Category: Wedding

Muslim matrimony lay emphasis on union of two souls and is known as Nikaah in Urdu. Muslim marriages may not be extravagant but are simple and beautiful.

The rituals of Muslim weddings vary greatly from Hindu weddings. The ceremonies of an Islamic marriage are:

PRE WEDDING RITUALS

Istikhara: It is the inaugural ceremony of the wedding that seeks consent from Allah to perform the marriage of Muslim bride and Muslim groom.

Imam-Zamin Ceremony: After Istikhara, the grooms mother ties Imam-Zamin, the silver or gold coin enveloped in silken cloth, on the brides hand.

Mangni: The families of bride and groom visit each others places with sweets and fruits. The couple has now started exchanging rings too.

Manjha Ceremony: The bride wears yellow clothes and turmeric paste is applied on her body. She is not allowed to leave the house after this.

Mehndi Ceremony: Henna is applied on the brides palms and feet on the eve of the wedding day while the ladies sing traditional songs adding to the festivities.

WEDDING RITUALS

Welcoming the Baraat:

Like in all weddings, the groom arrives the venue with his baraat and a band of musicians who play traditional songs. The groom then takes a glass of sherbet (sweet drink) with brother of the bride while her cousins play pranks on the guests from the grooms side in the wedding.

The Wedding or The Nikaah:

The actual wedding ceremony may take place at the brides or grooms house or some other convenient place. The ceremony begins with two Maulavis (priests) from both the parties reading verses from Quran. Traditionally, the males and females are made to sit separately in Mardaana and Zenana respectively.

Meher, the nuptial gift is the money given to the brides family by the grooms for giving their daughter. The amount is then decided by mutual consent between the families.
After the amount of Meher is settled, first the bride and then the groom is asked three times if they accept each other as husband and wife. The Nikaah is complete after the Ijab-e-Qubul (proposal and acceptance of both the bride and the groom).

Nikahnama, the wedding certificate is signed by the couple when both give their consent. It must be signed by the bride, bridegroom and Walis (fathers of the bride and groom) and solemnized by the Qazi to make the marriage legal in Islamic law.

Khutba, a sermon consisting of verses from Quran, explaining the rights and duties of the spouses is then delivered by the Qazi.

Dinner and Prayers:

The groom is blessed by the older women and offers them his salaam. Other guests shower wishes of long lived happiness and togetherness the couple. Dinners are generally lavish but again males and females dine separately.

After the dinner, the Muslim couple is made to sit together for the first time to see each other. The Holy Quran and a mirror is then placed between the newly weds through which they are allowed to look at each other, surrounded by recitation of prayers by the priest. This ceremony is called Aarsi Mushaf.

POST WEDDING RITUALS

Rukhsat or Farewell: The bride bids farewell to her family before leaving for her husbands home. Her father asks the groom to take good care of her.

Welcoming the Bride: As the bride enters her new home, the grooms mother welcomes her by holding the Holy Quran above her (brides) head.

Chauthi Ceremony: It is the fourth day of the marriage on which the couple visits the parental home of the bride and receives a joyous welcome.

Valimah or Reception: This is the lavish reception hosted by the groom’s family after Nikaah. It brings together the two families, their relatives, well-wishers and friends who celebrate the occasion together.

Muslim weddings can be performed at any time convenient to families of both the Muslim bride and groom. They do not believe in the notion of auspicious time.

Few useful links:
http://www.jeevansathi.com/
http://www.jeevansathi.com/matrimonials/muslim-matrimonial/

Wedding cake toppings and Wedding cake ornaments (aka Wedding cake toppers) are the outgrowth of a number of old traditions from around the world. In the United States Wedding cake toppings, ornaments, and toppers showed up in the traditions of American familys even before the American Civil War (or for Southern families The War of Northern Aggression) and grew in popularity to be common in the 1890s.

Decorative Wedding Cake Toppers became more popular immediately after World War I. In the 1920s, the High Society in the US eagerly adopted the use of putting bride and groom figurines on top of wedding cakes.

Historically, there are two significant events which boosted the popularity and use of wedding cake toppers in the form of small figurines of the bride and groom atop the wedding cake.

First, the well-known and highly respected American etiquette expert, Miss Emily Post, in her 1922 Best-Selling book clearly stated that the: wedding cake is an essential of every wedding reception, and Emily Post further counseled and commented about the placement of the bride and groom figurines as a wedding cake topper, the wedding cake is almost always ordered from the caterer who delivers it shortly before the hour of the reception. It is usually in several tiers, beautifully decorated with white icing and topped by small figures of the bride and groom.
Secondary, American businesses, including the retail giant Sears, Roebuck & Company (now Sears Brands, LLC), began marketing and selling wedding cake toppers of a bride and groom figurines for the top of wedding cakes.

In an informative article in an issue of The Antique Shoppe Newspaper, June 2006 entitled, Bride and Groom Wedding Cake Toppers, Robert Reed wrote, In 1924 one U.S. wholesale catalog was offering an assortment of wax bride and groom wedding cake toppers. Selections included a hatless groom or a groom wearing a “high hat” or top hat. The bride meanwhile could come with or without a cloth veil. All of the bride and groom wax figures were about two inches tall. The catalog listing offered them as a couple, or in groups of 100 for wedding favors.

Reed added the importance of including a wedding cake topper in the 1927 mail order catalog from Sears, Roebuck and Company: The idea of wedding toppers in general and bride and groom toppers in particular had expanded enough in 1927 for the Sears and Roebuck mail order catalog to include a whole page of wedding cake ornaments. The following year Slack Manufacturing offered bride and groom figures made of celluloid. The bride wore a paper dress and the groom wore a paper suit. Both figures were about two and a half inches tall.

The usual wedding cake toppers or wedding cake toppings traditionally featured a miniature bride and groom figurine. These miniature bride and groom figurines could come in a wide range of poses. During or immediately after major Wars, the groom might be featured in a Military uniform from one of the various arms of the Military (Army & Army Air Corp, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard). Some grooms who were Policeman or Fireman might be shown as figurines in their uniform.
It has always been a long standing tradition that the bride and groom would remove and save the Wedding Cake Toppers or Wedding Cake Toppings as an important memento of the wedding ceremony and wedding reception. Tied in with the removal of the Wedding Cake Toppers or Wedding Cake Toppings is the removal, saving and freezing the top layer of the wedding cake for the bride and groom to thaw out and eat to celebrate their First Wedding Anniversary.

As time passed in the Twentieth Century the range and variety of wedding cake toppings expanded beyond solely using the bride and groom figurine wedding toppers to include a wide range of wedding cake topping or wedding cake ornaments. Some wedding couples choose instead of the wedding cake toppers using a bridge and groom, to select such wedding cake toppings as: cupids, cherubs, hearts, love birds, silver bells, flowers, fruit, or even a small framed picture of the wedding couple (maybe an engagement photo of the wedding couple).

As a side note, the terms wedding cake toppings, wedding cake toppers, wedding cake ornaments, or wedding figurines are pretty much completely interchangeable. The term Wedding Cake Toppers usually refers to bride and groom figurines that are made of paper mache, plastic, porcelain, and now polymer clay. While wedding cake toppings, usually of a bride and groom figurine, made of out of shaped and colored icing may also be referred to as icingtons.

Marriage is a sacred thread which unites two different souls through marital bliss. Promising to stand by each other through all the happiness and sorrows of life, the couple starts a new journey steeping into a vast arena of marital relationship. According to the Indian custom, the newly mushrooming relationship of the two souls together must also be reinforced by the absolute blessings of the Almighty. Those rings that are exchanged during an engagement ceremony denote a sacred bondage that require great amount of commitment and loyalty. This Engagement Ceremony is followed by Marriage and so is considered as a blessed omen of connubial relationship and marital bliss.

The Engagement Ceremony basically deals with the exchange of rings between the bride and the groom. The ceremony is conducted by a Pujari.

Parents of the prospective bride and groom mainly conduct engagement or Sagaai ceremony to fix the matrimonial date. All the merriment and entertainment to their best extent is seen to get actually started from the occasion of engagement. An engagement ceremony is the main attraction of all kinds of Indian weddings. It symbolizes the spirit of Indian customs and traditions. As Indian Hindu marriages are extremely ritualistic, they still follow the Vedic rites and Purana Philosophy.

In a few parts of South Indian States, the Engagement Ceremony or Sagaai existed as a regulation; but it was earlier not performed in North India or East India. Eventually, this custom spread far and wide and people began to think using the same ideas in their family marriages as well. Now, the Punjabis and Marathis religiously follow this tradition with enthusiasm and style.

Engagement ceremony has different names in different parts of India. It is called Misri, Ring Ceremony, or even Ashirbad. In some of the parts of the country, the name is Mangni. Like all other pre-wedding ceremonies, the engagement emblematizes the matrimonial relationship that is sustained by religious faith and understanding. Indian matrimony mean much more than just presentation, engagements, gifts and fineries. This institution unifies two different families and two different souls. Engagement Ceremony is just the beginning of the one of the important Ceremonies in India.

The Engagement Ceremony is one of the most important pre wedding ceremonies in the Indian society. This event marks the beginning of the wedding ceremonies. An Engagement Ceremony is generally held few months before the wedding ceremony. In different regions of the country, it is known by different names in different regions like misri, Ashirbad, mangni or ring ceremony. In case of an Ashirbad, it is held just a few hours before the wedding time or “lagna”.

During the engagement ceremony, the family members, relatives and friends of both the would-be bride and the groom come face to face. The bride as well as the groom are gifted with various items like jewellery and clothes from each other’s family. Besides that, they also receive gifts from the other guests. Usually the family of the bride bears the expenses of the ceremony. The groom’s side receives gifts from the family and relatives of the bride for the important family members, like the mother father, brother and sister of the groom.

The significant ritual of the Engagement Ceremony is when the would-be bride and the groom come close and exchange their rings. These rings are particularly chosen according to the choice of the bride and the groom and are made of precious metal like gold or else platinum. After exchanging the rings, the elders of both the families bless the would-be bride and groom and offer them sweets and gifts. In many communities, the would-be bride and groom are supposed to exchange garlands after the exchange of rings. After the rings have been exchanged, all the relatives and friends come and attend the dinner party. In many a cases, the propitious date of marriage is also fixed by a ‘pandit’ on the day of the Engagement Ceremony.

Some Special Features of engagement ceremony
These days; people also have royal arrangements of music and dance at the Engagement Ceremony floor. Bands and DJs are also arranged to play different kinds of music that will entertain the guests and the entire crowd dance and enjoy the evening to tunes being played. To celebrate the event, there are some people who cut the cake too..

Novelty wedding cakes impress your guests. Often the wedding cake is located at the center of the reception. Novelty wedding cakes are noticed and express the unique preferences and personalities of the bride and groom.

Consider your budget, the number of guests you need to feed and the wedding theme when choosing novelty wedding cakes. There are a variety of sizes and shapes to consider. Wedding cakes are traditionally tiered but can also be a sheet. Dozens of cupcakes can be used to create wedding cake tiers.

Tasty fillings include vanilla, chocolate, custard, strawberry and more with butter cream or whipped cream icings in a rainbow of colors. Have several flavors in your wedding cake to please every palate.

Novelty wedding cakes feature unique colors and designs. Finalize novelty wedding cakes with creative cake toppers to reflect the theme of the day. A customized cake is an eye-catching way to grab your guests’ attention.

Often a bride and groom are displayed on top of the wedding cake. Usually the bride and groom cake topper looks like the happy couple. There are a variety of options to show off your individual attributes. Is the groom dedicated to sports? Use a groom playing soccer or hockey on the wedding cake. Does the bride love to shop until she drops? Use a sign that says “still shopping” instead of a bride to make all your guests laugh.

Mix and match bride and grooms are perfect for ethnically mixed couples. You can also select a traditional Jewish bride and groom or a traditional Indian bride and groom to show off your ethnic pride. A cute Asian couple in traditional wedding attire is ideal for an Oriental wedding. A western embrace bride and groom cake topper is perfect at a family hoe-down.

An unconventional bride and groom cake topper shower the honeymoon bound couple in a car, ready to escape on their getaway together. Your guests will know you can’t wait for your honeymoon when you use this whimsical cake topper.

If you’re a Cinderella princess bride, display a fairy tale dreams castle on your wedding cake. After the reception, bring your fairy tale castle home to your real castle to display as a treasured memory of your wedding day.

Novelty wedding cakes are a fun way to add excitement and amusement to your reception. Choose dynamic, original cake toppers to finish off your novelty wedding cake.

When you are in need of wedding photography or need to find a wedding photographer in Sydney, this article will help decide on selecting the perfect photographer. For those grooms and brides that have family and friends obligation to selecting out of loyalty for support, however, for those who will have you surf the internet, speak to other people looking references, read out points below and keep it mind that what to look for while select a wedding photography company or individual wedding photographer:

1) Service – The most important thing to look while dealing with a company is to see what sort of service they give you before you are willing to go with them and give your hard earned money to them. If you see that they are treating you with respect and make you feel very comfortable then the changes of offering you even greater service one you have paid them are very good, look out for that.

2) Professionalism – This is another important factor that once you have or are about to make a decision to go with a Sydney wedding company. Good questions to ask are how the company part with a good thing.

3) Price – While selecting a wedding photographer in Sydney, always consider to see if the packages they have given on their website or their brochures are equivalent to the brides and grooms budget. Though, if the packages are priced more than what you are able to spend then consult with your wedding photographer about your budget.

4) Free Consultation – Ensure that wedding photographer in Sydney provides you free consultation. There are some companies which dont provide free consultation because of the information provided on a companys website so dont settle for less charge than a free consultation.

There are lots of factors that go into determining a deciding factor while selecting a wedding photographer. The last important thing that you must consider is to do little homework and research entire possible options for lots of wedding photography firms. From hundreds of options, it is in your hand to select the right one.

Wedding expression is an experienced and professional Sydney wedding photographer that aspires to capturing the moment and expression of your wedding day and providing you both with beautiful wedding photography images and wedding albums.