Especially, for all you football lovers.  The men are sure to have fun catching a football rather than a garter. It might get a little roudy!

Photography: Gino Creglia

 “ Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created. In the Art of Marriage, the little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say ‘I love you’ at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon; it should continue through all the years. It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have the wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding rooms for things of the spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.”

Bridesmaids sign the bottom of the brides shoes. Tradition says that whoever’s name doesn’t wear off by the end of the night is the next one to walk down the aisle.

The Ring Warming Ceremony is a beautiful way to take the ring exchange a step further while including the wedding guests. Early in the ceremony, the rings are tied together and passed around to the guests who are asked to say a silent prayer or blessing for the couple when the rings reach them. By the time the bride and groom exchange the rings, they are filled with the warmth and love of their family and friends.

I have received several requests for cultural wedding traditions. Many of our significant others are from other countries and backgrounds. Where would you like to see traditions from? Malaysia, Hawaiian, German?

As couples cross the Rhine, they take a lock, and attach it to the bridge’s fence and throw the key into Rhine for love and good luck. So, all the way across the whole bridge the fence is covered in locks!