Wedding Traditions & Customs

The Unity Candle at Wedding Ceremonies is a Ritualistic Joining of the Bride and Groom Which Many Guests Don't Understand!

It is an honor and privilege to be a best man. Even if you're not the kind of guy who gets excited about something like a wedding, you can get excited about helping your best friend get through an...

In a Marine wedding, it is customary to honor the bride with an arch of swords at the completion of the ceremony. This time-honored ceremony allows for a warm welcome for the new bride and is...

Sand ceremonies represent the unity of a couple that is marrying or demonstrate the union of a couple and their existing children coming together as a family. Sand ceremonies reinterpret the older...

During a wedding ceremony, many couples choose to display symbols of unity and safety to further express their love and dedication for one another. There is a wide variety of unity and safety...

Weddings performed in the United States often incorporate symbolic rituals of the union between the bride and the groom. Lighting a unity candle symbolizes the intertwining of the two families...

Unity candles have become a popular and touching part of modern weddings. The lighting of the candles symbolizes the unity of the two people being joined in marriage. This ritual is appropriate...

Octavio Paz, in his classic work, "Labyrinth of Solitude," identified traditionalism as one of the "masks" of Mexican culture. While American culture values innovation, creativity and...

The lighting of the unity candle symbolizes the joining together of two families--the bride's and the groom's--into a single family unit. Other couples use the ceremony to mean the bringing...

Lighting the unity candle during a wedding ceremony symbolizes that two lives are becoming one. This ceremony is used in many weddings, but some couples prefer to symbolize their union in a...

Your wedding day is all for you, so why not make it extra special by adding some unique flavor to your wedding ceremony? Here are some non-traditional ideas that people will be sure to remember.

Both the wedding ring and engagement ring are worn on the third, or ring, finger of the left hand, and, according to the rules of proper etiquette, the wedding ring goes on first. Wedding-ring...

Wedding ceremonies in the United States often include the tradition of lighting a unity candle. The ritual, performed by the two people being married, symbolizes their new life as combined entity....

If the thought of lighting a unity candle is too traditional or common for your upcoming wedding ceremony, consider choosing a unity ceremony with a unique touch. The goal of a unity ceremony is...

There is a wide range of choices in wedding-ring sets. The bands can be made of white- or yellow-gold, silver, platinum or now titanium, and set with diamonds or other precious or semiprecious...

Sharing the good news of an impending,or recent wedding is exciting. A common way to let people know is by placing an announcement, with or without a photo, in a variety of newspapers. In addition...

Unity candle ceremonies can be a wonderful addition to a wedding ceremony, but they are not always practical. Weddings outside on a windy day, for example, can make it difficult to light the...

The unity sand ceremony is an alternative to the more traditional unity candle as a way to illustrate the joining of two lives into one. In weddings where the bride or groom has children, the...

Lighting candles for your wedding can be symbolic to you and your fiance. Candles also can add to the ambiance and decor. You can incorporate candelabras into your wedding ceremony for various...

Before streets, sidewalks and pathways were paved, the wedding guests typically tracked dirt and mud into the church aisle and a wedding dress quickly became soiled as the bride walked down the...

Though many customs and traditions have changed how and why wedding bands and engagement rings are used, the meanings are still there: love, commitment and fidelity. Though the engagement ring is...

The traditional Indian wedding is a brilliant reflection of India's opulence, faith and vibrant spirit. Lavish and colorful, Indian wedding ceremonies are one of the culture's most sacred and...

A unity sand ceremony is an alternative to the tradition of the unity candle. Like the unity candle, it symbolizes the couple coming together as one and can involve other family members or the...

An engagement is an exciting time in a couple's life before they forge a union together by getting married. During this time, a woman wears an engagement ring on her leftshand to state that she...

The literal meaning of a chuppah is canopy. Used in traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies, a chuppah uses an ornately decorated piece of fabric or prayer shawl attached to the tops of four poles....

A new tradition is quickly taking the place of a unity candle in wedding ceremonies. The origin of the sand ceremony may be disputed, but several backgrounds add to the usage of the symbolic ritual.

Many people fantasize about weddings from the time they're children, but few realize how expansive, and expensive, a wedding truly is. With the average wedding price in the mid five figures,...

Hawaiian weddings promise couples the same attractions as other tropical destinations -- brilliant sunlight, rhythmic tides and natural shorelines. Yet only Hawaii offers a distinct blend of...

The sand ceremony is a beautiful moment where a new family comes together. Couples often choose to include their children, whether previous children or children they have together, in the sand...

A wedding sand ceremony is known as the unity sand ceremony. It is an old tradition, used by Hawaiians and some Native American tribes. The wedding sand ceremony is becoming a widely used in...

Even in the most contemporary of weddings, some traditions continue to be followed. Questions regarding the wedding aisle runner are among those small details of the nuptial ceremony that the...

Passing out small mementos, such as a wedding program, at your ceremony gives your guests a pleasant reminder of your special day. Learn about how to create them in a way that reflects your vows...

The unity candle ceremony is one of the most popular wedding traditions in America, despite its relatively new appearance on the scene. The ceremony is performed in Christian, interfaith and...

The Unity Sand Ceremony is a newer wedding tradition typically used as an alternative to the Unity Candle Ceremony. It represents the coming together (or unity) of the bride and the groom, and...

The lighting of the unity candle is a relatively newer custom in weddings used to symbolize the coming together of two families--the bride's and the groom's--into a single familial union. While...

Weddings are steeped in tradition and ceremony, from the dress to the flowers; no detail is neglected, no ritual overlooked. One of the greatest honors a friend can bestow upon you is to ask you...

So you want to incorporate the Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony into your wedding day, but don't know where to start or who to involve? I can help! Different couples will have varying wedding...

As women who love women, we want to have a romantic and memorable commitment ceremony. Eloping can be an exciting and special way to do this. You might even feel like wild women by the end of it!...

Wedding ceremonies are joyous events that bring together two single people who promise to share their lives. Though this sentiment exists across all cultures, some of the traditions, beliefs and...

A wedding is an extremely important day in anyone's life. It's a day you'll always remember, so you'll want everything to be perfect. Many brides and grooms think the wedding is all about them,...

Italian weddings don't last just a few hours. Instead, they last an entire day and often extend into the early hours of the next day. The first part of an Italian wedding ceremony involves going...

Music plays a vital part in weddings and wedding receptions from start to finish. The song choices are important to the overall feel of the wedding. Wedding music can be traditional, sentimental,...

Choosing to follow a particular religion is an important, and deeply personal decision. If you feel you are ready to convert to Judaism, here are the steps you will need to take.

Once a couple is officially engaged, for many, a non-stop planning mode begins. A basic wedding consists of the couple intending to wed, witnesses, and the officiant who is to conduct the...

Jewish weddings have a mystique about them. Anyone who has witnessed the bride and the families circling the groom seven times under the Chupa has got to realize that she is witnessing a ceremony...

Blended families of all colors, faiths and nationalities prove that when it comes to love, barriers fade away. Many of these fortuitous relationships culminate in weddings rich in tradition. One...

This is a wonderful alternative to the Unity Candle in a wedding ceremony and something different. We chose to do this and our guests raved about how beautiful it was. I found the Unity Sands to...

A wedding is one of the most important moments in a couple's life together. If either the groom or the bride, or perhaps both, are of Italian heritage, they can choose to incorporate rich Italian...

A Native American wedding is a meaningful ceremony rich with symbolism and the history of the family's culture. Each tribe has its own traditions that go along with the ceremony and though there...

Catholic weddings are highly traditional and follow a set standard, rarely deviating from the religious customs. The ceremony consists of biblical readings, a sermon, the exchange of vows and...