| The ceremony |
| By having a "culturally diverse" wedding, we may be running the risk of shocking some people and confusing others... In order to avoid surprises or misunderstandings, here is a brief explanation of some key points: The Church We selected a unitarian universalist church for our ceremony because we don't belong to any organized religion and unitarian universalist churches do not advocate any specific mainstream religion. They are based on humanistic principles, and philosophical and spiritual concepts with which we identify. If you are interested in learning more about unitarian universalists, visit their Web site at www.uua.org. "Giving the Bride Away" A little explanation: The act of giving the bride away is symbolic of the fact that the most significant person in the bride's life blesses the marriage to the chosen groom. Even though the bride usually enters the church accompanied by her father or some other male member of her family, I will be walking down the aisle with my mom. She is the only person who has been by my side throughout my life and who has always supported me along the way. I had originally thought of entering the church by myself, but after understanding the symbolism of the act of giving away the bride, I decided that the ceremony would be a lot more meaningful is my mother walked me down the aisle. - Tina Hispanic Traditions The "arras": The "arras" are 13 gold or silver coins that the groom gives to the bride as a symbol of his ability to support her. In our modern world, it is sometimes customary to have the coins go from the groom to the bride and then back to the groom, to symbolize that they will both contribute with the expenses and that they will support each other. The "lazo": The "lazo" is a rope made of fabric, silver or crystal in the form of an "8" (the infinity symbol). It is placed on the shoulders of the bride and groom to symbolize their everlasting union. American Traditions The wedding party: No, the wedding party is not the party to celebrate the wedding (like Tina once thought). It is a group of people that accompanies the bride and groom during the wedding ceremony. A maid of honor and one or more bridesmaids accompany the bride. A best man and one or more groomsmen accompany the groom. These people are the main witnesses of the ceremony, and sometimes they have special roles. For instance, the best man is supposed to plan the bachelor's party and is responsible for ensuring that the groom gets to the church on time. The unity candle: In the US, it is customary to light "the unity candle", which consists of a big candle in the middle and two smaller ones on the sides (which represent the separate lives of the bride and the groom). The couple lights the center candle with the smaller candles to symbolize not only their union as individuals, but also the union of each of their cultural heritages and family backgrounds. |
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