A Tree Grows In Bermuda

Nursery Man

This Green wedding favor of small trees is now all the rage. Many couples like the idea of giving gifts of life that not only help the environment it is a unique gift that many guest will enjoy for years to come. But did you know this is an old custom celebrated in Bermuda? As the tradition goes, the tree is planted at the home of either parent or the new home of the couple where the reception is held. This memorializes the wedding date. Some couples today will top of the cake with a small tree sapling. Below this gemstone cake topper is certainly a grand way to honor the tradition.

Handcrafted Wedding

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What Little Girls are Made Of

What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice,
And all that's nice;
That's what little girls are made of
an excerpt from the Baby Opera by Walter Crane

She is your little special helper and here is a little book that she will love. For her it is a big day too and she will remember it always. Well, she may forget that she dumped the flowers at the end of the aisle, cried at the back of the church, or even stood frozen at the sight of all the people. Still she is your little precious flower, let her know you love and appreciate her.

She may also enjoy

j.blossom
Read: The Youngest Endorsement

Do It Yourself Weddings

"I think I can I think I can", said the little red engine and just like the little red engine you too can get your motor running and create a fabulous wedding just like the big guys. I have been searching through the Amazon.com data base and found these titles.
You are just one click away from "Yes I can, Yest I can!"

Getting Married at Home

40 Fun Projects for your One Of a Kind Wedding



Celebrate Your Wedding Your Way

There Will Be A Bucket

Picture from Start up Blog

If many of you recall, Bridezilla Brandi from Texas (The Grooms Cake). Brandi had some real issues (as so many of the Bridezillas do), with money. Brandi wanted a high class wedding with a Walmart budget. This is fine when you understand your limits, but Brandi, true to the tradition of Bridezilla, is going to solve her problem by having others solve it for her. At the Rehearsal Dinner, the groom decides to make an announcement "Can everyone keep their meals to $10 or less", as Brandi sits covers her face out of embarrassment. Some of the guest even offered to pay for their own meal, which took her over the top, so she makes an announcement "There will be a bucket for you all to put money into". This may seem inappropriate, but I think again she could have solved this problem with a long standing tradition call "The Money Dance" or "Dollar Dance".

Picture from Nakai Photography Blog
Jason and Latoi

The idea of the dance is the male guest pay for the favor of dancing with the bride and the female guest pay to dance with the groom. Pinning money to her gown, gives the couple money for the honeymoon and for setting up house keeping. From the early 1900's immigrants from Poland have celebrated this tradition. Other countries include Italy, Yugoslavia, Latin countries as well as some African countries. Today the tradition is done for fun rather than need and at the end of the day a dollar is a dollar so, Shake That Money Maker!

A note to would be Bridezilla's, find a tradition that fits your neurosis. Claim it as your own, so you can stop the melt down.

8.8.08 9000 Estimated to Marry In China

Weird Asia News

It's a numbers thing you may not understand.

In China, the number 8 is considered lucky. So it is no accident that the Olympics would start on this day, so why not have a mass wedding of Olympic proportions. These couples are just superstitious they are following a long held belief that the number 8 brings prosperity, wealth, and good fortune. Looking at the statistics, prosperity, wealth, and good fortune are important components to a healthy marriage. Bad finances is the number 1 cause of matrimonial issues, Romance Without Finance Is a Nuisance.

National Nine News

So I think the Chinese have it right. Enjoy this custom even if your are not marrying today. Have 8 bridesmaids, wear a silver 8 charm inside your dress, carry 8 roses, you get the idea, enjoy this custom even if it's not your own. But keep it real, marriage is work and you should not be blinded by the hype. The word marriage is just a few letters away from mirage and you don't want to be have some kind of optical phenomenon. Go into your nuptials honestly, open, and with love, your path to prosperity, wealth, and good fortune will be a easy.
Now I'm going out to play lotto, just in case.

More Reading on finances:

• Sterling Choices
• The Cost Of Weddings
• Element Financial Group or Gail Marquis: GailMarquis@finsvcs.com
• Saving On The I Do's
  

The 7th Day of The 7th Month

August 7, 2008

Of the Chinese Lunar Calender

7th Day of the 7th Month

The Emperor of Heaven's 7th daughter fell in love with Cowherd. The union was unacceptable and the Emperor separated them. The 7th daughter had to move to the star Vega and Cowherd moved to Altair. For once a year they meet on the 7th day of the 7th month.

Chinese Valentines Day is called The Daughter's Festival. In the early days, Chinese girls would train themselves in good handcrafting skills which were essential for a good marriage. On that night, unmarried girls will pray to the Weaving Maid star to become smarter. When the star Vega is high in the sky the unmarried girls have a test, they will put a needle on the water surface and if it floats this means they are already smart and they will find a husband. The girls can wish for anything but only one a year.
On this day many people will go to the temple of Matchmaker and pray for love and possible marriage.
Enjoy this holiday and send roses, chocolates and lots of love to your sweetie, and with a Happy Valentine Note. And don't be mad he didn't remember, neither did you.

There were more than one version of this story link here for more detailed info:
Chinese Valentine's Day

Wedded Bliss, The Marriage of Art and Ceremony

PEM Museum

The Peobody Essex Museum of Massachusetts explores weddings as a source of art and inspiration from cultures around the world. Wedded Bliss features approximately 130 objects. With works that include artists Jacob Lawrence, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall along side couture gowns, rare jewelry, and ceremonial items. The ceremony of marriage is a complicated one, hence the success of reality shows like Bridezilla, Platinum Weddings and many others. It is curious how many customs and traditions are still practiced. The exhibit will explore the full matrimonial experience from the Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. I do hope to see this exhibit myself and I am sure many of you will enjoy it too.
Wedded Bliss runs now through to September 14, 2008.

More Links and Info:
Wedded Bliss Slide Show
Wedded Bliss Website
Wedded Bliss Press
PEM Homepage

His Last Piece

On a recent episode of Bridezillas, budget conscious Brandi, visits a cake vendor to decide what style wedding cake she'll have for the big day. After she has made her selection, she has one more request for the Grooms Cake (more on that later).

In this tradition the cake was usually a fruit cake, which is cut up into small pieces and boxed. Female guest would then put the box under their pillow and dream of their future husband. Today the cakes are usually a chocolate flavor and the most fun is the cake is created in the shape of the groom's interests.

Hot Breads

Denas Cakes


Heavenly Crumbs


Groom Cake Topper

This cake practice is strong in the south, but couples all over are taking a slice from this sweet tradition.
Now this brings me back to Brandi, the Bridezilla lovely from Texas. As I mentioned, her Grooms Cake request left both her sister and the baker shocked. Brandi wanted the cake to be in the shape of a ... well the shape of a woman's poom poom (don't look it up you know what I'm talking about). Anyway, she thought this was a symbol of "His last piece". Poor Brandi, couldn't understand why they didn't get it. She goes on to tell her sister, the baker, the candlestick maker that she thought long and hard about this. Now, I thought, wait, this may not be appropriate for the wedding reception (as they both tried to explain) but she was dead on for the bachelors party. She was also in the wrong bakery for this type of cake. So I took a trip down the Internet highway, just for you my dear readers, and did a sexy cake search. Here is the list of what I found:

Caution! these websites very sexy, consider yourself warned

Nookys Erotic Bakery
Sexy Sues Cake Decorating Kit
Masterbakers
Exoctic Cakes
Eroctic Bakery