There are many customs and traditions you can include in your wedding ceremony, which can be really beautiful. The one we are sharing today may at first seem a little old fashioned in its principles, but we are fans of tradition here at The Bride’s Tree, it’s romantic and, in this case, a little bit chivalrous. 

This tradition is a little fuzzy, but it’s one we like. During a religious wedding ceremony, the groom will present a pouch or ornate box with 13 coins inside. The priest or other religious ordained officiant will bless the coins before then allowing the groom to present his bride with the treasure. This is meant as a symbol of the man’s ability to provide for his wife and family, and the woman’s trust in him to do so. It is also a promise made by the groom that “what’s mine is yours.”

There are some variations in the custom throughout different parts of the world and according to individual choice. Some ceremonies include an exhanging of coins, as a representation of monetary equality. Some say the 13 coins represent Jesus and the 12 Apostles, while others say there is no set amount of coins to be presented or shared. 

It has been said this custom in several variations is practiced in parts of South America, Spain, and The Phillipines. 

The post Latin American Wedding Custom: Las Arras appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Well this is more than a little exciting. We have never seen anything like this inspirational styled bridal shoot, it is so very unique. A bunch of uber talented Sunshine Coast wedding professionals got together to create an Egyptian-inspired bridal shoot! 

From the dress to the accessories and makeup by the talented Tasleema Nigh, it’s a glamourous Cleopatra-esque look we are loving like crazy. The bouquet by Ginger Lily & Rose Floral Studio screams opulence, as you would expect of an Egyptian goddess, with an oversized statement bloom and peacock feathers.

Please feel free to drool over these images by Bonnie Jenkins, as we sure have! 

////

Photographer: Bonnie Jenkins

Florals: Ginger Lily & Rose Floral Studio

Make-up: Tasleema Nigh   

Hair: Honeycomb Hair 

Stationery: One Print Wonders

Styling: Obella Designs

Models: Daniela & Dave

The post Styled Shoot: Egyptian Bridal Inspiration appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

They were just two ex-pats living it up in London – she had been there six weeks, while he was a local inhabitant of six years – when a mutual Australian friend came to visit. Over a restaurant dinner, sparks flew, and the rest is history! Four short years later, they were walking down the aisle at the oh-so-lovely Hidden Grove, Noosa. 

////

Anita’s Greek heritage was prevalent in their ceremony, with plenty of tradition, just going to show that you can have the best of both worlds. A Greek Orthodox, or really any, religious beach wedding is not against the rules at all anymore, and we love that! A Noosa restaurant reception followed.

The family business is olive farming, so there was a strong olive theme throughout the wedding right from the start, when they sent out their calico-printed invitation, wrapped around the pot of baby olive trees! Adorable! They also gave jars of olives for the wedding favour. 

This is a simply beautiful wedding with gorgeous ceremony decorations by Splash Events.

“All of my nieces and nephews were either candle holders or flower girls, they each played a part“

“The string quartet was also a really nice touch”

“Both of my parents walked me down the aisle“

“We had a greek orthodox ceremony and during the service the priest makes you sip wine from a cup – our priest didn’t realise that he had poured a lot into my mouth and i couldn’t swallow any more red wine, consequntly it spilled out of my mouth and onto my dress. The priest said that because this had happened our first born child will be a boy!”

“We had our bridal party photos taken in Noosa national park and Noosa Main Beach“

“One of the reasons that we chose Berardos is because guests can choose what they want to eat – we chose the entrees and three mains, and guests chose from those. Berardo’s is known for its fresh seafood so we had plenty of that!“

Wedding Secrets Revealed

Biggest splurge: The Bride’s Father’s custom-made suit!

Best bargain: The flowergirls’ posies were a DIY project, made from artificial peonies found online

Bridal gown: Designed and made by Svetlana Martynova (Gold Coast, 0401027089) – she was amazing, she also made my birdscage and flower; Material was from Selective Fine Fabrics

(Brisbane)

Accessories: Earrings from Wedding Bling   

Shoes: Zu

Bridesmaid dresses: Charlie Brown

Bridesmaids’ accessories: Thousand Island Dressing

Groom’s suit and shoes: Zenetti

Groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Ted Baker

DIY: Cake was made by a family friend, flower girl posies, all decorations at the ceremony site and the wedding, bombonnieres (we had alternate old school tule with sugar-coated almonds and a jar of family olives), stationery

Number of Guests: 74

Budget: $25,000, both sets of parents chipped in.

A-List Vendors

Decorators: Splash Events

Venue: Berardo’s / Photographer: Artography / Florist: Flax Flower / Makeup Artist: Tara Monroe / Hair Stylist: Freelance Cath / Ceremony Entertainment: Offenbach Strings/ Reception Entertainment: Noosa DJs

The post Traditional Greek Wedding in Noosa appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Your Celebrant Shona works with many couples from different cultures. One of her beautiful Chinese couples gave this beautiful explanation of why the fourth finger is traditionally the wedding ring finger. We have never heard this explanation before, and we were positively blown away by this practical demonstration!

Firstly, hold your open palms face-to-face, and bend your middle fingers down  and hold together back-to-back. Next, open and hold the remaining fingers and thumb tip to tip as shown. 

Now, try to separate the thumbs – these represent The Parents and you will notice they separate easily, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong and will leave you sooner or later. 

Rejoin your thumbs, then go ahead and separate the index fingers. These represent your siblings, and again will come apart easily, because your siblings will go on to have their own families and lead their own lives separate to your own. 

After rejoining the tips of your index fingers, try the same with your pinkie fingers. They will open, too, as they represent your children, who will one day fly the next, marry and settle down one day. 

Finally, place the tips of your pinkie fingers back together and try to separate your ring fingers, which represent your spouse. You will be surprised to find you cannot! This is because husband and wife should remain together all their lives, through thick and thin. 

Isn’t this a beautiful way of demonstrating the nature of marriage!

The post Why the Fourth Finger is Traditionally the Ring Finger appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Marriage customs can be viewed from different perspectives.  They can either be traditional rituals such as giving the bride away, or they can be rites and customs from around the world. Like any custom and ritual, they evolve over time and can be adapted to suit individual situations. Here is a glimpse at 3 marriage customs that most couples partake in. 

Father of the Bride Escorts

The bride enters on her father’s left so that he can keep his right (sword) hand free to defend his daughter until he has entrusted her into the protection of the groom.

Photo by AWPP

////
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

Even today most brides still follow this custom.  ‘Something old’ represents the brides past; ‘something new’ represents her hope for the future; ‘something borrowed’ represents friendship; and ‘something blue’ is thought to represent love, purity and fidelity.

Photo by Artography

Wedding rings

The simple gold wedding band has evolved over centuries. The circle representing mutual, eternal love and affection flowing from one to the other. Wedding rings are placed on the 3rd finger of the left hand because it was believed this finger is linked directly to the heart by the ‘vein of love’.

Photo by AWPP

Sunshine Coast wedding celebrant, Margarita Priori-Smith, specialises in personalising wedding ceremonies to each and every couple whose wedding she officiates. She is extremely versatile, being able to offer you any type of ceremony your heart desires.

The post Marriage Customs by Margarita appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Thumbnail image by Artography from a Greek wedding in Noosa

The post International Wedding Traditions appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Last week, we covered your Something Old. Now Simply Bridal are bringing us a few out-of-the-box ways to find your Something Borrowed. 

Thumbnail image by Alan Hughes Photography

The post Something Borrowed appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

The Unity candle is a large (usually white) candle, which is often wrapped in paper etched with the names of the bridal couple and the date of their wedding. The tradition is practiced in many western countries – Australia certainly being one of them.

It typically goes down like this: a member from each side of the family (usually a parent, sibling or close relative) lights a taper candle at the beginning of the ceremony. Then at a point during the ceremony, the bride and groom each take one of the taper candles and use it to light their pillar candle. 

The meaning behind the tradition is that this is a symbolisation of the unifying of the two individuals as one entity. It is also representative of two families joining together. 

Often the lighting of the candle is accompanied by an explanation of the tradition by the officiant, and or music of the couples' choosing. Some couples keep their candle to relight again on their anniversaries. 

You can read more about wedding Traditions and Customs from around the world in our Resource Guide. 

Are you using any traditions or customs in your wedding? Show us some comment love below. 

The post Tradition: Unity Candle appeared first on The Bride's Tree.