4 minute read
Welcome
Weddings are a joyous occasion. They’re a uniquely optimistic occasion where two people are committing their lives to each other in front of chosen family and friends. What’s even easier these days is there are few rules and so each wedding has its own personal blend.
The few rules are that an authority figure or official celebrant must officiate and proclaim the vows made by the two people but other than that – your imagination can go wild.
There’s been crazy weddings in midair while parachute jumping, some climb their favourite mountain getting hitched at the top, others head out on to the sea, but most tend to have their feet firmly on land often at a venue chosen for its special meaning to the couple.
Take the couple featured on our cover. Mike and Loren chose her parent’s gorgeous rural homestead in South Wairarapa as the backdrop, and she married Mike on the tennis court with the marquee to cater for the guests erected in gardens beside the house.
So, that’s the venue – anyone’s choice! Then there’s the clothing to celebrate the event. Queen Victoria set a trend wearing a white gown and veil. It’s generally believed it was to display sexual purity and that’s why second and third marriages often have different colours being worn. Red features highly in Indian weddings as does red in China – considered the lucky colour.
The use of a wedding ring has long been part of religious weddings in Europe and America, but the origin of the tradition is unclear. One possibility is the Roman belief, that a blood vessel that ran from the fourth finger (ring finger) went directly to the heart. Thus, when a couple wore rings on this finger, their hearts were connected. In the distant past, in most cultures it was only women who wore a ring to show she was ‘taken’. It was only in early 20th century America, that men began to also wear a ring and the practice gained popularity.
The wedding reception or wedding breakfast, marks the first meal together as a married couple. This is when the families of the two people share in their excitement by making speeches. Again, it used to be the father of the bride who took the lead, followed by the best man who revealed all sorts of stories about the groom. Dancing at weddings is universal. Traditionally, the first dance is for the newly betrothed couple, then the father/daughter and mother/ son combinations depict the binding of families. The ‘send-off’ in Western culture, used to be a great opportunity to dress up a married couples’ vehicle with streamers and tin cans to make sure they didn’t sneak away quietly.
In many African and eastern cultures, it was more formal with the couple, farewelling their elders and announcing their move away from the festivities. However, these days most people all want to enjoy the party and so the ‘going away’ outfit does not occur much anymore.
Celebrant | MC | Facilitator
PH: 0278502518 E: HOLLY.HULLENA@GMAIL.COM WWW.CIRCAMUSIC.CO.NZ
Verifi ed member of the Celerants' Association of New Zealand Te Kahui Arahi Ritenga o Aotearoa
Whichever way you wish to marry is so purely individual, but here in this magazine, we’d like to take you through the journey after choosing your beloved, to planning the wedding in all its vast intricacies, to taking a deep breath and contemplating life as couple, when it’s all over.
We hope you fi nd this a helpful guide and we wish you a happy future.
D&A PHOTOGRAPHY
MIKE & LOREN
Mike Wilson and Loren Hartnell who are featured on our front cover, married in Wairarapa’s Hinakura hills on 9 January 2021. Th ey have been together several years and are helping raise Mike’s 11-year-old son, Phoenix.
Choosing the rugged backdrop of the South Wairarapa hill country was a natural choice for the couple.
Mike is a stock manager and Loren’s parents farm sheep, beef cattle and bees for honey. Th eir home is a lovingly restored villa which was perfect as the venue. Loren was thrilled for the wedding to be based around her family home and choosing to erect a large marquee meant they could easily accommodate the 130 guests. Th ey married on the suitably decorated tennis court and celebrated in perfect conditions on a mid-summer day.
Mike and Loren live on a lifestyle block just out of Masterton and much to their delight are expecting a baby in October.
Qualified Hairstylists
We are dedicated to providing high customer satisfaction and excellent service. 20 years experience. Brides who book with us “in salon” receive a platter and complimentary bottle of bubbles.
