Wedding Cultures INTERNATIONAL TRENDS - Jean Oosthuzien Weddings – All Around the World INTERNATIONAL WEDDING TRENDS Agenda Recap of Christian Weddings Other Wedding Customs Chinese Weddings Pakistan Weddings German Weddings Planning a Wedding Creating a Budget Case study of the budget How do we go about a themed Christian wedding ? Let’s take… John and Jane’s wedding THE PARK HYATT, DEIRA, DUBAI 14TH FEBRUARY 2016 2.30 PM Themes Valentine’s Day Hearts Colour Schemes Reds Creams Whites * Flowers and Colours Red Roses for bride’s bouquet. Red Rose corsage for groom’s lapel. White Rose bouquets for the bridesmaids. Bridesmaids will wear red dresses. Groom will wear a red tie. Bridal Wear – Vintage Parisienne Glamour. Food and Drink French champagne with strawberries for drinks reception. Dinner Menu: Duck Foie Gras, peach chutney, brioche – Panfried Beef Tenderloin – Grand crus chocolate mille feuille – tea, coffee and petit fours. French macaroon wedding cake The top table will seat 10 people: The Bride and Groom, Basic Floor Plan Bride’s Mother and Father, Groom’s Mother and Father, 2 Bridesmaids and 2 Groomsmen. Top Table Each round table will seat 10 guests. The central round table will display the cake and will be moved after cutting of the cake to make way for a central dance floor. The band will be positioned near the top table in the evening. * Event Flow Summary N.b. civil ceremony has already taken place in prior to this celebration so the couple are legally married. 1.45 Groom arrives at Marina Garden for ceremony with his Groomsmen and parents. 2.00 Guests start to arrive and are seated. 60 guests in total 2.25 Mother of bride is seated, followed by bridesmaid’s entry. 2.30 Bride’s entry to a recording of “La vie en Rose” 2.35 Ceremony takes place, including 2 readings and exchange of rings and vows as symbols of the Bride and Grooms marriage. 3.00 Champagne reception on the lawn. Jazz saxophonist playing in background. Group photos taken on the lawn. * Event Flow Summary 4pm Guests are seated for dinner 4.15 Starters are served 4.45 Main Course is served 5.30 Dessert is served 6.00 Speeches – Bride’s Father, followed by Groom, and finally best man. 6.40 Cake cutting 7.00 Tea, Coffee and Petit Fours served. 7.30 Bride, Groom and rest of wedding party mingle and speak to guests while band sets up. 8.30 Band starts to play. 12.00 Celebrations finish. Guests can continue in terrace bar which stays open until 2am or retire to their rooms. For those living locally and not staying in the hotel, pre-paid taxis have been booked to take them home. Notes Stationery will all be styled using Paris Metro style Font, which will include invites, place name cards, table plan board and thank you notes. For the ceremony there will be a central aisle with an arch decorated with white roses, under which the ceremony will take place. Guests will sit on white chairs, each having a red and white rose tied to the aisle side with white ribbon. There will be 5 rows of 6 on each side of the aisle. Red and white petals will line the aisle. Notes Open sided white fabric marquee will be set up for the dinner to give shade while still daylight and to create atmosphere in the evening with 2 large chandeliers hung from central beam. Favours will be small boxes of mini macaroons. Table settings will include red ribbon napkin rings with white napkins. At each place setting will be alternating single red and white roses cut short in short vases. Centre piece will consist of jasmine scented candles and rose petals. The Look and Feel Other Wedding Cultures INTERNATIONAL TRENDS Traditional Weddings - China The Proposal -Three Letters and Six Etiquette Three Letters Request Letter Gift Letter Wedding Letter Six Etiquette • Request for Marrying the bride • Request for Bride and Groom's Birth Dates • Initial Gifts for the Bride's Family • Formal Gifts for the Bride's Family • Select the Wedding Date Preparations Setting up the Bridal Bed Combing Hair • Their hair needs to be combed four times and each has a special meaning Wedding Day Activities Picking up the Bride The Wedding Banquet • Tea Ceremony Traditional Weddings in Pakistan You may have already gone though more detailed information on this previously since you have covered the first session on South East Asian Weddings This information on this culture of wedding is just meant to help you distinguish between this style and other culture styles that we will go through. Marriage Arranged marriage is mostly followed in Pakistan. The whole family is involved in the wedding preparations. Pakistani culture have adopted a lot of ceremonies and traditions from the Hindu culture Mangni & Mayun Mangni It is the engagement ceremony that marks the formal engagement of the couple Mayun It is custom of the bride entering into the state of seclusion eight to fifteen days before the wedding. Uptan & Dholki Uptan • It is a paste made from turmeric, sandalwood powder, herbs and aromatic oils, which groom's mother brings for bride. Dholki • It is a popular ceremony of singing traditional wedding & popular songs accompanied by two or three percussion instruments Rasm E Mehndi Mehndi (Henna)is applied to the bride's hands and feet and there is a lot of singing and dancing Barat A procession of family, relatives, and friends of groom that accompany the groom to bride’s home for official wedding ceremony Nikkah A purely Islamic official wedding ceremony that usually takes place at the bride’s home. Walima A ceremony to announce the wedding to community and friends. German Wedding Traditions Customs that take place before wedding Old tradition that when a baby girl is born, her family should plant several trees in her honor. At the time of her engagement, the trees are cut down to pay for her dowry. Engagement. The Hochzeitsladeris sent around to personally invite each guest to the wedding . Wedding Civil ceremony “Polterabend "The night before the church wedding Church wedding and reception • Log Sawing, And Rice Mark The End Of The Wedding • Waltzing And Hochzeitssuppe At The Reception African wedding traditions • Africa is a large and varied continent containing some of the oldest civilizations on earth. • It is home to a wide diversity of religions and cultures, and this diversity is reflected in its diverse and colorful weddings traditions. • In many places in Africa young girls are trained to be good wives languages that allow them to talk with other married women without their husbands understanding what is being said. • Depending on which part of Africa you are in, wedding ceremonies can be extremely elaborate, some lasting many days. • Often huge ceremonies are held during which many couples are united at the same time. • In Sudan and in other areas along the Nile a man must pay his wife’s family sheep or cattle for the loss of their daughter’s labor in support of the family. • A wife may cost a man as many as 30 to 40 In Somalia a man is allowed to have as many as four wives if he can support them all, and it is not uncommon for a girl to be engaged before she is even born. • Bright festive colors, song, dance, and music are vital elements of many African wedding ceremonies. • Common to all wedding ceremonies is the concept of transitioning between childhood and adulthood. • In many African cultures children are encouraged to marry as young as 13to 15 years of age, as soon as they have reach physical adulthood. Scandinavian wedding traditions • Traditionally Scandinavians don’t like to rush into marriage. • Marriage is a serious business and in many parts of Scandinavia an engagement may last three or even four years, allowing plenty of time for the couple to get to know each other, to see each other a their best and at their worst. • The Gates of Honour… • The Gates of Honor - Many of the wedding traditions in the Scandinavian countries go back hundreds of years. In Denmark, for example, it is traditional for an arch of pine branches to be built in front of the bride’s home. - This arch is known as the Gates of Honor. At the wedding reception in Denmark it is traditional for the groom to disappear during part of the ceremony so that all the unmarried young men can kiss the bride – and then it is the bride’s turn to disappear while all the single girls kiss the groom. - To insure good luck and to ward off evil spirits it is required that a Danish couple cut their wedding cake together, the new husband and wife holding the knife together, and then for each wedding guest to eat a slice of cake. - Two pine trees – the symbol of fertility. - When a couple is married in Norway their friends and neighbors plant two small pine tries on either side of their young couple’s front door as a symbol of fertility. - Also, a Norwegian bride wears a silver crown in silver charms hanging all around it. As she walks the charms tinkle, making a beautiful music sound which wards off evil spirits which love to cause havoc with newlyweds. Pacific island weddings • In Fiji the groom is expected to present the bride’s father with a whale tooth. In Fiji it is traditional for a young man to ask the girl’s father or her hand. It is also customary for the young man to present the bride’s Father with a gift.