While saying “I do” is a magical experience that inherently symbolises love, sometimes bridal couples are looking to step away from tradition and personalise their wedding experience… spice things up, even.
If you’re looking to put a unique spin on your upcoming wedding ceremony, why not incorporate various rituals from around the world that embody the very meaning of marriage: unity.
Here are a few traditional and modern rituals that encompass this very word, and provide a foundation for couples looking to incorporate something a bit more unique when it comes to their nuptials.
Take what resonates and toss what doesn’t, here are six creative wedding rituals that are well about two partners in love:
Jump the broom
Jumping the broom has its roots in African American culture, but the meaning behind this ritual is universal. The ritual originated in the early 19th century when slaves were not formally allowed to get married.
Instead, couples looking to get married would place a broom on the ground and hop over it together. The tradition has now come to mean a “brushing away” of the parts and starting things on a clean slate.
Releasing butterflies
Is there anything more romantic than rose petals and butterflies? Butterflies often represent change, hope, life and transformation, and there’s nothing more transformational than getting married.
Releasing butterflies at your wedding ceremony is meant to encompass all of these elements as you start your journey as newlyweds.
Light a candle
This tradition is often associated with the Judeo-Christian faith and is a common practice that’s associated with “two becoming one.”
During the ceremony, the bride and groom each light a candle and combine their flame to ignite a third and larger one.
Handfasting
This is a beautiful ritual that stems from an ancient Celtic tradition of the same name. Basically, it sees the bride and groom hold opposite hands, ensuring that their arms are tied together lie a figure eight before it is tied together with a ribbon – ultimately symbolising union.
The fabric is also great to keep and pass down to your children.
Plant a tree
Watching something grow can be a beautiful experience. Similar to the love that is shared between two partners, the physical symbol of a tree growing from a sapling into a strong tree can represent growth and strength between partners.
A great way to include this ritual into your ceremony is by having the bridal couple scoop a handful of soil and add it to their planted tree.
Create a time capsule
Time capsules are not just for keeping kids entertained. Add a bunch of meaningful items into a box – items that are specific to you and your spouse – and nail it shut together.
This new and different ritual is all about doing something together. You can open this in the next 10 years or on your one year anniversary.
Picture: Laurken Kendall
There’s nothing more romantic than grabbing a blanket, snuggled up with your boo as you lay underneath a canopy of stars. Your honeymoon is meant to be the…
We’re living in the Digital Age. While relying on robust binders dedicated to vendors, bridesmaids, and various wedding planning activities can be useful, sometimes it can get a bit confusing.
More than 5 billion smartphones are currently in use around the world, so why not lean on the convenient pleasures that come with technology by infusing it into your wedding planning.
Whether you’re just starting out or well on your way to wrapping things up, here are a few digital wedding planning tools you can use to your advantage:
Are you looking for an app that will save you time, money, and efficiently get things done? Joy wedding app and website is your one-stop-shop for a personalised wedding planning experience. You can manage guest lists and create a checklist of all the things that need to be done before your big day. In addition to the impressive features this app offers, you also have the option to create a wedding website directly from the app.
Riley & Grey – Wedding websites
Speaking of creating a wedding website, Riley & Grey is the perfect place to whip up something fabulous for you guests to feast their eyes on. There is a range of wedding templates to pick and choose from that offer a user-friendly experience for those browsing your wedding site.
Trello – To-do list
Trello does more than just offer you the chance to create a work/life balance for yourself, but can help you get organised when it comes to your wedding party. Utilise the site’s virtual pinboard and add a “card” in a column for each category that you would like to create, drop a task and create various colour codes to ensure that everything well-maintained.
Google Drive – Photo organisation
Looking to grab all the incredible photos your guests managed to capture on your big day? As long as you have a Gmail account, Google Drive is an excellent way for guests to add all the beautiful moments and ensures that everything has a place.
Its sometimes difficult to picture just how your venue will accommodate your seating vision, but with Allseated, things are made easier. Send them a photo of the venue and they will create a 3D rendering of the space so that you can digitally organise tables, chairs, bars and all the wedding decor of your dreams.
Without a proper budgeting plan, your big day might leave you in a financial pickle. Goodbudget is a user-friendly app that allows you to allocate expenses for everything that you need. Once you have a budget set in place you can shift expenses around to ensure that you are not overspending in certain areas and neglecting others, maintaining a balance is key to success.
Picture: Pinterest
That period of bliss after getting engaged is a feeling that should be savoured because after that, it’s a lot of sheer panic due to being overwhelmed. Perhaps…
The behind-the-scenes of your big day is often the least prioritised but is something that deserves just as much attention. After all, it not only sets the tone for the rest of the day but the time you spend with your bridal party will be seared into your mind forever – no pressure. With a glass of bubbly in hand, it’s the perfect time to have a few laughs, shake off the nerves and connect with your bridal crew.
So, why not do it will donning a few silky robes. Getting robes for your bridal party may not be a requirement, but the addition can sprinkle a little magic onto your day and be an amazing little memento for them to keep close to them.
Here are a few photo-worthy robes to inspire you:
Dial it all the way to sexy
Zhuzh it up with some feathers
Who doesn’t love a good fringe?
A little jungle fever
Floral prints forever!
An elegant train that highlights your bridal beauty
Picture: Pinterest
No matter the season, you want members of your bridal party to feel elegant and stylish. Unless you have an unwavering vision for your bridesmaids, it’s quite easy…
There’s a new wedding destination for Gauteng brides and grooms to add to their wedding venue list. Emerald Resort & Casino are upping the ante by ensuring that…
Eeny meeny miney mo, if you want to propose, where’s the best place to go? Cape Town Tourism surveyed people on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to find the best places in Cape Town to pop the question. They also collected responses from users of The Perfect Proposal, wedding and proposal planners, and the most common answer was… The V&A Waterfront, followed closely by Table Mountain.
If there was anywhere in the world where love could blossom against a truly beautiful backdrop, it is the city of Cape Town. According to the online dating platform WeLoveDates.com, the Mother City ranked 21st among the most romantic cities in the world and was the second most romantic city on the continent after Marrakech.
With a plethora of landmarks that are perfectly suited for amorous encounters, it is easy to see how Cape Town can stir the cockles of one’s heart.
CEO of Cape Town Tourism Enver Duminy says, “It’s hard to think of a better city to find the freedom to declare your undying love in. Whether you are atop Table Mountain or on the beach, you won’t struggle to find the perfect venue to propose. Afterwards, you can mark the occasion at any one of the city’s world-class restaurants.”
Other popular Capetonian spots where lovers plighted their troth included: Hout Bay, the airport, Kirstenbosch Gardens, Signal Hill, Franschhoek, Boulders, the Aquila Nature Reserve and the Strand.
Here are sweet proposal stories from some of the city’s most special spots to bend the knee:
Kirstenbosch Gardens
Sometimes proposals are an intimate affair involving a small group of people or even just the couple getting engaged. Other times however, you’ve got to go big. Instagram’s @gemini_gerard went for the second option.
“I proposed to my wife at Kirstenbosch gardens after watching The Notebook at the @thegalileo. Before the screening I had arranged for them to play a personal video once the movie had finished. The video chronicled our journey over the last six years. Once it finished, I took her by the hand and led her to the front of the screen.
There, in front of 600+ people, I got down on one knee and asked if she would do me the honour of spending the rest of her life with me. She said yes which is when the last part of the surprise happened. I had hidden her friends and family in the back so when she said yes, they all jumped out.”
V&A Waterfront
Masego and Letlotlo came to Cape Town on holiday. Masego had wanted to pop the question to her partner of 10 years for a long time and this holiday was the perfect moment. She wanted something different, like an art studio or gallery. A place where they could paint and create.
With the help of The Perfect Proposal, they arranged a private session at the Art Jamming studio in the Waterfront. The studio designed and created a “marry me” sign, which was used as the grand gesture in the proposal. On arrival, the couple entered, and went into the “splash” room where an easel with a yellow and black art piece was waiting for them. Letlotlo was told to start peeling the flaps, which eventually revealed letters spelling out ‘marry me’?
She said yes.
Signal Hill
Not all proposals go according to plan but that doesn’t make them any less perfect as Janine Naicker explains:
“My proposal happened at Signal Hill. It didn’t go according to my husband’s plan – at all. Firstly, it was so full that we couldn’t find parking, so we had to park along the side. He then invited me to get out of the car to look at the view with him. My response – ‘It’s too windy!’ (It really was).
“After a few failed attempts, he got back into the car and pulled out a box with two cupcakes that he had gotten for us. He handed it to me and asked me to pass him one. When I opened the box, there was a ring placed in the icing of one of the cupcakes. I was speechless and turned to him, he then said ‘Janine Hendricks, will you marry me?’
Table Mountain
Instagram user @bestnomadsever’s husband proposed on top of South Africa’s most famous mountain.
“We hiked up hoping to catch the sunrise at the same spot as our first date (which was a hike up the mountain). We made it and then, just as the sun was rising, he got on bended knee and proposed to me. It was so perfect and romantic. Next month, we will be together 5 years.”
The Strand
Bianca Engelbrecht’s story goes like this:
“Our first date was at the Strand Beach. We agreed on the beach because it was convenient for both of us. It was amazing. We just sat on a bench listening to the waves crashing in the background and spoke for hours about everything and anything. Fast forward a few years. We had planned a night out with some friends. Little did I know what was about to happen.
“He pulled me aside and told me he wanted to take a quick detour and that we would meet up with our friends later. He explained that he just wanted a moment alone without the kids, which I thought was so sweet. So we went to the beach, to the exact bench we had had our first date on. We started talking, just as we had all those years ago and then he went down on one knee. I honestly couldn’t believe what was happening, but it was the most romantic thing ever. Afterwards, we met up with our friends and boy did we have a story to tell them. We’ve been married for a year now.”
Sidebar: ‘Secret’ spots to pop the big Q:
Here’s a list of some of Cape Town’s lesser-known locations that are perfect for proposals:
- Majik Forest (Door de Kraal, Cape Town): Secreted in the northern suburbs, with soft green grass, trees, ducks, a dam and a mountain bike trail in the forest section, this pet-friendly park is the perfect place to propose to your significant other with your furry friend present.
- Lichtenstein Castle (Hout Bay): The privately owned castle, located in Hout Bay, can be visited by appointment only. It’s the perfect place to propose in a fairy-tale setting.
- Woodstock streets: Urban adventurers will find a perfect proposal setting amidst the gorgeous, gritty surrounds of Woodstock’s world-famous street art.
- Tintswalo Atlantic (Hout Bay): Rumour has it a penguin gives its mate a pebble when courting. Pop your person a pebble on Tintswalo’s secluded stretch of beach, below Chapman’s Peak Drive.
- Dias Beach (Cape Point): Wild and whimsical, this hidden coast offers unparalleled sea views. It’s the ideal backdrop for ‘I do’.
- Secret Rock (Bantry Bay): Perched at the top of Nettleton Drive is a secret rock where many a couple has come for some special moments alone…
Also read:
Garden Route on the list of most romantic road trips in the world!
Picture: www.cr8tiveduo.com