Monday 31 August 2009

Luhya Wedding Traditions

The Luhya community mostly resides in the Western part of Kenya with a population of about three million. Known for their elaborate ceremonies, the Luhya enjoy holding big parties to celebrate occasions. Luhya weddings are very elaborate and important occasions. They are accompanied with many wedding photos and celebrations. Before one gets married, the groom will have taken bride wealth to the bride's parents as a sign of gratitude. Unlike Toronto wedding ceremonies, bride wealth is meant to cement relations between the two families.

The first step before a Luhya traditional wedding can take place is payment of the bride price. The groom is expected to take a token of appreciation to the bride's parents to show that the parents raised their daughter well. Traditionally, this token would be in the form of livestock or farm produce. This token would act as a token to show how much the man cares for his future wife and show that he can provide for his future family as well. The Luhya community is known to love chicken and these are provided in plenty for guests to eat. On the wedding day, the man would go to the bride's homestead and call out the girl's name. If the girl responds, the ceremony can then go on. In the past, guests in attendance dress in special traditional attire with paintings all over their bodies and dance the whole night. The ceremony would last for about three days. The married couple would then proceed to their new home.

Present day Luhya wedding ceremonies are more modern and include celebrating the event in a church. Dancing and singing accompany most luhya weddings. Groups of women who sing praise songs encircle the bride. The wedding party normally arrives at the church a few minutes before the ceremony starts. The ceremony is usually recorded on video and wedding photos taken. This is one attribute that both Luhya and Toronto weddings have. Once the church ceremony is over, the wedding party goes to the reception venue for wedding photos and food. Luhya weddings have plenty of traditional foods to offer as well as western cuisine. Entertainment in a luhya wedding involves singing traditional songs and dancing to their tunes. Luhya dancing is quite vigorous and is a very entertaining activity. Unlike in Toronto, Luhyas can hold their ceremonies for as long as two weeks.

A Luhya wedding is not complete without speeches. The speeches normally come after gifts are given and wedding photos are taken but before the cake is cut. The theme of most wedding speeches is usually advice to the groom and his bride on how to take care of their new family. Grooms are advised to take care of the wife and the bride is advised to cook properly for the husband. Different people who may use a lot of proverbs and sayings to drive the point home give variations of the same message.

After the main event, the bride and groom go to their new home. The wedding photos taken serve as a reminder of the wedding ceremony. They can be passed down from generation to generation and act as a teaching aid to their children on the importance of marriage and families.

Sunday 30 August 2009

The New Trend of Wedding Silk Invitation Boxes


Silk synonymous with luxury. Now silk is a good trend in the fashion world or the other. In fact, there are now designs wedding invitations with silk materials.

The times of sending a simple wedding invitation postcard to the whole family are over. More and more brides choose the exclusive way and order one of various invitation products including silk invitation boxes, silk pouches, folios and even silk envelopes.

Thai silk is one of the signature products from Thailand.
No question it suits just perfect to make exclusive wedding invitation boxes with pure Thai silk. There are no limits in creativity and extravaganza. For example embellished invitations with silk flowers or brooches with rhinestone crystals carefully ensembles on a padded silk envelope or silk pouches. My favorite is the rhinestone crystal rings with ribbon bands combined with a gatefold silk invitation box.

To plan a wedding invitation is truly a time-consuming process. Maybe because there are so many formats and possibilities the invitation box can be made in. Padded, not padded, embellished, simple, with or without flower arrangement and so on. It's all up to your time and budget.

Select the right material to meet your budget
Generally silk invitations are made with pure 100% silk or if your budget does not allow with Faux silk (artificial silk). Thai silk looks just so much more exclusive if you hold it against the light, but more and more brides choose the cheaper version of Faux silk invitations. No question, nobody wants to pay the debts of an expensive marriage until the silver wedding. Don't miss to contact me if you need support finding the right wedding favor, silk invitation box or wedding gifts.

Contact your invitation designer early to avoid delays
Thai silk invitations are hand made, so each item needs time to finish. If you place the order late, the manufacturer may not be able to manufacture high quality products. To get the best result, inquire 2 month before you actually need the invitation or wedding favor to arrive your home. This way you have around 4 weeks to discuss the design and look of your dream invitation box or silk invitation holder and the manufacturer has another 4 weeks to produce the order.



By : phie

Silky Wedding Flowers

Marriage is one of the sacred and historic events in our lives. Of course before getting married a lot of things that must be prepared and considered.

When brides choose their wedding flowers, one question they must ask themselves is: do I want real flowers, or silk?

Traditional brides always go for real flowers. Their delicate beauty can never be duplicated by artificial flowers. The mesmerizing scent of roses or lilies is a far cry from the artificially scented silk flowers. Scent is often associated with feelings or memories and a wedding is an emotional and memorable experience. And that is where real flowers score over silk ones.

Real flowers have their disadvantages, too. The main disadvantage with real flowers is their longevity. They wilt away very fast. Brides who want to preserve their wedding bouquets often settle for silk flowers. Moreover, brides who want exotic or out-of-season wedding flowers often opt for silk flowers because they are much more readily available and affordable. Silk flowers are also popular with brides who are allergic to real ones. No bride wants to be red-eyed and sneezing at her wedding.

Silk flowers have advantages and disadvantages too. Although not the traditional choice, silk is fast becoming a popular option. Silk flowers look almost as natural as real flowers and brides don’t have to worry about the availability of their preferred choice. Silk flowers are also much more affordable. Preservation of real flowers is very expensive, but not with silk. They always look as good as new.

Thus, both real and silk flowers have their positive and negative points. It depends on the bride to choose between them, according to her priorities.



By : Phie

Elegant Whites at La Quinta Golf & Country Club, Marbella


This week we did a lovely wedding at the La Quinta Golf & Country Club, it was the first wedding we have done here and it is such a beautiful, elegant setting.
Although it was hot outside and the welcome cocktail was set up on the terrace I can imagine, not just in the summer, but for a winter wedding in Marbella this would be a perfect venue.

We created these fabulous martini arrangements (without the fear they would blow over!) which complimented the elegant surroundings and managed to stop by for a quick cocktail on the terrace only to be serenaded by the extremely talented Matt McGurk on his flamenco guitar, wonderful :)
In fact I have had the pleasure of hearing Matt twice this week as we were at a wedding together two days earlier in Mijas!
Many more weddings to post and many more photographers to nag:) David you are one of them!
Lots of weddings coming up now in September, then our Costa Del Sol Bride of the Year wedding in October so please do check back to see all our weddings here in the south of Spain.

Purples and Pinks in Antequera








It was 2 weeks after we did Natasha and David's wedding at La Posada that we were up in Antequera again for the lovely wedding of Lema and Alex and it was amazing how much the countryside had dried up even more as we drove up there. It was amazingly hot as we were now in the middle of July!
Alex and Lema had chosen a fabulous combination of purple and pink flowers for their wedding with Olivia at Sol Weddings. Olivia contacted us to invite us to finish off all the wedding details with Lema and Alex. We provided the white flooring for the ceremony, the fuchsia chair sashes, decorated fans, and lanterns to complete this fabulous wedding. A near disaster as we moved the floral archways but all was quickly sorted out in the end, just as well Jeremy was not nearby to take photos! Thank you again to Jeremy and Jenny for these fab shots!
A lovely email from Lema

Hi Laura

I hope you're well.

Just wanted to say thanks for doing such an amazing job with the ceremony area. I was so taken aback when I stood at the top by the bar waiting to walk down the stairs. The area looked so beautiful - what a transformation. I really wasn't expecting it to look quite so lovely.

You were so nice to deal with all the time and never made me feel like i was pestering you when i needed your advice.

Jeremy has just posted our slideshow, the photos look fantastic if you want to have a look http://www.jeremystandley.com/wedding-blog/

Anyway, best of luck for the future and if you ever need us to write a testimonial for your website or anything, we'd be happy to.

Take Care
Lema x

Yellow Dress No. 7

After a brief break from yellow, I'm back in love. Paired with timeworn taupe and blush pink, it's a perfect tint for the waning days of August. From Gibbous Fashion's Flickr set, via Snippet & Ink.

Thursday 27 August 2009

Exotic Muslim Weddings

Anyone who has witnessed a Muslim wedding, live or on television, would be blind not to notice how colorful and exotic it can be. If there is one word that can describe one of these events, then it would be amazing.

What makes these occasions amazing is the fact that it follows years of tradition that has been passed from generation to generation. Muslim weddings are a lot different from Christian weddings not only because of their colorful attires but also because of the customs that are followed from the start of the couple's engagement.

While a Christian wedding is seen to be a romantic union of two people in love and united by the religious ceremony, a Muslim marriage is more of a social contract between the two families involved. Most, if not all of these marriages become possible due to the dowry system, which is more like an economic transaction rather than a romantic union. Here is how a Muslim wedding is celebrated in some parts of the world.

Iran

A wedding in Iran can last up to seven days. The focal point of the ceremony and the reception is the bride's home, which undergoes a customary banquet where the food is arranged so that it faces east. Iranian Muslims use a silk table cloth for the wedding table which has been passed from one generation to another.

Pakistan

An event in Pakistan can last up to three days, with the Mehndi taking place in the house of the bride and groom. It also follows a henna ceremony with the Nikah or the signing of official papers as its highlight. After the bride's family signs the papers in the Imam's presence, the family of the groom hosts a banquet as a way of formally announcing the marriage.

Malaysia

An affair in Malaysia is quite different in the sense that the henna ceremony takes place only for the bride. The signing of the contract is made in the presence of a Syariat Court official and is made official after a small amount of money is exchanged.

Singapore

A Muslim wedding in Singapore is characterized by the kidnapping of the groom by the bride's beautician and her family. The groom is allowed to enter only after he has given a reasonable amount of money as entrance fee.

Muslim weddings are celebrated in various ways depending on what country the couples reside. But whatever the differences, they will always be exotic and interesting to the western world.

Melissa's Entourage

Melissa is an overseas bride.. Super thanks to the power of the internet! :-) We were able to work together through chat and email..

hi veejay. how are you? eto na ung photos ng beautiful creation mo. thanks so much for doing a good job and being part of our memorable and special day.

- jun and melissa


Thanks for the fab photos Melissa and Jun and thank you also for believing in me..






The Sintan Wedding :)!










I first met Natasha & David last year when they were venue hunting, upon their return back to Dublin I received an email confirming they had chosen the charming La Posada del Torcal as their wedding venue.
As the year progressed and we designed and planned together I earnt many nicknames due to always complaining to Natasha that I did not have any time to sit in the sunshine although I lived in Spain! For the record, Natasha, having had a few days off in August the legs are finally brown back and front :)!
What a truly, amazing day this was, starting with a military church wedding in Antequera followed by a Zoroastrian blessing back at La Posada in the evening all organised by Jenny.
The whole day was fabulous with some beautiful saris and of course lots of handsome young men in uniform and I was thrilled to have a pink bhindi stuck to me before the Zoroastrian ceremony started! I was so excited I almost forgot to go and get the garlands out the fridge, it was a close escape as the highly organised Jenny suddenly realised I had not produced them!
We created a beautiful white and aqua theme with stunning centrepieces that echoed the feel of the venue and it's fabulous peaceful surroundings. All the little details again with the fans, the gazebo for the blessing in the evening, plus the lanterns and candles to make the evening magical. The hentastiques were true to form, as promised!, and created the quirky initials to hang from the tree and did some pre wedding crafting of lovely table seating ribbons to hang from the trees.
Thanks yet again to Jeremy for these beautiful photos, albeit I am a PITA now and of course a Sintan (with a tan now!), am rather puzzled that everyone seems to have the urge to give me nicknames?!
I am still waiting for my bracelets Natasha?!

Tropical coloured wedding at Guadalmina









What a huge amount of fun we had creating this fabulous brightly coloured wedding for Elaine & Kieran at Guadalmina in July, organised by Kerry at Celebrations in Spain.
Elaine contacted us last year with her vision of how she and Kieran wanted their day, it soon became apparent that this was to be a fun and vibrant wedding, so we were on a roll! Not just with the decoration but I popped back later whilst the wedding was in full swing and the entertainment was amazing.
I have to say having looked at the photos that the flower girl is truly the cutest :)
There was so many lovely details from the brightly coloured bouquets created by Olivia, our zingy lime chair sashes dressed with pink gerberas. Tall, tropical centrepieces we created with oranges and limes really gave the room at the Guadalmina a wow factor.
There was no stone left unturned as we created and designed everything to pull this day together from the fans, confetti cones, table seating plans, brightly coloured lanterns, the fabulous candy bar with our miniature windmills and jars of love hearts, that I believe are still stashed in Jeremy's house :), the fuchsia favor boxes with personalised butterfly stickers, the list is endless!
Wonderful cupcakes by Bibi Glace and of course, yet again, our huge thanks to Jeremy and Jenny for such fabulous photos of such a wonderfully happy day.
Think my nagging is paying off now, but I have unfortunately been given the nickname of PITA, pain in the arse?! Thanks Jeremy :)!