Wedding Cultures

INTERNATIONAL TRENDS

- Jean Oosthuzien

Weddings – All Around the

World

INTERNATIONAL WEDDING TRENDS

Agenda

Recap of Christian Weddings

Other Wedding Customs

Chinese Weddings

Pakistan Weddings

German Weddings

Planning a Wedding

Creating a Budget

Case study of the budget

John and Jane’s weddingTHE PARK HYATT, DEIRA, DUBAI

14TH FEBRUARY 2016

2.30 PM

How do we go about a themed Christian wedding ?

Let’s take…

Themes

Valentine’s Day

Hearts

Reds

Creams

Whites

Colour Schemes

Red Roses for bride’s bouquet.

Red Rose corsage for groom’s lapel.

White Rose bouquets for the bridesmaids.

Bridesmaids will wear red dresses.

Groom will wear a red tie.

* Flowers and Colours

Bridal Wear –

Vintage Parisienne Glamour.

Food and Drink

French champagne with strawberries for drinks reception.

Dinner Menu: Duck Foie Gras, peach chutney, brioche – Panfried Beef

Tenderloin – Grand crus chocolate mille feuille – tea, coffee and petit fours.

French macaroon wedding cake

Basic Floor Plan

Top Table

Each round table

will seat 10 guests.

The central round

table will display the

cake and will be

moved after cutting

of the cake to

make way for a

central dance floor.

The band will be

positioned near the

top table in the

evening.

The top table will seat 10

people: The Bride and Groom,

Bride’s Mother and Father,

Groom’s Mother and Father, 2

Bridesmaids and 2 Groomsmen.

N.b. civil ceremony has already taken place in prior to this

celebration so the couple are legally married.

1.45 Groom arrives at Marina Garden for ceremony with his

Groomsmen and parents.

2.00 Guests start to arrive and are seated. 60 guests in total

2.25 Mother of bride is seated, followed by bridesmaid’s entry.

2.30 Bride’s entry to a recording of “La vie en Rose”

2.35 Ceremony takes place, including 2 readings and exchange

of rings and vows as symbols of the Bride and Grooms marriage.

3.00 Champagne reception on the lawn. Jazz saxophonist

playing in background. Group photos taken on the lawn.

*Event Flow Summary

4pm Guests are seated for dinner

4.15 Starters are served

4.45 Main Course is served

5.30 Dessert is served

6.00 Speeches – Bride’s Father, followed by Groom, and finally best man.

6.40 Cake cutting

7.00 Tea, Coffee and Petit Fours served.

7.30 Bride, Groom and rest of wedding party mingle and speak to guests while band sets up.

8.30 Band starts to play.

12.00 Celebrations finish. Guests can continue in terrace bar which stays open until 2am or retire to their rooms. For those living locally and not staying in the hotel, pre-paid taxis have been booked to take them home.

*Event Flow Summary

Notes

Stationery will all be styled using Paris Metro style Font,

which will include invites, place name cards, table plan

board and thank you notes.

For the ceremony there will be a central aisle with an arch

decorated with white roses, under which the ceremony will

take place.

Guests will sit on white chairs, each having a red and white

rose tied to the aisle side with white ribbon. There will be 5

rows of 6 on each side of the aisle. Red and white petals

will line the aisle.

Notes

Open sided white fabric marquee will be set up for the

dinner to give shade while still daylight and to create

atmosphere in the evening with 2 large chandeliers hung

from central beam.

Favours will be small boxes of mini macaroons.

Table settings will include red ribbon napkin rings with white

napkins. At each place setting will be alternating single red

and white roses cut short in short vases. Centre piece will

consist of jasmine scented candles and rose petals.

The Look and Feel

INTERNATIONAL TRENDS

Other

Wedding

Cultures

Traditional Weddings

- China

The Proposal -Three

Letters and Six Etiquette

Three Letters

Request Letter

Gift Letter

Wedding Letter

Six Etiquette

• Request for Marrying the bride

• Request for Bride and Groom's Birth Dates

• Initial Gifts for the Bride's Family

• Formal Gifts for the Bride's Family

• Select the Wedding Date

Preparations Setting up the Bridal Bed

Combing Hair

• Their hair needs to be combed four

times and each has a special

meaning

Wedding Day Activities

Picking up the Bride

The Wedding Banquet

• Tea Ceremony

Traditional Weddings in

Pakistan

You may have already gone

though more detailed information

on this previously since you have

covered the first session on South

East Asian Weddings

This information on this culture of

wedding is just meant to help you

distinguish between this style and

other culture styles that we will go

through.

MarriageArranged marriage is mostly followed in Pakistan.

The whole family is involved in the wedding preparations.

Pakistani culture have adopted a lot of ceremonies and

traditions from the Hindu culture

Mangni & Mayun

Mangni

It is the engagement ceremony that marks the formal

engagement of the couple

Mayun

It is custom of the bride entering into the state of

seclusion eight to fifteen days before the wedding.

Uptan & Dholki Uptan

• It is a paste made from turmeric, sandalwood powder, herbs and aromatic oils, which groom's mother brings for bride.

Dholki

• It is a popular ceremony of singing traditional wedding & popular songs accompanied by two or three percussion instruments

Rasm E Mehndi Mehndi (Henna)is applied to the bride's hands and feet

and there is a lot of singing and dancing

Barat

A procession of family, relatives, and friends of groom that

accompany the groom to bride’s home for official wedding

ceremony

Nikkah

A purely Islamic official wedding ceremony that usually takes

place at the bride’s home.

WalimaA ceremony to announce the wedding to community

and friends.

German Wedding Traditions

Customs that take place before

weddingOld tradition that when a baby girl is born, her family should

plant several trees in her honor. At the time of her

engagement, the trees are cut down to pay for her dowry.

Engagement.

The Hochzeitsladeris sent around to personally

invite each guest to the wedding .

Wedding

Civil ceremony

“Polterabend "The night before the church wedding

Church wedding and reception

• Waltzing And Hochzeitssuppe At

The Reception

• Log Sawing, And Rice Mark The End Of The Wedding

African wedding traditions

• Africa is a large and varied continent containing some of the oldest civilizations on earth.

• It is home to a wide diversity of religions and

cultures, and this diversity is reflected in its

diverse and colorful weddings traditions.

• In many places in Africa young girls are

trained to be good wives languages that allow

them to talk with other married women

without their husbands understanding what

is being said.

• Depending on which part of Africa you are in, wedding ceremonies can be extremely elaborate, some lasting many days.

• Often huge ceremonies are held during which many couples are united at the same time.

• In Sudan and in other areas along the Nile a man must pay his wife’s family sheep or cattle for the loss of their daughter’s labor in support of the family.

• A wife may cost a man as many as 30 to 40 In Somalia a man is allowed to have as many as four wives if he can support them all, and it is not

uncommon for a girl to be engaged before she is even born.

• Bright festive colors, song, dance, and music are vital elements of many

African wedding ceremonies.

• Common to all wedding ceremonies is the concept of transitioning between childhood and adulthood.

• In many African cultures children are encouraged to marry as young as 13to 15 years of age, as soon as they have reach physical adulthood.

Scandinavian wedding traditions

• Traditionally Scandinavians don’t like to rush into marriage.

• Marriage is a serious business and in many parts of Scandinavia

an engagement may last three or even four years, allowing

plenty of time for the couple to get to know each other, to see

each other a their best and at their worst.

• The Gates of Honour…

• The Gates of Honor

- Many of the wedding traditions in the Scandinavian countries go back hundreds of years. In Denmark, for example, it is traditional for an arch of pine branches to be built in front of the bride’s home.

- This arch is known as the Gates of Honor. At the wedding reception in Denmark it is traditional for the groom to disappear during part of the ceremony so that all the unmarried young men can kiss the bride – and then it is the bride’s turn to disappear while all the single girls kiss the groom.

- To insure good luck and to ward off evil spirits it is required that a Danish couple cut their wedding cake together, the new husband and wife holding the knife together, and then for each wedding guest to eat a slice of cake.

- Two pine trees – the symbol of fertility.

- When a couple is married in Norway their friends and neighbors plant two small pine tries on either side of their young couple’s front door as a symbol of fertility.

- Also, a Norwegian bride wears a silver crown in silver charms hanging all around it. As she walks the charms tinkle, making a beautiful music sound which wards off evil spirits which love to cause havoc with newlyweds.

Pacific island weddings• In Fiji the groom is expected to present the bride’s father with a whale tooth.

In Fiji it is traditional for a young man to ask the girl’s father or her hand. It is also customary for the young man to present the bride’s Father with a gift.

• Custom dictates that the gift should be the tooth of a whale, which symbolizes status and wealth.

• Assuming a young Fiji man receives permission to marry from the bride’s father, the prospective groom is expect to prepare a lavish feast and to send it to the bride’s family. This is called the “warming.”

• Just before the wedding, it is tradition for the Fiji bride to be tattooed,

a sign of beauty on the islands.

• And what Fiji wedding reception would be complete

without the tradition drink of the islands, Kava.

• Kava is brewed from the crushed root of the native kava plant.

• At the reception there is much tradition music and dancing, with gifts exchanged between the bride’s and groom’s families.

Interesting facts about Wedding

Rings & Different Cultures

• In some countries such as Germany, Greece, Russia, Spain,

India, Colombia, Venezuela and Poland the ring is worn on the

right hand.

• Orthodox Christians and Eastern Europeans also traditionally

wear the wedding band on the right hand.

• In The Netherlands, Catholic people wear it on the left, all others

on the right; in Austria, Catholic people wear it on the right. In

Belgium, the choice of hand depends on the region of the

country.

• Greek people, many being Orthodox Christians, also wear the wedding rings on the right hand in keeping with Greek tradition.

• A traditional reason to wear the wedding ring on the right hand stems from Roman custom.

• The Latin word for left is “sinister”, which in addition to this sense also has the same senses as the English word. The Latin word for right is “dexter”, a word that evolved into “dexterity”. Hence, the left hand had a negative connotation and the right a good one

Planning and

Budgeting a

Western Wedding

1) Met with the happy Couple to get to know them better and to get a good

understanding of their vision and dream for their big day.

2) Following the consultation, create a Client File that contains important

information about the bride and groom. Information that formed part of this file

included:

• Where the couple met, how they met, their interests, dates of birth etc.

• Details of the wedding: date, theme, location (destination or local), color

scheme, type of flowers, number of guests etc.

• Budget

• Details of the wedding party

3) Create a Reference File that contains important documentation, approvals

and signed agreements, including:

• Passport copies and passport photographs of the couple

• Outlined proposed budget with confirmation of who will cover each category

• All confirmations and signed agreements / contracts for the wedding

• Magazine clippings, web images and swatches of styles and color schemes

Getting Started

Wedding Budget

Budget line

If you had to create a basic budget for a Wedding – what all elements would you do provide for.

Create a simple budget for a Wedding

Date: Friday, 26 November 2016

Time: Afternoon Wedding commencing at 2pm

Theme: Beach Vintage

Venue: One & Only Royal Mirage Hotel, Dubai

Colors: White /Champagne gold with hints of fuchsia pink

Flowers: Fuchsia pink roses

Guests: 200

Wedding party: 1 maid of honor and 3 bridesmaids ;

1 best man and 3 groomsmen

Wedding Budget

Make a Budget Sheet

Put down all the items and where possible estimate costs

Write down all the elements on a piece of paper

Explain how you would plan this event as well

Wedding

Budgets!

Date: Friday, 25 November 2016

Time: Afternoon Wedding commencing at 2pm

Theme: Beach Vintage

Venue: One & Only Royal Mirage Hotel, Dubai

Colors: White and Champagne gold with hints of fuchsia pink

Flowers: Fuchsia pink roses

Guests: 200

Wedding party: 1 maid of honor and 3 bridesmaids ; 1 best man and 3 groomsmen

• The wedding day was preceded by a rehearsal dinner two nights before.

• On the Wedding day, Pre-ceremony drinks were served in the hotel gardens.

• The Ceremony took place on the beach.

• Photos followed on the beach and in the hotel gardens.

• Pre-dinner drinks and canapés were served on a patio overlooking the lawns and

beachfront.

• The Reception dinner was held in the grand ballroom.

• A very important Function Sheet was created, which was updated throughout the

planning process, which consisted of dates, times, what was to be actioned and by

whom.

• This also fed into an Itinerary sheet that was made available on the day to all the

service providers to work from and refer to ensuring the order of the day ran smoothly

and was perfect.

The Details

The Elements

Breakfast, Lunch and Rehearsal Dinner

Scheduled two days before the wedding.

Out of town guests who checked into the hotel the night before were treated to a buffet

breakfast in a private dining room in the hotel hosted by the bride and groom.

Guests who checked in later that day were treated to a buffet lunch in a private dining

room hosted by the bride and groom.

A rehearsal procession was held late afternoon for the entire bridal party followed by a

rehearsal dinner on a cruise ship that docked from the hotel.

A light dinner was served with refreshments.

The rehearsal dinner was attended by close family and friends and all the guests who

have already arrived and were staying at the hotel to attend the wedding .

A live band was on board to entertain the guests

Day before the Wedding

A city and beach sightseeing tour was arranged for all out of town guests.

Guests were given the option of going on the tour or having a spa treatment at the hotel.

The bride and her wedding party had spa treatments in the comfort of their hotel rooms

which was imperative to ensure a relaxed bride.

The groom and his wedding party played golf in the morning followed by a fishing trip in the

afternoon.

Mobile therapists also gave the groom and his wedding party massages, manicures and

pedicures.

Wedding Venue

The Couple wanted an elegant timeless venue that was both modern and classic.

Decided on The One & Only Royal Mirage in Dubai.

To add an element of surprise so decided to use different areas within the venue for

the different parts that made up the day i.e. pre-ceremony drinks, ceremony, pre-

dinner drinks and canapés and reception dinner.

The venue supplied all the chairs, tables, cutlery, crockery and glassware.

Staff were trained and briefed personally on all aspects of the function including

serving and dinner etiquette.

Invitations and Stationery

“Save the date cards” were sent 6-9 months in advance to get an idea of how many guests to expect and create excitement. It also assisted guests with booking flights and accommodation well in advance as for some, Dubai was a destination.

A wedding logo of the couples initials was used across the stationery and decor scheme.

Printed extra invitations (for a B list).

Other stationery including menus, table cards, name cards, seating plans and thank you cards were all designed and printed by the same company to ensure the same theme was carried throughout.

A wedding website was created with all the necessary information. Included important details such as directions, the dress code, special dietary requirements, whether kids were invited and details for out of town guests such as tour information and sightseeing details.

Décor

• Throughout the venue, crystals, fairy lights, candles and chic lamps were used.

• A striking flower arrangement was used at the entrance and fairy lights and light chiffon fabric

was used against the stage backdrop. Each table also had a unique flower arrangement.

• Flowers in plain glass containers created an attractive, minimalist look. light boxes were

placed underneath each container for a romantic atmosphere.

• The venue boasted very large vintage looking chandeliers which added a glamorous touch.

• Fine silver cutlery and crystal glassware completed the look.

• The seating plan was painted onto a mirror in classic calligraphy. Guests could spot their

seat and check their make-up too!

Food and Beverages

• A menu tasting was arranged with the chef two weeks in advance to ensure that everything met the couples expectations.

• The budget, number of guests and the wedding’s style was taken into consideration as well as any dietary requirements.

• To add a touch of glamour we had a classic champagne tower. It served as a stunning center piece.

• Guests were welcomed to the pre-dinner drinks with a signature cocktail while snacking on canapés.

• A cocktail bar was set up in the reception hall where the couple’s favorite cocktails were served and guests could mix their own as a fun way to mingle.

• Dinner consisted of entrees and dessert (plated menu) and mains (served buffet style).

• At midnight savory snacks (mini pizzas, rolls etc.) were served for guests who partied into the night.

Wedding Cake

The cake was a traditional three tiered style made up of the couples favorite flavors:

vanilla, chocolate and caramel.

It was white and champagne gold with the classic wedding logo on.

Speeches

Speeches were made before dinner was served.

The speeches were given by both the bride and groom as well as both their fathers and

the maid of honor and best man.

Dress and Styling

Assisted the bride with finding her perfect wedding dress- researched magazines, bridal books, wedding expos and designers’ websites to find inspiration.

A hair and make-up trial was arranged once the dress style was finalised.

A trial was also done for the entire bridal party to see how long it will take on the day of the wedding.

Photographer and Videographer

At least 3 photographers and videographers were considered by looking at their previous work, not only best shots, but an entire wedding portfolio. We chose the photographer based on the type of work the couple preferred – an abstract, traditional look.

A pre-shoot was arranged to provide beautiful images for the “save the date” cards.

Music and Entertainment

• As the décor set the look of the wedding, we wanted the music to perfect the ambience.

• The day was brought to life with professional bands and musicians that reflected the couple’s

personal tastes.

• To get the celebrations going we enlisted a lively jazz duo at the pre-dinner drinks.

• At the reception we had a DJ in the ballroom area and a live band on the outside patio and

dance floor area.

Guests

• The compilation of the guest list started 9 months before the wedding day.

• We wanted to give parents peace of mind and keep kids happy with babysitters, a playroom

and a comfortable place to rest. The chefs created a special menu for the children.

Transport & Accommodation

• The bridal party, along with many guests, stayed at the hotel before the wedding. The

upmarket accommodation was also the ideal shoot location for bridal

• A vintage car was used to transport the bridal party.

• Ensured that there was sufficient parking for the guests. Shuttle transport was also provided

for on-site guests.

• Guests were offered the details of a reputable travel and accommodation consultant to assist

with their travel itineraries, accommodation arrangements and booking of sightseeing tours in

addition to what was arranged. Details of this was on the posted on the wedding website.

Wedding Favors

• The ladies were treated to

beautiful crystal costume

jewelry.

• The men received

engraved vintage looking

cufflinks.

• A small cigar bar was set

up for the men where they

could enjoy a drink and

savor fine cigars.

• A breakfast hangover bag

was the perfect midnight

gift for guests who partied

hard. The recovery kit

included a Saturday

paper, headache tablets, a

tomato cocktail, muffin,

energy drink and mineral

water.

Tones and Pallets

2015/2016 Wedding tones

Thank you

&

Have a Good Evening