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Sunday, September 14, 2008

WEDDING PLANS

Here we are giving a wedding guide to plan a perfect wedding. This ceremony marked by joyous celebration needs a lot of planning to make it a perfect occasion.

• Set date for wedding

• Plan wedding budget (Since the money matters the most, prepare a rough estimate of all likely expenses way before, and stick to the plan while spending. The estimate of your spending should rather be less than the actual sum you have in hand. This will be of great help in accommodating the unexpected expenses.)

• Prepare guest List (Prepare a list of the guests to be invited as early as possible. If you shelve this task for later, some of the names may slip your mind and you'll always feel sheepish while facing them.)

• Choose venue for wedding and make reservations.

• Appoint Priest/ Purohit /clergy member for performing ceremonial rites.

• Choose caterer and select the menu for the wedding ceremony.

• Design and select invitation cards

• Select photographer and videographer and discuss plans

• Select tent house/decorator

• Select band/musicians

• Select wedding dress/trousseau dresses for the bride /groom and place order (The prime area of attention for the bride is her trousseau. It has to be compiled tastefully with utmost care)

• Make transportation reservations for guests.

• Arrange facilities like water, generators, lighting, seatings for wedding ceremony/reception

• Apply for marriage license

• Order wedding reception cake

• Make beauty parlor appointments.

• Make bookings for mehandi.

• Select the type of music needed for reception/cocktails

• Order mithai and related items.

• Confirm arrangements for hired crockery, cutlery, glassware or table linen.

• Book wedding cars.

Listed here are a number of things to do once the marriage has been finalized. Some need to be taken care of immediately while other tasks can wait till the wedding date draws closer. In either case, having a list of things to do makes it easier to ascertain that nothing is left out or forgotten. Saves a lot of last minute hassles!

Read from wedding planner's site

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY SYMBOLS


Most people are aware that significant wedding anniversaries such as 25th and 40th are linked to precious stones, in these cases silver and ruby. However, it is less well known that all anniversaries up to and including the 15th, and then every 5th anniversary, have their own particular symbol. The list below shows the symbol traditionally associated with each anniversary.

ANNIVERSARY

1st - Paper
2nd - Cotton
3rd - Leather
4th - Books
5th - Wood
6th - Sugar, candy
7th - Wool, cooper
8th - Bronze, pottery
9th - Pottery, willow
10th - Tin, aluminum
11th - Steel
12th - Silk, linen
13th - Lace
14th - Ivory
15th - Crystal
20th - China
25th - Silver
30th - Pearl
35th - Coral
40th - Ruby
45th - Sapphire
50th - Gold
60th - Diamond
75th - Diamond

The Silver (25th) and Golden (50th) Anniversaries appear to be the most traditional. In Central Europe going back hundreds of years a man would present his wife with a silver or golden garland to mark the occasion of their anniversary.
The other materials have been added to the list more recently, and there is now a more modern list which incorporates the missing years 16-19. Amazingly, a ten carat diamond has been added for a 100th Wedding Anniversary! How many couples will get that far?

Read from a matrimonial site.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

ARRANGED MARRIAGES

The Reality of Arranged Marriages

Arranged marriages have been a topic of interest for centuries. Authors across the ages have explored this theme at length, and it still surfaces in literary works today. What's the appeal? Is it the fascination with the lack of lust and desire we cultivate in North American society? We strive on the element of danger, of the forbidden, while an arranged marriage is usually a safe way to ensure a family's approval of a union.

And yet, many of todays romance novels deal with marriages of convenience. We've all read them: the heroine marries the hero because she needs him, whether for financial reasons, or because her children need a father -- there are as many reasons to marry as there are novels dealing with this subject. Yet although the marriage isn't initially based on love, there's always that sensual tension simmering beneath the surface, and as readers, we know it's inevitable that the two are going to fall deeply and irrevocably in love.

But what about real life, where things don't always work out so well? Arranged marriages are commonplace in a number of countries, such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan and India. They're more common than you'd think even in North America, where cultural diversity is cherished and encouraged.

Young people in countries where arranged marriages are common place are told from an early age that their spouse will be chosen for them. To deny an arranged marriage is seen as a sign of disrespect toward the family. But how are suitable spouses chosen? In Japan, for instance, "when a woman reaches the marriageable age of 25, she and her parents compile a packet of information about her, including a photograph of her in a kimono and descriptions of her family background, education, hobbies, accomplishments and interests. Her parents then inquire among their friends and acquaintances to see if anyone knows a man who would be a suitable husband for her" (the Asia Society's Video Letter from Japan: My Family, 1988). Usually, the most important aspect of choosing a suitable spouse is the bond between the two families, rather than the relationship between the couple being married. Property or land with the aim of securing social status sometimes seals marriage agreements.
Do arranged marriages work? Opinions tend to differ. Statistics place the divorce rate for arranged marriages much lower than those in the United States, where marriages out of love are the rule. However, research also shows that the pressure a married couple encounters from both society as a whole, and from the respective families, suggests that divorce is often not an option.

Can love grow out of an arranged marriage? Absolutely, and in the same way that love can grow in romance novels from a marriage of convenience. But there's more to love than finding a suitable match. Love can grow for many reasons, from lust at first sight to friendship that develops over a long period of time. It's impossible to predict whether a union will be successful. The only two people who can make it work are the bride and groom, the hero and heroine of their own story.

Read from a matrimony site and a guide to teenagers.

EXTREME AGE DIFFERENCES IN MARRIAGE

Extreme Age Differences In Marriage Can Lead To Infidelity

"Extreme age differences between husband and wife may lead to infidelity" says author and infidelity expert, Ruth Houston, who was recently quoted in an article in First magazine. Houston's comments were included in the sidebar of an article in the May issue of First entitled "The Surprising Way Women Are Turning Back the Clock," which discusses the pros and cons of marriages and relationships in which the woman is considerably older or younger than the man.

Disparity in Sex Drives

"The biggest danger" is that in marriages where there is an age difference of 15 to 20 years or more, at some point, there is likely to be a disparity in the sex drives of the two people involved. This disparity could be a contributing factor to infidelity if it drives one party to seek sexual fulfillment outside the primary relationship."

Unable to Relate Due to Generation Gap

Houston points out that lifestyle differences, differences in moral values, even differences in seemingly minor things such as tastes in music, reading, or entertainment may eventually cause the couple to be unable to relate to each other because of a "generation gap." If one party begins to seek out members of his or her peer group because they have more things in common with each other, it can lead to problems -- especially if that person is a member of the opposite sex.

A Higher Risk of Infidelity

While conceding some marriages and relationships between older women and younger men do succeed, Houston states that they start out with a strike against them. She warns, "A woman should think long and hard before entering into a relationship with a man who is considerably younger than herself. The greater the age difference, the greater the risk of infidelity."

Read from a matrimony site and very useful for all.