Horrific Wedding Cakes

We had a huge response from our "Weird World of Strange Bizarre Wedding Cakes" post a few years back, its obvious our readers like a good laugh. Each to their own we know... but some of these wedding cakes are just horrific!

This Jabba Wedding Cake looks a little like a poo

"Yoda One For Me"

Lynton & Yoli's Wedding

Gorgeous couple Lynton and Yoli were picture perfect in their amazing wedding photos that spanned two countries. 

Although getting married in Australia they decided to jet off to the Philippines (Yoli's home country) to have some professional photos done in advance. Choosing numerous styles and locations they were captured in a range of stunning shots.  

Pre - Wedding Photos (Philippines) :

Wedding Day (Adelaide, Australia):

Upon their return, the planning for their wedding ceremony in Australia was in full swing.  They chose a small garden situated just outside the city of Adelaide and exchanged their vows in an intimate gathering of their family and close friends.

Adelaide Photos by Imagine Photography

Creative ways to Remember a Loved One at your Wedding

Many couples about to wed have a mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, brother or sister who have passed and cannot be there to celebrate with them on their special day. It can be very important to a lot of couples to remember these people by adding a special gesture somewhere throughout their day. We stress the importance of keeping it light and simple so as not to over-upset the couple or the guests.  

We have compiled a list of ideas, if you have an idea to add to this list please feel free to share it as a comment below:

1. Have a special table set in memory of your loved one with a photo, fresh flowers and candles set aside the alter at your church or next to your bridal table at the reception. 

2. If your loved one had a favourite song have your musician sing it in honor of them.

3. After your ceremony you may like to release some white balloons. We like the idea of having your loved one/s names written on the balloon or on a tag attached to the balloon. A chosen member of your family may like to say a few words before the bride and groom release the balloons into the heavens above. 

4. Set aside a chair at the ceremony where they would have sat. The bride might like to carry a single white rose down the aisle and take a moment to set the rose on the chair. You could place a tag on the rose stating "In loving memory of -insert name-"

5. The bride and groom may like to light a unity candle during their ceremony in memory of their loved one. 

6. Wearing a piece of your loved ones clothing or jewelry is a great way to remember them whist keeping them near. If your grandmother wore a particular piece of jewelry on her wedding day it is lovely for the bride to do the same and maybe one day pass it on to her child too. 

7. If your loved one was buried at a cemetery close by you may like to visit them. My husband and his groomsmen stopped to visit his father on the morning of our wedding and left a buttonhole on his gravestone to have him included in our day. 

8. You may like to set aside a page in your ceremony booklet with a poem or verse that represents your loved one. Alternatively you may like to write "Today we honor the memories of those who could not join us here (list of names)."

9. Create an arrangement of photos of your loved ones.

10. Attach photo lockets to your bouquet or buttonhole.

Yasmin xx 

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

Week 24 - 52 Rituals/Traditions in 52 Weeks - Wishing Stones

The Wishing Stone Ceremony

The ‘Wishing Stone' Ceremony is a wonderfully inclusive ritual to incorporate into your big day and is great for not just weddings, but any ceremony you may be considering.

I have performed it as part of a baby naming as well as for weddings. It basically involves using small polished stones, just large enough to write a small wish on if necessary.

Photo from: Intimateweddings.com

 Usually the stones are given out by someone selected to perform the task (can be a great way of including children, by getting them to walk around and make sure everyone has a stone).

As the ceremony commences the guests are asked to hold the stones tightly and make a loving wish for the couple’s life together.

The stones can later be collected in a vase for the couple to keep as a momento of all of the wishes their loved ones and friends made for them or each person can be invited to come forward as part of the ceremony and place their stone – making their wish for the couple, in the vase.

Each stone represents a special wish that the couple can take with them to reflect on throughout their married life together.

Some couples may wish to go a little further and ask guests to write their wish on the stone, offering felt tipped pens for the guests and family to write their names and add their wish.

Week 23 - 52 Rituals/Traditions in 52 Weeks

Acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the land

I thought I might share this with you as I have been on occassion asked to begin a ceremony with an acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the land upon which we have stood.

An acknowledgement is a great way of paying respect to those who have come before us and can be done whether or not you have an indigenous background. The two examples here are from one particular area, using specific groups, but wherever you are in the world, you can easily use similar wording to pay respect and honour the traditional owners of the land on which you stand.

It is believed that paying tribute brings good luck by ensuring that you are beginning on a positive note.

“We acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians whose ancestral lands we are meeting upon here today. We acknowledge the deep feelings of attachment and relationship of Aboriginal peoples to country. We also pay respects to the cultural authority of Aboriginal peoples visiting/attending from other areas of South Australia/Australia present here.”

OR

“We would like to acknowledge this land that we meet on today is the traditional lands of the Kaurna people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with their country. We also acknowledge the Kaurna people as the custodians of the greater Adelaide region and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still important to the living Kaurna people today.”

If you are thinking of adding something like this to your ceremony, or are assisting a couple who would like to have something similar included, be sure to check the details of the traditional owners of the land that you will be performing the ceremony on.

Also check out one of our previous rituals/traditions - a traditional smoking ceremony.

The Wedding Gurus

Just for a little fun!

Things don't always turn out perfectly as planned on your wedding day and there always seems to be someone nearby with a camera in hand ready to capture some of the moments you prefer not to remember. In some cases couples are scrapping the traditional and opting for a somewhat unique approach to their big day. We hope you enjoy the hilarity to follow:

 

 

*These images have been collected from various sources on the web. If you are the owner of any of the above images please let us know so we can link these back to you.