughts were **** after all this preparation we’re not going to be able to go ahead with their wedding.  The bride had her white dress hitched up around her waist and was sporting runners for the walk up the track to the second falls, the groom was in a lime green suit (well it was St Patrick’s Day) and the police men wore the biggest grins that I had ever seen. They must have thought we were bonkers. After convincing the police that we were indeed there to perform a marriage ceremony, the officers departed with the words, “mate, all we wanted to tell you was that your tail lights are out.”

They set off into the pitch blackness of the bush with torches swinging on the dreaded uphill walk to their chosen site. While Michelle set up her equipment, the best man ran around stringing solar fairy lights and lanterns. With the place looking totally magical and the sound of the falls running in the back ground they performed their wedding ceremony. Beautiful, intimate and full of laughter and fun.

Michelle says it’s “A ceremony that I will remember forever. Thank you to the crazy couple who had this mad idea. Oh yeah, they also chose for me to pronounce them as ‘partners in crime’.” What an awesome (and dedicated!) way to infuse your story, your love & a little of your nuttiness into your wedding day.

The Wedding Gurus  xxx

Note: Got a great story you want us to share with the world? Email us at theweddinggurus@live.com.au

Week 18 - Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed & Something Blue

Welcome to week 18 of our "52 traditions/rituals in 52 weeks."

One of the most common and recognised wedding traditions has to be “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue” – and if you are going all the way then “And a Sliver Sixpence in her Shoe.”

Of the many thousands of traditions that have come and gone over the centuries, this old English rhyme from the Victorian era is one that has truly stood the test of time and for some reason is still the most popular of all rituals/traditions in our modern society.

"Something Old" is said to symbolise the special connection that the bride has with her own family and that she will maintain to them and to her origins and her past. ‘Something Old – usually gives rise for the bride to choose something that is meaningful from the family, perhaps an heirloom or a piece of her grandmother (or other family members) jewellery. Another option, far more popular in the past than in recent times, is the wearing of a wedding gown belonging to her mother or grandmother.

"Something New" signifies that if the bride has something new then  good fortune and success will be in abundance as she begins her new life with her husband. ‘Something new’ can be anything of her choosing, but if she is not wearing an old dress then her new wedding dress is often a good choice.

"Something Borrowed" is a reminder to the bride of her strong friendships and family bond. The borrowing of an item will give her a sense that she will have love and support whenever she may need it and always have others to lean on when times are tough. The borrowed item can be anything of her choosing, but is most often something that is easily concealed, worn or able to fit in a small purse.

"Something Blue" Is a symbol of love, faithfulness, modesty, fidelity and loyalty. In ancient Roman times the colour blue was the colour that represented all of these (Evidenced by the Virgin Mary in blue). Brides often wore blue wedding gowns in those times and a today still honour this by wearing a blue garter.

 "A Silver Sixpence in her Shoe" A sixpence is an old British coin, which was said to bring the good wishes of loved ones to the bride for financial security and happiness if worn in her shoe. For the best of fortune, she should be sure to ware it in her left shoe. In modern times any other silver coin may be used as a substitute, but there are places that sell keepsake sixpences for weddings.

Superstition warns us that a bride who carries these objects will ensure that she is blessed with a happy, long and prosperous married life. While we love this tradition and all of its sentiment, every bride is beautiful and lucky on her big day and if you don’t manage to have all of these items then begin your own tradition with what you do have and find significance in them.

The Wedding Gurus

xxx

Week 17 - Earth Ritual

Welcome to week 17 in our ’52 Rituals/Traditions in 52 Weeks’

Many wedding rituals and traditions have a strong focus on the bride and groom and where appropriate, their children. These rituals seek to show the significance and beauty in bringing two individuals together or in uniting a couple and their children whether from previous relationships or their own.

The ritual we are sharing with you today does this, but it goes a little further by involving all of the family and friends in attendance. They not only take part, but are asked to contribute and it is this contribution that sets the foundation for the ritual.

When you send out your wedding invitations you will need to include a small note asking each guest to bring a small jar or container filled with some dirt from around their home. (It only needs to be a small amount especially if you have a lot of guests coming.)

At the ceremony have a medium sized plant pot and a seedling ready on a nearby table. At the time in the ceremony when the ritual is to be done, the officiant may say something (and this is just our preferred version of the wording) such as:

"Bride(name) & Groom(name) have chosen to include a special ritual in their ceremony today that involves you all as their loved ones – the people that they hold most dear.

Each of you has been asked to bring a small amount of earth which was lovingly taken from your own home filled with love and hope and today it is hoped that as each of you place your earth into this plant pot, it will retain that love.

Once the pot is full Bride(name) & Groom(name) will plant the seedling that sits beside it, ready to grow and be nourished by the love of all of you.

I would now like to invite the parents and grandparent’s to come forward."

(Once they’ve finished)

"If everyone else could now please also come forward." (When complete and everyone has added their earth)

"Bride(name) & Groom(name) – your pot has now been filled with the love, hope and best wishes of all of your family and friends. It has been taken from their own lives, their own homes and now given to you to be the base of your future life together. As you now plant the seedling, let its growth and beauty be a constant reminder of the blending of your two lives and families and the love and support that they have for you as they watch you grow together."

(Couple finish planting the seedling and the officiant returns to concluding the ceremony)

This ritual is easy to do and very effective. As long as everyone participates its significance is beautiful and memorable. The wording can be changed and easily adapted to suit.

The Wedding Gurus

xxx