Wedding Reception Ideas

Wedding Reception Ideas

Much of what you decide to do for your wedding reception party will have to do with your overall wedding plan - your theme. Sticking with a planned theme can often make planning your reception more difficult. For example, throwing a Western cowboy themed wedding makes it difficult to throw a reception at a cozy ski hill resort without breaking with your theme.
The best thing to do is to plan the majority of your wedding events around what you want - your wedding ceremony location and particulars. Since location is probably one of the most important aspects of planning a wedding, we suggest looking at unique locations first and ask yourself (and the owner) whether those places would fit your wedding reception idea.
Some ideas might be:
Romantic restaurants
Small cruise
Ranch or private home
Sports venue
Private or rented movie theatre
Ballroom
Amphitheatre or outdoor venue (good in sunny weather locales)
Ski Lodge
Cornfield clearing complete with tents and large awnings
There are many ideas for locations for wedding receptions (and weddings for that matter). Once you have selected the proper location, find out if the location supports the number of people for your reception - the entertainment, refreshments, food and people. Why not try customized refreshments, themed wedding favors, even reception games. By being creative with location and your wedding theme, you will find that the rest of the wedding reception planning will fall right into place.

Jewish Wedding Traditions

Jewish Wedding Traditions

Filled with meaningful rituals and steeped in tradition, a Jewish wedding is symbolic of the beauty of the relationship of the husband and wife. There are many significant components of a traditional ceremony that will express the bride and groom's obligations to each other and the Jewish people. It's important to understand the traditions and the significance of following certain guidelines during the ceremony.
The wedding day is considered a personal Yom Kippur for the couple and allows them to have all mistakes forgiven as they merge their lives into one. There is traditional dress involved in this holy day. As guests arrive for the ceremony, the bride (kallah) and groom (chatan) greet the guests separately, as they won't be able to see one another before the ceremony begins. This part of the Jewish wedding tradition is called the Kabbalat Panim. Next in the ceremony comes the Badeken. This involves the veiling of the bride and groom. The wedding ceremony will then take place under the Chuppah, or canopy. The Chuppah is symbolic of the home the couple will build with one another.
The Blessings of Betrothal, or Kiddushin, is the part of the ceremony in which two cups of wine are shared by the couple after being blessed by the rabbi. According to Jewish law, a marriage becomes official with the groom gives the ring to the bride. The ring is traditionally plain, with no stones or embellishments. The rest of the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony involves the Ketubah, or marriage contract, the Seven Blessings, breaking the glass, and the festive meal. Carefully following these traditions is important to a Jewish couple. These meaningful rites of passage allow the couple to enter into the sacred bond of marriage and begin their life together. This beautiful and sacred ritual is an important tradition to the whole family.

Wedding Poems

Wedding Poems

Many couples like the idea of incorporating poems into their marriage ceremony, but may be unsure how to go about it. For some, the idea of writing their own love poem is a great romantic notion, but comes with just a bit of writer's block. For others, finding the ideal poem (already written) is greatly desired but feels like an overwhelming task. For these couples, the good news is that others have already done much of the hard work.
Multitudes of collections have been compiled for the sole purpose of weddings. The trouble is of course, finding time to go to the local library and read them all. This is where a bit of solid research comes in handy; some websites provide brief descriptions or group poems by category. Many also provide the complete poems with copyright information. Because a wedding is not a public service and couples are not charging guests for attending, a simple acknowledgement of the author and creation date in the program will suffice. There are also a number of books on the subject. These can be useful in that many combine poetry options along with vows or other related ceremonial options that can compliment the reading.
For those who are interested in composing their own poem, but do not feel up to the task, there is help here as well! For poets-in-the-making, choices range from enrolling in a poetry course (such as online or through a community education program), to using one of the many tools to create customized wedding vows and poems, to simply winging it. If there is time and inclination, a short course on poetry writing can be very informative, provide feedback from participants and the instructor, and help reduce nerves. However, this may be a bit much for some, which is why websites, books, wedding kits are available that walk the couple through the process of writing their own poems or vows. These can be useful in that the couple can work together in developing a theme or direction for the poems, which makes the writing process much easier.
Winging it is also an option, while considering a few thoughts. Not everyone can write elaborate poetry incorporating perfect rhyme and rhythm--which is why free verse was invented. Using free verse or other, shorter forms of poetry may be the perfect options for those who want to express their feelings in original words but cannot face the thought of composing a sonnet. Consider reading a book or two on poetry writing to get a feel for the variety of poetry styles.

Unique Asian Wedding Traditions Revealed

Unique Asian Wedding Traditions Revealed

If you try to examine the word wedding, wed is a Greek word that means pledge and that strong word defines how they go on living together as husband and wife. Wedding rituals connote to a pledge made by the couple and there they start a brand new life.
In China, the bride wears a bright red gown symbolizing luck. It is elaborately adorned with golden phoenixes, chrysanthemums and peonies believing to bring wealth and good fortune. The groom, on the hand wears a traditional black silk coat over a robe embroidered with dragon. But before the grand day, a whole roast pig is offered as an engagement gift. And fireworks are famous from Chinese weddings to scare off evil spirits for better lives.
In Indonesia, reception festivities only begin when the couple greeted the whole guests in line. They receive their guests until the very last one. This is still followed by some Asians but today it is not necessary so. The bride and groom are brought to a room waiting for everybody to arrive ready for the grand entrance.
In India, the parents of the bride wash the couple's feet with milk and water to purify their souls. This is symbolic and up to now Indians practice the ritual. During the ceremony both holds grains of rice and oats and green leaves symbolizing wealth, good health and happiness.
These are documented rituals common to most Asians but being in the modern world directs thinking to a practical point of view but still, traditions stay.

Customary Traditions for Brides-To-Be in Asia

Customary Traditions for Brides-To-Be in Asia

Asia is a land rich in literally thousands of cultures, all of which have their own traditions-especially when it comes to weddings. Each country, from Indonesia to Japan, Thailand to Korea all have customs and traditions each unique ad their own. Asia's land mass is surrounded by oceans and mountains, making it breathtakingly beautiful, no matter where you are. Asian marriage traditions are also as unique as the landscape. They don't simply connect the bride to the groom, but family to family. Wedding traditions in Asia are as varied as the many cultures and countries that make up the continent.
Let's look at 5 customary traditions for brides-to-be in Asia.
1. In Japan, many brides wear kimonos embroidered with purple flowers because purple represents love. Most ceremonies are in the Shinto religion where the natural spirits are asked to bless the couple's union. In traditional Buddhist ceremonies, a beaded string is braided together which symbolizes the two families becoming one.
2. In countries like India that have a Hindu culture, it's bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding and couples go to great lengths to avoid each other for days leading up to the ceremony. During the marriage service itself, it's tradition for the bride's parents to wash the feet of the bride and groom in milk and water. This is a symbolic act of purification to prepare the newlyweds for their life together. The couple will also hold items in their hands while the ceremony goes on - grains of rice, oats, and leaves, which stand for wealth, health, and happiness.
3. Gowns worn by Chinese brides are not white. Chinese believe that white symbolizes death. So, brides in this Asian country wear vivid red which is thought to bring luck to the newlywed. In addition to the bride wearing red, she will also typically have designs in her gown depicting phoenixes and flowers to symbolize wealth and fortune. The Chinese groom will don a black silk coat over an embroidered robe with a dragon on it. Firecrackers are set off during the wedding to ward off any evil spirits. Afterwards, expect a feast of roasted pig, a gift from the groom's family.
4. Back in the days in the Philippines, an intended groom would throw a large spear onto the front of the bride's house to show that she belonged to him. Today, the Filipinos stick to the more western tradition of a gold engagement ring. Although most Filipinos are of the Catholic religion now, some still follow traditions of old where the wedding lasts three day, with the couple declaring their love for each other each day and then finally being bound together with a chord to symbolize the final rite of marriage.
5. In Korea, they go all out on the wedding festivities. Oftentimes, a palm reader or fortune teller will be hired to gaze into the couple's future before they actually take their vows in order to see if they will live happily ever after. Because Korean weddings are so expensive and extravagant, they really want to make sure it's forever before signing the check for the party.