Afrocentric Wedding Traditions

From jumping the broom to tasting the elements -- we've got seven great ways to help you add some culture to your big day.

1. Knocking on the Door

Since marriage in African culture is considered the official joining of two families, a large emphasis is placed on getting family permissions and blessings before the wedding. In Ghana, the groom requests permission through the custom of "knocking on the door." Bearing gifts, he visits his potential in-laws accompanied by his own family. If his "knock" is accepted, the families celebrate and wedding planning begins. Or, simply plan an outing (like a brunch or dinner date) to bring both families together before the wedding and begin forming family bonds.

2. Jumping the Broom

This tradition most likely originated with an African ritual in which a broom is used to demonstrate that all past problems have been swept away. During slave days, African-Americans were forbidden to marry and live together, so jumping over a broom was a formal and public declaration of the couple's commitment. Today, it has become very popular for African-American couples to follow suit at the conclusion of their wedding ceremony. The broom, often handmade and beautifully decorated, can be displayed in the couple's home after the wedding. Check with local cultural institutions for broom makers and suppliers.

3. Crossing Sticks

In a lesser-known tradition that also dates back to the slavery era, African-American couples demonstrated their commitment by crossing tall wooden sticks. By crossing the sticks, which represent the power and life force within trees, the couple expresses a wish for a strong and grounded beginning. If you decide to incorporate this tradition, choose large branches from both of your families' homes or from a place meaningful to you as a couple.

4. Libation Ceremony

Many African-American couples incorporate a libation ceremony into their weddings as a way to honor their African ancestors. Holy water, or alcohol, is poured onto the ground in each of the cardinal directions as prayers are recited to the ancestral spirits, and names of those that have recently passed are called out. The libation ceremony can also be used as an opportunity to honor the elders in a family, asking them to pass on their wisdom and guidance.

5. Tying the Knot

In some African tribes, the bride and groom have their wrists tied together with cloth or braided grass to represent their marriage. To symbolize your own unity, have your officiant or a close friend tie your wrists together with a piece of kente cloth or a strand of cowrie shells (symbols of fertility and prosperity), while affirming your commitment.

6. Tasting the Four Elements

In a ritual adapted from a Yoruba tradition, the bride and groom taste four flavors that represent different emotions within a relationship. The four flavors typically used are sour (lemon), bitter (vinegar), hot (cayenne), and sweet (honey). By tasting each of the flavors, the couple symbolically demonstrates that they will be able to get through the hard times in life, and, in the end, enjoy the sweetness of marriage.

7. Kola Nuts

Kola nuts play an important role in African weddings. The nut, which is used for medicinal purposes in Africa, represents the couple's (and their families') willingness to always help heal each other. In Nigeria, the ceremony is not complete until a kola nut is shared between the couple and their parents. Among African Muslims the nut is also a symbol of fertility, and is exchanged with family members during the engagement celebration. Many African-American couples incorporate the sharing of a kola nut into their ceremonies, and then keep the nut in their home afterwards as a reminder to always work at healing any problems they encounter.

-- Robin Beth Schaer

Read more: Ceremony: 7 Afrocentric TraditionsTheKnot.com - http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-ceremony/articles/7-afrocentric-wedding-ceremony-traditions.aspx#ixzz21fWvASst

What's Your Wedding Style?

Classic. Quirky. Chapel. Beach.

Will your wedding be contemporary, classic, cosmopolitan or quirky? Find out now! Take this quiz by clicking on your answers. Discover your dream wedding style, then learn ways to express it through colors, fonts, décor and more.

2012 Wedding Trends : D.I.Y. Weddings

BY SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

Who says planning a wedding has to be expensive? Eliminating third party vendors in wedding planning is quickly becoming a new trend. 

DIY weddings are a hot trend in 2012, partly because they are low in cost. Planning the wedding and hand making most of the decorations leaves room in the budget for - a more luxurious honeymoon, a new home down payment or a new car. There are cons to a DIY wedding however. 

By doing everything yourself you may get overwhelmed. This can be dealt with by enlisting dedicated friends as well as your fiance, to help out with the craft projects. The key is creating a timeline and a checklist, to keep you on track. Try to have most things on your checklist done two weeks before the wedding. This will reduce your stress the day of the wedding.

Sound like an idea you can work with?  Let’s get started!

INVITATIONS

There are many pre–made invitations on the market yet sometimes it is hard to find to match your theme or unique color scheme. Creating your own invitations allow you the freedom to their many wedding invitations kits that start around $20 per pack that allow you to self print your information. 

                       

There are also sites such as ETSY or kaboodle that offer handmade invitations at affordable prices.

Creating your own invitations allows you to mix and match bringing your own uniqueness to not only your invitations but your place cards as well!

THE VENUE

The DIY wedding  has endless choices as far as venues. Many communities in the U.S have beautiful parks where you could have a garden style setting usually for minimal fees. What about one of your relatives lavish back yards! It will be your imagination that sets the ambiance, which is critical to any themed wedding. Decorating the space with your handmade ornaments will set the mood just right. Try using paper to create various designs, such as butterflies, dragonflies or birds, or use lighting such as candles and lanterns, also you can use an array of local grown, in season flowers to give your venue that magical flair you always dreamed of. The venue itself could be all the decoration you need as in this picture below.

  

DRESSES

Having you and your bridesmaids dresses handmade is authentic and budget friendly. If you happen to be good at sewing and cutting patterns you have just added more pennies to the piggy bank. Or maybe you aunt or grandmother could make the dresses, how many women today can say that their sweet grandmother made their wedding gown? If dress design is not your strong suit (its definitely not mine) check out WEDDING DRESS CREATOR,  a site that allows you to design your dress then print it out or save to a flash drive to take with you to a seamstress of your choice.You will love this site, the graphics are great, and it's free. What do you think about my creation?'

FLOWERS

The Internet will be your best friend when planning your DIY nuptials. This holds especially true when it comes to planning the floral aspects of your wedding. Websites on how to organize a bouquet to wholesale flower vendors can all be found using the World Wide Web. Many wholesalers will send you samples so that you may begin experimenting with your centerpieces, and bouquets. Ideally your wedding flowers will be delivered two days before your wedding so your time in which you have to prepare all your floral arrangements will be short. Using the sample flowers will hopefully set your floral decor in stone, so when the actual wedding flowers arrive you could use photos to arrange the pieces. Also you can experiment which tend to be inexpensive and could give you a general since of where you are going. DIY floral arrangements can be as beautiful as your imagination and adds more pizazz than the traditional rose bouquet.

FOOD

How many times have we had dry chicken or cold vegetables at wedding? The DIY wedding food gives you the chance to show off you and your family's cooking style. Preparing the food yourself can be tasking, however, it will all be worth it when you see your guest mouth watering and the compliments coming in. Having a summer wedding on a beautiful patio or back yard? This sound like a perfect opportunity for a barbecue! Even with a traditional sit down dinner you can elect simple and delectable entrees to woo the crowd. The main thing is satisfying your guest who took time out their schedule and probably has not eaten in hours. Out of all the areas you will put your hard work into to make your special day sparkle, what everybody remembers the most was how good the food and cocktails were!

CAKE

Among the top trends in previous years that continue this year is the cupcake wedding cake! This works perfectly for the DIY wedding planner. Depending on the size of your wedding party you may have to make anywhere from 100-500 cupcakes! There is so much flexibility when choosing cupcakes, from colors, to design, to flavor, you can mix and match your cupcakes. Having a cupcake display also alleviates someone having to cut each guest a piece of cake and for some reason people tend to eat their whole cupcake versus a slice. There are so many decorating ideas for the wedding cupcake on the market, one of my favorites are the decorative gift boxes that allow your guest to travel home with their cupcake safely in tow. Cupcake tiers are readily available at your local bakery or online. Cupcake are generally easier to transport than traditional wedding cakes, which will alleviate another headache of your cake looking slightly titled.

Overall the process of planning a DIY wedding can be stressful, the key is time management. You should start by writing a checklist. There are many DIY wedding planners on the market to keep you organized. I suggest you purchase one immediately. Then, you can develop your time line and put your plan into action. DIY weddings work best when you have two or three dedicated people to help you get things done. So choose your bridesmaids wisely, good luck!

TOP 5 WEDDING THEMES FOR 2012

BY SOCIALBUTTERFLY

                                                

It’s that time of the year again!  As the sun warms with its golden rays and the flowers begin to bloom, everything in nature is reborn. It is during this time that love is in the air. It is also the time that wedding invitations begin to grace our mailboxes, with their beautiful designs and colors. As we decide who our dates will be or what outfits we are going to wear,   many brides are still tackling the intricacies of wedding planning.

The traditional wedding season in the U.S. starts in April and usually wraps up by the end of October. If you are getting married this year, you are either well into the planning stages or clueless as the day is long, as to what direction you would like your wedding to go in. It all begins with a theme. Setting your theme gives you the foundation in which to build on. Once set, you can choose your colors, venue, flowers, and dresses accordingly., Your end goal -- every single aspect of your wedding was threaded together to fit your chosen theme.

BLESSINGS ALL AROUND www.blessingsallaround will show you what new and exciting ideas are available for this year’s bride, no matter if you’re an old fashioned kind of girl or a Martha Stewart protégé. Join us weekly as we present different themes and feature the items that go into making each of them come together. We will discuss everything from dress styles to venues which are critical for bringing your theme to life.

So make sure you join us over the next few weeks as we cover the following 5 trendiest wedding themes of wedding season 2012.

1.     GREEN WEDDINGS

2.     VICTORIAN STYLE WEDDINGS                                     

3.     DIY (DO IT YOURSELF)  

4.     COLORED THEMED WEDDINGS

5.     RUSTIC/VINTAGE STYLE WEDDINGS 

Always The Bridesmaid, Never the Bride

BY SOCIALBUTTERFLY

How exciting, one of your best girlfriends has just called to share the exciting news that she is newly engaged and wants to enlist you as one of her lovely bridesmaids! You’re ecstatic for her, but can help thinking, "When is it going to be my turn?” 

Many women know this feeling all too well. She shares
in the joy of yet another friend, relative, or co-workers pending nuptials, with no hope insight for herself.  Then comes the agony, I mean the ecstasy, of following her all around town as she plans for her big day. You will be constantly bombarded with e-mails and texts messages, about food tastings, and dress fittings so on and so forth.

 It doesn’t have to be all bad. Remember, when life hands you lemons -  make lemonade! Here are 5 tips to help you get through this process a little smoother and with some joy.

1. Look At It As Preparation For Your Big Day - No matter how it feels right now, your day will come. Use this time to make mental notes or create a journal of the things you experience in preparing for the current bride-to-be wedding, to guide you when creating your own. You can use this time to discover various, venues, food, and themes you may or may not like. Having this information at the start of your own wedding planning could save you time and money.
2. Free Lunch Dates - Sometimes since your friend will feel guilty about consuming your weekends and free time, she will tempt you with a free lunch or perhaps a drink or two. This will satisfy most women I know, turning a "maybe" into "what time should I meet you" in five seconds flat.
3. It's All About Attitude - What goes around comes around, as the old saying goes. Nobody wants to be around a sour puss, so perk up! Be genuinely excited for the bride to-be., Get involved. Encourage her, laugh with her, be honest with her. One day it will be your turn and if you have Negative Nancy in your bridal party, your girl’s day out wedding planning can quickly become doomsday! Just think how you would feel if it was your wedding. Not a great feeling huh? So smile, and be merry remember attitudes are contagious so let yours is delightful and gracious.
4. Create Memories - When it's all said and done, do you want to look back and have regretted wasting an opportunity to create memories? We are a sum total of our experiences, so let's make some good ones while we can. When you look back on this wedding planning experience, you will realize that you have never laughed so hard or cried so many tears of happiness and joy. Like seeing the bride cry as she realizes she has found the perfect dress, or calming her down just before the ceremony as only you could. These experiences will bond the two of you for life, deepening the friendship you share. After all, it's why she chose you for this in the first place. 
5.   You May Meet Mr. Right - A wedding brings family, friends, and co-workers together. It is a chance for everyone to mingle and for those who have not previously met, to get together... After all, you will be looking spectacular in your new dress, great hair and flawless make-up. When you look good, you feel good. So use that positive energy! Remember, you determine your own happiness.

This could be the best of times or the worst of times depending on your attitude. If you still can't find it in yourself to be joyful and participate, then its better you decline.