Planning your wedding is a special time. Your wedding ceremony is the centre of your wedding day. Surrounded by your family and friends, meaningful texts and beautiful and uplifting spaces, your well chosen music will complete this environment of celebration. Every detail used in the wedding has a meaning that symbolizes the beginning of a new life in a pure expression. There are different kinds of wedding celebrations; but each one has something in common. One of the things that may not be missing is the wedding ring.

For centuries the wedding or engagement ring has graced the 2nd finger of the left hand. This tradition goes all the way back to the time of the Egyptians. They believed that a vein ran directly from the 2^nd finger to the heart. It symbolizes the union of the couple that will get married, and the never-ending love . It also symbolizes the fidelity, love, and dedication to each other. The engagement ring is a promise for marriage. During the Roman era, the man had to "barter" for his future bride. The engagement ring was security for the "betrothed." As time went on, men presented diamond rings to future brides because a ring containing a diamond was considered more valuable than a plain gold band -- thus, it is a stronger promise and offers more security.

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White was the chosen color of the early Greeks to symbolize purity, innocence, joy and celebration. In other cultures such as Asian cultures red is the traditional color because it symbolizes joy. White in our culture has also come to be synonymous with purity and joy. This is why it has become a favorite color of brides. In those days, white meant purity and virginity, but today it is again the color of joy and celebration _ which means that any bride can wear it, whether it's her first wedding of her fifth.

Today, many brides choose shades of white with ivory as a popular choice, as well. They are not so attached to the idea that white is the only color that they can use.

It is being a tradition to have a cake in a wedding celebration. There are different things that usually people do with the cake during the wedding celebration. To get some traditional ideas about what to do with the cake visit the this web site.

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Originating during the time of the Romans, the kiss was used to bind a legal agreement. A kiss was the seal of a betrothal. Later this was adopted in Christian ceremonies, using a kiss to mark the union of a man and wife in the agreement of marriage. It was also believed that when 2 people kissed a part of their soul was left in one another with the exchange of breath, symbolic of the union of these two people. The kiss, occurring at the end of a ceremony is an announcement of the status of the newly formed couple.

Obvious in meaning, the heart represents love. When used in pairs, two hearts represent the bride and groom in holy union.

Early Roman brides carried bunches of herbs, most often rosemary, to symbolize fidelity and fertility and to scare off evil spirits. The Greeks carried ivy, symbolizing endless love. The Victorians were fascinated with the meanings of different blooms; they popularized the wedding rose, which represented true love. To find more information about the meaning of different flowers check the following web-site.

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The Dove

The dove represents peace and tranquility, which is the hoped-for blessing between a man and woman. It is usually displayed as if in flight. Often, in Christian ceremonies, the dove is seen in a descending mode of movement. If the dove holds a ring in its beak, the symbol is connected with the marriage made in heaven.

Candles and incense appeal to the sensual nature of marriage. A purist will connect candles and incense to sacrifice as a request for Godís blessing. Candles are also thought to symbolize hope.

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Brides originally wore veils to stave off evil spirits. The veil was often red (for defiance against evil) or yellow (for Hymen, the god of marriage). Martha Washington's daughter is said to have been the first bride to wear white lace, covering her head with a long lace scarf for her ceremony. Her fiance had previously commented on her beauty as she stood behind a lace window curtain, and she went with it _ as have millions of other brides.

In the early days of arranged marriages, the bride and groom often never saw each other at all before the wedding. Even after couples were already acquainted before they married, it was still considered bad luck for the groom to glimpse the bride pre-ceremony; she would not be pure and new. Nor was the bride supposed to see herself _ it was believed that if she saw her reflection, she would leave some of herself behind in the mirror. (Brides today probably wouldn't take too well to not being able to preen before the wedding!)

These days, many couples still uphold the not-seeing-each-other tradition. Others throw caution to the wind and spend time alone together pre-ceremony to calm their nerves or enjoy the excitement together.

To get a better idea of what people do for the wedding visit the following web-sites.

If you havenít attend a Christian wedding and you would like to have an idea of how the ceremony is celebrated visit this web-site.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/2407/ceremony.html

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