A fascinating wedding tradition that’s present across many cultures is the Money Dance. Although it’s slightly different in each iteration, the basis of all the customs is that at the wedding reception, guests offer the newlyweds money while they are dancing. This is meant to help establish their life together and express everyone’s appreciation for them.
In some traditions, the money is pinned to the bride and groom as they dance with guests while in others, it is thrown over them on the dance floor like confetti.
Here are some of the ways different cultures practice this tradition with cash:
Nigeria
A Yoruba tradition, to begin with, it has spread across Nigeria with all different groups participating. Called a Money Spray, the bride and groom are encircled by guests on the dance floor before each comes forward to place the bill on their head, letting it fall down around them. The practice symbolises happiness, good fortune and affection.
Phillippines
For Filipino people across the world, the tradition has the male guests pin money to the bride while the women pin money to the groom. This adds an element to the bride and grooms outfits, with cash being made into sashes, garlands, crowns and even decorating the bride’s veil.
Greece
There is an old tradition in Greece to pin money to the brides dress and this has followed some Greek nationals across the world. It has changed among immigrant communities, with some practising a money shower while others still prefer to pin.
Poland
In Poland, there is an even more elaborate tradition. Guests like up to dance with the bride and hand over cash to the bride’s father who is carrying a special apron. The Pani Mloda Polka is traditionally played and guests get a drink, in the form of a shot, as thanks for their contribution.
Portugal
Another unique twist, the male guests dance with the bride while the women dance with the groom. During this part of the event, the bride removes her shoes into which guests put their money as they pass them around.
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If you’re newly engaged, you may be so in love with your ring that you never want to take it off. While fully understandable, an engagement ring is not a typical piece of jewellery.
While an engagement ring is designed to be durable, certain activities can cause it to lose its lustre over time. There are obvious moments in time you shouldn’t wear your engagement ring, like while exercising or doing the dishes or any other type of cleaning that involves detergents. But what about when you rest your head at night?
Sleeping is the least active thing you could do, and for some wearing an engagement ring while closing their eyes won’t cause too much of an issue. Experts are divided on whether it helps or harms.
Some experts argue that an engagement ring is a fine piece of jewellery, and should thus be treated as such and not be worn during activities that could affect it. Others, however, believe sleeping in your engagement ring is a smart way to ensure you don’t lose your jewellery because where else would it be but your finger?
However, there is an argument to be made for rough sleepers. Beyond it being precious, your ring can easily get caught in things like your hair or on your sheets if you’re a particularly wild sleeper. This can create friction and may cause the stone to loosen in the setting. If your stone is lower on the Mohs scale of hardness and thus more fragile, sleeping in it could make it more prone to damage.
The best thing to do is to have a dedicated place on your nightstand where you leave your jewellery. Before you go to bed, just pop the ring off and it will be safe for the night. This will also guarantee that you won’t lose or misplace your jewellery.
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A 300-person wedding in Washington State has been linked to dozens of coronavirus cases and the deaths of seven care home residents in the area, none of whom attended the wedding.
A reported seven care home residents, aged between 70 and 90, have died after staff members at the facility attended the November 7 wedding.
At the time the wedding was held, indoor ceremonies in Washington State were limited to 50 people.
In an announcement, the Grant County Health District explained that residents were staying at three care homes in Grant County, Washington, and all seven had underlying health conditions. There were also three other deaths not associated with the Long Term Care Facilities
“Our investigations have determined that there were long term care staff who tested positive for COVID-19 who attended the large wedding in Ritzville, WA reported on November 16. Because staff in these facilities care for entire units, direct contact with associated patients is not known. Our most vulnerable community members — elderly, immunocompromised, and those with chronic conditions — are especially at risk of complications due to a COVID-19 infection and we must continue to take measures to protect them from this disease.
“The best way to do that is by staying home as much as possible. Your choice to gather with those outside your household could lead to additional cases of COVID-19 and even death. Please protect those you love by staying home,” they concluded.
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California couple Lauren (29) and Patrick Delgado (27) have been engaged since May 2019, and had already downscaled their big day due to the pandemic. They changed their venue and guest list three times, and took it in their stride as they were excited to marry. However, things took a turn for the worse when Lauren tested positive for COVID-19 only five days before their wedding.
“Everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” Lauren told NBC News. “”I was really saddened because everything we had planned was already getting cancelled.”
Since their marriage license was scheduled to expire the day after their wedding, the pair decided to go ahead with their big day while Lauren quarantined at her mother’s house.
Their November 21 wedding was so impromptu that Lauren didn’t even have enough time to pick up her wedding dress, and instead just wore a white dress straight from her closet.
Patrick stood outside the home as Lauren said her vows from her second floor bedroom window. Their 10 guests, who had all tested negative, wore face masks and stood socially distanced outside Lauren’s window or watched from their parked cars to enjoy the 45-minute ceremony.
In place of holding hands, the pair held each end of a flower-decorated ribbon as they exchanged their vows.
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“It was the most 2020 wedding I have ever shot during Covid-19,” said Jessica Jackson, the wedding photographer.
“I was just so happy and excited to be surrounded by my closest loved ones there,” Lauren added. “It wasn’t about a big wedding, it was just about celebrating our love and life together.”
After the ceremony, Patrick went to his home while Lauren stayed at her mother’s house to continue her quarantine. They ended their evening by watching the Netflix movie ‘Holidate’ and eating dinner separately over FaceTime
“It’s almost like a funny story we’ll one day tell our children,” Delgado said. “Like, we couldn’t sleep in the same bed the same day we got married.”
Lauren hopes to have a bigger ceremony with their extended families and friends some day in the future, when it is completely safe to do so.
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