WEDDING: Untraditional Ideas

Throw your assumptions about what a wedding ceremony “should” be like right out the window. What do you want to say to one another on this most important day?

• Write your own vows and say exactly how you feel.
• Quote your favorite poet on the subject of love, or include a verse from a meaningful song for the two of you.
• Ask family members to read or play music during the ceremony.
• Light a special candle to commemorate loved ones who have passed away.
• Use your favorite music for the processional instead of classical standards.

When you remember that there really are no rules to follow when planning your own untraditional wedding, the possibilities for creativity are truly endless.

Courtesy of Lifescript.com

WEDDING: 8/8/08 or August 8, 2008

The Triple 8 combination—080808—will not be coming around for another century, and it is believed that it will bring even more luck than usual in some cultures.

According to a newspaper website, the Chinese believe it important to select a date that is favorable and auspicious for special events such as weddings to increase success in life. Getting married on such well-chosen dates will bring more positive energy to bless and empower the event and help to start off the couple on their journey of marriage.

To the Chinese, eight is the most fortuitous of numbers—coveted for addresses, phone and bank account numbers—because it is associated with wealth, prosperity and good fortune.

The Chinese government itself believes so much in the auspiciousness of the date that it will open the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing on Aug. 8, 2008 at 08:08:08 in the evening.

FUNERAL: Samoan Traditions

Samoan Ifoga

"In the Samoan tradition, an ifoga is a ritualized formal apology where those seeking forgiveness humble themselves before the person or family that was hurt. An ifoga can take days. Those seeking forgiveness may have to wait in the hot sun or through the rainy night and there is no guarantee that the apology will be accepted. There is no guarantee there won't be retaliation on the spot.

"If the matter is very serious, the high chief from the village of the accused would perform the ifoga.

"It is a very humbling gesture on the part of those asking for mercy. An envelope of money collected from among the community is offered as part of the ifoga, as well as an 'ie toga, a fine mat, considered the most significant and sincere part of the ifoga ritual."

Courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser.

FUNERAL: Mourning Rituals of the Amish

Bryer, Kathleen. “The Amish Way of Death: a Study of Family Support Systems.” American Psychologist (March 1979): 255-261.

Bryer examines how the Amish cope with death, their funeral customs and mourning rituals (which are basically the same as those of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Americans), personal experiences with death, and the Amish family and group structure. She uses the Lancaster community as her setting. She demonstrates that the Amish, with their strong religious convictions, belief in an eternal, heavenly afterlife, and the closeness and presence of family and community during old age, times of sickness, and death, aid the Amish in preparation for and coping with death. The Amish, somewhat ahead of the rest of us, have for over 300 years, used mutual help groups and grievance support systems for survivors. The article is particularly insightful for one wanting information on Amish funeral customs and for alternative ways of coping with the death of a loved one.

Courtesy of "All I need to know about the Amish: Sociological, cultural, and religious studies"

PRESS RELEASE: Book an Officiant Now!

Newly engaged couples often overlook the importance of finding the right officiant to perform their ceremony. With the busiest wedding season just a few months away, the time to book an officiant is now. 40% of surveyed wedding planning resources state ceremony officiants should be confirmed nine months or more in advance.

Please see this PRESS RELEASE on www.ceremonyceremony.com !