Before the Wedding

Wedding

A wedding is a ceremony where two or more people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vows by a couple, presentation of a gift (offering, rings, symbolic item, flowers, money, dress), and a public proclamation of marriage by an authority figure or celebrant. Special wedding garments are often worn, and the ceremony is sometimes followed by a wedding reception. Music, poetry, prayers, or readings from religious texts or literature are also commonly incorporated into the ceremony, as well as superstitious customs originating in Ancient Rome.

Before the wedding

Marriage proposal planner

Wikipedia article: Marriage proposal planner

A marriage proposal planner is a professional event coordinator who specializes in planning marriage proposals. A proposal planner is a relatively new profession in the wedding industry. Proposal planners suggest marriage proposal ideas, scout proposal locations, negotiate rates with vendors, draw up contracts, hire photographers, create romantic setups, acquire permits, and help clients choose engagement rings. Proposal planners interview the proposer and ask questions about the couple. They then use those answers to create a unique proposal idea.

The mass media and social media are partly responsible for the emergence of proposal planners. There are fancy proposals on TV, and women's expectations are rising. Men have trouble meeting those expectations without some help.

Marriage proposal

Wikipedia article: Marriage Proposal

A marriage proposal is an event where one person in a relationship asks for the other's hand in marriage. If accepted, it marks the initiation of engagement. It often has a ritual quality, sometimes involving the presentation of an engagement ring and a formalized asking of a question such as, "Will you marry me?" In western culture, it is traditional for the man to propose to the woman while "kneeling" before her (technically, this is genuflection, not kneeling), and sometimes physically putting the ring on her finger, as opposed to merely giving it to her. Often the proposal is a surprise.

Engagement

Wikipedia article: Engagement

An engagement is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage – which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be affianced, betrothed, engaged to be married, or simply engaged. Future brides and grooms are often referred to as fiancées or fiancés respectively (from the French word fiancé). The duration of the courtship varies vastly.

Wedding planner

Wikipedia article: Wedding Planner

A wedding planner is a professional who assists with planning and organization of weddings. Weddings are significant events in people's lives, and those involved are often willing to spend a considerable amount of money to ensure it is organized as perfectly as possible.

Professional wedding planners exist in several countries and communities, with extensive certification courses available to those who wish to pursue the career.

Save the date

Wikipedia article: Save the date

A save the date notice is an item stating the date of a wedding or other formal event. It typically states the date when a couple plans to marry, so that recipients will know to keep that date free. Save the dates usually take the form of a card, but can also be a refrigerator magnet or similar item. They are generally sent out at least six to twelve months before the wedding date, and are usually followed by a formal wedding invitation.

While save the date started as a wedding-related custom, it is now used by individuals, businesses, and organizations to announce the date of any formal event, ranging from wedding anniversaries to grand opening ceremonies for office buildings.

Save the dates are growing wildly in popularity around the world.

Banns of marriage

Wikipedia article: Banns of marriage

The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as the "banns" or "bans" /bænz/ (from a Middle English word meaning "proclamation", rooted in Frankish and from there to Old French[1]), are the public announcement in a Christian parish church or in the town council of an impending marriage between two specified persons. It is commonly associated with the Catholic Church, the Church of England, and the Church of Sweden, and with other denominations whose traditions are similar. In 1983, the Roman Catholic Church removed the requirement for banns and left it to individual national bishops' conferences to decide whether to continue this practice, but in most Catholic countries the banns are still published.

The purpose of banns is to enable anyone to raise any canonical or civil legal impediment to the marriage, so as to prevent marriages that are invalid. Impediments vary between legal jurisdictions, but would normally include a pre-existing marriage that has been neither dissolved nor annulled, a vow of celibacy, lack of consent, or the couple's being related within the prohibited degrees of kinship.

Marriage licence

Wikipedia article: Marriage licence

A marriage license is a document issued, either by a church or state or county authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between countries and has changed over time. Marriage licenses began to be issued in the Middle Ages, to permit a marriage which would otherwise be illegal (for instance, if the necessary period of notice for the marriage had not been given).

Today, they are a legal requirement in some jurisdictions and may also serve as the record of the marriage itself, if signed by the couple and witnessed.

In other jurisdictions, a license is not required. In some jurisdictions, a "pardon" can be obtained, for marrying without a license and in some jurisdictions, common-law marriages and marriage by cohabitation and representation are also recognized. These do not require a marriage license. There are also some jurisdictions where marriage licenses do not exist at all and a marriage certificate is given to the couple after the marriage ceremony did take place.

Blood test

The US states of Florida, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Indiana, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Mississippi, California, New York, and the District of Columbia once required blood tests before issuing a marriage license, but such requirements have since been abolished. The tests were mainly used to check for previous or current bouts of syphilis and rubella (German measles); other diseases that have been screened for before marriage in some cases have included tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and HIV, the last of which is the only one of those three that is detectable using a blood test.

Bridal registry

Wikipedia article: Bridal registry

A bridal registry is a service provided by a website or retail store to assist engaged couples in the communication of gift preferences to wedding guests. Selecting items from store stock, the couple lists desired items and files this list with the chosen merchant. The list is then made available to wedding guests, either by the couple's family or the merchant. Upon the purchase of a listed item, this gift registry is updated accordingly. In addition to providing valuable information for the buyer, the system helps prevent the receipt of duplicate or unwanted gifts, potentially saving time for both giver and recipient.

Bridal shower

Wikipedia article: Bridal shower

A bridal shower is a gift-giving party held for a bride-to-be in anticipation of her wedding. The custom originated in the 1890s and is today most common in the United States, Canada, and by American influence, in Australia.

The history of the custom is rooted not necessarily for the provision of goods for the upcoming matrimonial home, but to provide goods and financial assistance to ensure the wedding may take place.

Engagement party

Wikipedia article: Engagement party

n engagement party is a party thrown to celebrate a couple's recent engagement and to help future wedding guests to get to know one another. Traditionally, the bride's parents host the engagement party, but many modern couples host their own celebration

Wedding Invitation

Wikipedia article: Wedding Invitation

A Wedding Invitation is a letter asking the recipient to attend a wedding. It is typically mailed six to eight weeks before the wedding date. Wedding invitations may be printed using one of the following methods: engraving, lithography, thermography, letterpress printing, sometimes blind embossing,compression plate process, offset printing, and more recently, wedding invitations with laser and inkjet printers as many do-it-yourself brides are printing on their home computers. Invitations can be ordered from an artist, or vendor specializing in invitations. For the artistically inclined, they can be handmade.

Chinese pre-wedding customs

Wikipedia article: Chinese pre-wedding customs

The first step is the Selection of auspicious dates for the Chinese wedding, the betrothal and the installation of the bridal bed. A Chinese monk, a temple official fortune teller select a suitable date based on the couple's birth dates and times. Some may also refer to the Chinese calendar or almanac for good days. Even numbered months and dates are preferred, and the lunar seventh month is avoided as it is the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival.

After the selection of the auspicious dates, wedding details such as types and quantities of betrothal gifts, reciprocal gifts, bride's price, and number of tables at the wedding banquet provided by the groom's parents for the bride's parents' guests are settled.

Up to a month and at least three days before the wedding day, the groom and a friend or a matchmaker will deliver the betrothal gifts on the auspicious date chosen.

Western and Chinese wedding cakes and peanut candies, together with two bottles of brandy, at least six tins of canned ham and even number of oranges are included in the wedding gift baskets. Two pairs of dragon and phoenix candles are also included. Also included is gold jewellery from the groom's parents to the bride, such as the Cantonese Dragon and phoenix bangle or the teochew's four items of gold.

Some include the bride's price with the betrothal gifts, whereas some will only present it when the groom fetches the bride.

Bachelor party

Wikipedia article: Bachelor party

A bachelor party (USA and South Africa), also known as a stag party, stag night or stag do (United States, Canada, UK, Ireland and New Zealand), a bull's party (South Africa), and a buck's party or buck's night (Australia) is a party held for a bachelor shortly before he enters marriage, to make the most of his final opportunity to engage in activities a new partner might not approve of, or merely to spend time with his male friends (who are often in his wedding party afterwards). Bachelor parties are usually planned by the best man or the friend of the bachelor that has the most extensive partying experience and, occasionally, with the assistance of a bachelor party planning company.

Bachelorette party

Wikipedia article: Bachelorette party

A bachelorette party, hen's party, hen's do, or hen's night, is a party held for a woman who is about to be married. The term hen's party or hen's night is more common in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, while the term bachelorette party is more common in the United States. The term stagette is used in Canada. It may also be referred to as a girls' night out or kitchen tea (South Africa in particular) or other terms in other English-speaking countries.

The bachelorette party is modeled after the bachelor party, which is itself historically a dinner given by the bridegroom to his friends shortly before his wedding. Despite its reputation as "a sodden farewell to bachelor days" or "an evening of debauchery," a bachelorette's party is simply a party, given in honor of the bride-to-be, in the style that is common to that

Stag and doe party

Wikipedia article: Stag and doe party

A cultural event in [[Canada]], popular mostly in Manitoba or Ontario under various names to raise money for a couple for their future wedding plans or honeymoon. In Southern Ontario it may be called a stag and doe, or buck and doe, and in Northwestern Ontario it is called a shag. In Manitoba, this is often called a social or wedding social with less fundraising pressure than seen in Ontario.

The event is usually organized by the bridal party, but in some circumstances may also be held by the bride and groom before they are married, similar to a Jack & Jill. It acts as a fundraiser for the wedding. Guests purchase entrance tickets and are entertained by draws, food and drink, music and fun and games that they will pay for to participate in. It is not a combined stag night/bachelor party and bachelorette party, or engagement party, as the primary focus is to raise money for the engaged couple, so their new life together is not started in debt.[1]

The intent of a stag and doe party is specifically to make a profit.

Rehearsal dinner

Wikipedia article: Rehearsal dinner

A rehearsal dinner is a traditional pre-wedding ceremony in the United States, usually held after the wedding rehearsal and the night before the wedding ceremony.

The guests generally include the married-to-be couple and others who form the wedding party. The rehearsal dinner costs are traditionally incurred by the groom's parents. However, modern traditions allow for either the bride's or the groom's parents to incur these costs.

The purpose of the rehearsal dinner is for the relatives and friends of the bride and groom to meet and have a good time. The couple generally takes this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped with the wedding preparations. Activities generally include toasting and the presentation of small gifts for those who have helped plan the wedding.

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