Week 25 - 52 Rituals/Traditions in 52 Weeks

A Fishy Korean Ritual/Tradition

Now if your looking for something out of the ordinary, then this one is for you!

In this Korean tradition the poor groom is subjected to some pretty interesting antics. Usually done in the spirit of providing him with increased strength for the wedding night, this ritual begins after the main ceremony. The Groom’s ‘friends’ (using the term loosely) will tie his ankles together with rope then take of his socks in order to beat the soles of his feet with a fish – A Yellow Corvina.

Pic From: bluedragon.en.ec21.com

Odd? Yes a little, but it is all done in the spirit of good will and as a fun gesture of friendship so who are we to judge.

We just love these strange and out there rituals/ideas, so if you know of any you would like us to use, please feel free to drop us a line on the contact page.

The Wedding Gurus

xxx

Horrifying Bridesmaid Dresses

Ok, so we've all been there, excited about being asked to be a bridesmaid and all the fun that comes with that role. And then...........it happens. The bride chooses the ugliest creation you have ever had the displeasure of laying your eyes on and you just know that there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

So in the spirit of friendship and solidarity, the true measure of your love and loalty to that special friend, we thought we would explore some of the bridesmaids outfits that have truly displayed the lengths that some true friends will go to in making sure the bride's day is perfect!

Good on you, we say



unknown source



Pic from: my 10 online.com;

Pic from: www.bridalwave.tv;



Pic from: www.stinkypalace.com;



Pic From: www.people.com;

Pic From: www.projectwedding.com

Pic From: blog.shabbyapple.com

Pic From: manolobrides.com

Pic From: zoomers.ning.com

 



Pic from: slightlywarped.com



The Wedding Gurus

xxx



UGG Boot Wedding Collection

Yes that's right, it's not a misprint. The fabulous Aussie's and creators of the UGG Boot have done the unthinkable - yep, they've created a bridal UGG collection.

         

Check out this fun picture from the NY Daily News was taken by Clarke Walker Studios and shows the bride wearing a pair of the bridal UGGs while the bridal party wear traditional ones.

You can read the full article at:

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/australian-footwear-company-uggs-unveils-line-brides-article-1.1084348

It's called the 'UGG I Do Wedding Collection' and consists of:

The 'Bailey Bling I Do' Boot (RRP: $225)

The 'Sparkles I Do' Boot (RRP: $190)

The 'Fluff Flip Flop I Do' Slipper (RRP: $80)

After a long day of standing, photos and saying your hello's to every guest how fantastically comfy would it be to throw off those stinging stilettos and wack on a pair of these at the reception?

We absolutely love them, but then again we love anything original and new (especially when it's shoes!). We would love to hear what you think so please give us your thoughts.

If you are interested in purchasing a pair of these gorgeous things you can find them at
UGG Australia:

http://www.uggaustralia.com/i-do-wedding-shoe-collection/the-i-do-collection,default,sc.html?icid=ft_wedding

The Wedding Gurus

xxx

Week 10 'Ransom of the Bride' - A Russian Tradition

Welcome to week 11 in our '52 Rituals in 52 Weeks'

The Russians have so many absolutely fantastic wedding traditions it's hard to know where to start. Some of these are performed in the lead up to the marriage, others during the ceremony and many more ocurring after. The traditions of many cultures started long ago and have evolved over time, often becoming more modern versions of the originals, while some have sadly faded away altogether.

For Russian couples traditions are still very much practiced with the couple often heading off to the official registration ceremony and then after the newlyweds and of course their guests usually participate in some additional traditional wedding festivities. Some of these include the ‘Ransom of the Bride’, touring the city (progulka), sharing of a wedding loaf (karavay), and a wedding feast.

Long ago in Russia, the ransom of the bride was a true folk theater performance full of color and rich in symbolism. The bride's family would stop the groom by putting things in his way. They would block the road numerous times during the groom's trip to his bride's house and they would not let him pass until he demonstrated that he had some skills and talents. He might be tested on his brute strength, or even perhaps his intelligence. They may also test him on various other things as they so desired. For example, he could be asked to solve a problem or riddle posed by the group or remove large objects that had been put up to block his way. If he failed any of their challenges, he would have to pay them with coins or lollies.



In modern-day Russia this ritual is usually performed on the way to the registry department or on the groom's trip to the bride's house. The organising of the ransom is usually conducted by the bridesmaids and the best man (called "witnesses" or svideteli).

In modern times the Ransom is comprised of funny challenges for the groom, such as composing a poem for the bride, writing her name in rose petals, etc. Although this custom is light-hearted and fun, in certain Russian provinces a ransom literally means a ransom and occasionally passing by babushkas may block the road until the groom pays to pass through.

While we don’t often see such extravagant rituals like this performed regularly in Australia, they are so rich in culture and tradition that they inspire us all to really think about our own cultural traditions and their significance. The Russian’s definitely know how to have fun and have an amazingly memorable wedding day!

The Wedding Guru’s

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Unique Wedding Dresses

We have sifted through the unique, weird and plain ugly wedding dresses on the internet to bring you our top picks - enjoy!

 Created with thousands of pieces of paper

A walking crockenbouche

This took 250m of hair, 1500 crytals and 12 underskirts to create

  

The Wedding Guru's

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Please note: These photographs have been compiled from numerous sources including Facebook posts and other web pages. These photographs are not the property of The Wedding Guru's. If you would like any information on contacting the owner of a particular photograph we would be happy to assist.

Some more of the 'different' and bizarre

 

Yes, we confess.......we just love the 'out there' and interesting lengths that some couples go to to have the wedding of their dreams. They may not be our dreams, but they entertain us none-the-less.

We've put together a few more of our favourite photos sourced from various locations on the internet that are sure to bring a smile to your face and you never know, if you're a shrek fan, perhaps some great wedding ideas!

 

The Wedding Gurus

xxx

Competition

We love hearing from our readers, and loooove giving you all gifts and prizes. This month we are holding a competition where you could win a $50 VISA giftcard. To have the chance to win this wonderful prize we want you to answer 1 simple question and that is...

‘I wish someone told me .................
before my wedding day’

It may be something funny, serious or just the plain honest truth, we want to hear you words of wisdom and of course experience. This is a world wide competition, we want to hear all your stories!

To enter:

Simply leave your name, state and your comment on this post.

You must be a follower of our blog to be eligible to win (see note below).

The Prize:

The best answer wins a $50 (AUD) VISA card that may be used world wide wherever VISA is accepted.

Closing Date:

Competiton closes 5pm Sunday 18th December 2011.
Winner will be announced Monday 19th December 2011 with their answer featured on our page so be sure to keep an eye out to claim your prize.
It is the entrants responsibility to check back at this page on the 19th December to see if they have won. As a follower you will recieve an email notification stating the winner has been posted.

      Note: To become a Follower

1. If you have a gmail, yahoo or twitter account you may click the blue “join this site’ on the

located on the right top corner of our page.

2. The other option is to enter your email address in the “Register for Email Updates” tab on the

right top corner of our page.

Mobile phone nightmares:

Okay, I write this just as a reminder, because I know that you are all very thoughtful and responsible people who know to TURN YOUR PHONE OFF before a ceremony. It occurred to me to write this because I recently officiated a Baby Naming Ceremony and just as we were at a quiet reflection time in the ceremony where each guest was placing a stone in a glass vase and making a wish for the child, the Godfathers phone began to ring VERY loudly and to my horror, it was not the annoying, but normal sound of a Nokia tune, it was that awful “I’m a tits and Ass man”!

His shock and embarrassment caused him to fumble for what seemed like forever to turn it off as myself and the other guests looked on in horror.

Please try to remember to turn your own phone off prior to a ceremony and if it is your ceremony then be sure to remember to tell your celebrant or priest to remind the guests to turn theirs off at the beginning of the ceremony. Don’t become another statistic! That poor guy will never live that down.

The Wedding Gurus