Your wedding day can be a celebration of great ceremony, it can be traditional, it can be a dramatic statement about you both, or it can be a casual, intimate occasion.

It can be unusual, individual, bizarre or fun to reflect your lifestyles. It should be one of the happiest days of your lives.

Traditional weddings are now being overtaken by less formal weddings with many couples planning theme weddings or even fantasy weddings.

The wedding day is a cause for excitement and happiness, a day filled with overwhelming emotion and an electric atmosphere.

Weddings these days are often a mix of elements, tailored to the wedding couple’s requirements.

Rarely is tradition completely dispensed with. The words ‘I do’ or the superstition of ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ are not usually dispensed with.

The bride continues to wear white, ivory or cream. There is always a wedding ring, a kiss and more often than not the sound of ‘Here comes the bride’.

At all weddings the highlight is always the tossing of the brides ’bouquet and always a cake.

BOMBONIERE
An European tradition that is becoming increasingly popular in Australia is bomboniere or ‘sweet favours’. Usually, bomboniere is left on the wedding reception tables for guests to take home.

Traditionally bomboniere is five sugared almonds presented within organza or tulle circles, organza bags, or keepsake boxes. They are usually white or pastel coloured and even gold or silver dipped.

The tradition of giving bomboniere represents health, wealth, happiness, long life and fertility. According to tradition, the almonds were given to each of the female guests at the wedding. These guests will take the bomboniere ( sweet favours ) home and place under their pillow so as to encourage sweet dreams of the man in their life.

Modern interpretations of wedding bomboniere can include chocolates, small cakes and other confectionery sweets. It can also include take-home candles and even small presents such as a champagne flute, wine or shot glass in memory of the occasion or bottles filled with bathsalts or potpourri.

Disposable cameras can be left on each of your reception tables so your guests can take cadid and fun snapshots of each other, a great way to supplement your professional photos of your wedding celebration.

WEDDING CHECKLIST

SIX TO TWELVE MONTHS
Decide the date and time of your wedding.
Arrange meeting between families to decide
size, style, and cost.
Draw up a draft guest list.
Book ceremony venue.
Appointment with a minister, priest, celebrant
to discuss the ceremony.
Book:
Reception venue and caterers
Photgrapher
Videographer
Florist
Musician
cake decorator
Car hire
Honeymoon

FOUR MONTHS BEFORE
Finalise guest list.
Choose & order wedding rings.
Confirm arrangements for ceremony;
incl. music, readings & order of service.
Choose & order invitations & other stationery.
Finalise honeymoon plans & check passports.
Confirm reception venue &
advise selected menu.
Book musicians & entertainment.

THREE MONTHS BEFORE
Begin a gift register with chosen department store.
Send out invitations & gift list.
Book groom's & groomsmen's suits.
Make appointments with hairdresser & beautician.
Shop for lingerie.
Order flowers, cake, bomboniere & accessories.
Book cars or other transport.

TWO MONTHS BEFORE
Choose gifts for attendants.
Pick up rings & check engraving.
Plan a bridesmaids' party.
Mark off acceptances as they arrive.
Confirm final photographer shot list.
Confirm programme with musians.

ONE MONTH TO GO
Confirm honeymoon reservations, pick up tickets.
Reception seating, advise reception venue.
Time the journey from home to ceremony venue.
Notify your bank of change of name details.
Arrange hen's & buck's nights.

ONE WEEK TO GO
Wedding rehearsal.
Pack for honeymoon.
Throw party for bridemaids.
Prepare your speech.
Check all final reception details.
Have a trial make-up & hair session.
Arrange for someone to ensure return of hired items.
Arrange for someone to take gifts home safely.
Take some time out for yourself;
have a massage or facial, go to a health spa or
away overnight with a friend.

WEDDING VEIL
The veil can be traced back to Roman Times when it was a complete head to toe cover.
In a custom dating back to arranged marriages, the groom's family very rarely let him see the bride prior to the ceremony.
The groom if displeased with the brides looks may have refused to marry her.
Only after completion of the wedding ceremony was the groom permited to lift the veil and see his bride for the first time.

WEDDING RINGS
Wedding and engagement rings are traditionally worn on the third finger of the left hand. Any other finger is considered unlucky. This possibly dates from the time of the Egyptians and the Greeks, who wrongly believed that an artery ran directly from the finger to the heart. The symbol of the unbroken circle of the ring has certainly been a powerful one from ancient times, symbolising unity for lovers.

Wedding rings were often made from gold which was believed to have magical powers and until quite recently wedding rings were rubbed on warts and styles to charm them away. Taking off your wedding ring or lending it to someone was thought to be a bad idea because if it was lost your marriage could suffer the same fate. Second-hand rings were also thought to bring bad luck.

WEDDING GARTER
Garters were originaly used to hold up stockings and are still regarded by many brides
as an essential wedding accessory.
Wearing something BLUE often takes the form of a blue wedding garter or
a garter incorporating a blue bow.

The significance of the colour blue is that it represents Constancy and Loyalty, also Purity.
These associations have been absorbed into folk wisdom and passed on in the form of rhyme.

Something old, Something new. Something borrowed,
Something blue and a silver sixpence for her shoe.

Wedding Horseshoe
"LUCKY HORSESHOE" TRADITION

The symbolism of the "lucky horseshoe" is lost in the mists of time but
is still a potent reminder of our culture and historic roots.
The horseshoe is "U" shaped to retain the good luck forever.
To be effective it is essential that the horseshoe is hung by the ribbons
which are attached to the shoulders.
The horseshoe should not be turned upside down
or else all the good luck of the marriage may fall out.

THE ORIGIN OF THE WEDDING CAKE
In the first century B.C. in Rome, the cake was thrown at the bride or broken over her head as one of the many fertility symbols which then were a part of the marriage ceremony.

TYPICAL ORDER OF CELEBRATION

Welcome by the MC
Grace
First course
The Loyal or (Royal) Toast
Main course or final course
Call to attention by MC
Introduction of the person proposing a toast
to the bride and groom
Response and toast to the bridesmaids
by the groom
Response by the best man
Toast to the bride's parents
Response by the father of the bride
Toast to the groom's parents
Response by the father of the groom
Reading of messages
(faxes, emails, cards etc.)
Any other comments by those who wish
to be acknowledged
MC thanks the musicians, caterers and any others.

THE ORIGIN OF THE TOAST
The term originates from the 16th century. At that time a piece of bread would be placed in a goblet of wine.
The goblet would be passed from guest to guest until it reached the person being honoured who would drain the goblet and eat the morsel of bread in the bottom.
This tradition is practiced at weddings today - usually in the form of one or more champagne "toasts".
The best man has the honour of giving the first toast. Usually the bride and groom remain seated for the toasts while all the guests are usually standing to honour them.
The couple may then make a few remarks thanking their families, wedding party members, and guests.
They may also "toast" each other or share a "toast" together.
Often special glasses or silver goblets are used by the bride and groom.

SUPERSTITIONS

"Something old, something new, something borrowed something blue."
This tradition dates back to Saxon times.
'Something old' stresses the bride's link with her past and her own family, and she will sometimes wear a piece of her gradmother's jewellery. 'Something new' represents the future, bringing success and wealth in her new life,
and is often the wedding dress.
'Something borrowed' links the bride to the present and brings good luck. It should also remind her that old friends and family are still there to support her. Traditionally, the borrowed item should have been worn at another, happy wedding and can be anything, although it is usually a garter or borrowed jewellery. 'Something blue' dates back from Saxon times when blue represented purity, and many brides nowadays choose to wear a blue garter.

THE ORIGIN OF THE GROOM'S CAKE
The tradition of a "Groom's Cake" comes from England and Ireland.
There, the traditional groom's cake is a fruit cake with white icing.
The groom's cake is usually served along with the traditional wedding cake. Today groom's cakes are very often chocolate or mud cake instead of the traditional fruit cake.

SUPERSTITIONS
It is considered good luck for the fully attired Bride to glance in her mirror just once before leaving for her wedding,
but it is bad luck to look in the mirror after she has left the bedroom to commence her journey to the ceremony.

It is bad luck for the Groom to see the Bride in her wedding gown before they get married.

It is traditional and thought of as good luck for the Bride to throw her wedding bouquet backwards over her shoulder towards the guests when she leaves for the honeymoon. The one who catches it is supposed to be the next one married.

The first of the couple to make a purchase after the marriage is said to be the domineering partner.

CARRYING THE BRIDE OVER THE THRESHOLD
In pagan times, evil spirits were thought to lurk everywhere and carrying the bride over the threshold was
believed to be a way of avoiding them.
Another old superstition warned that tripping at the doorway would bring bad luck to a marriage.

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