Monday, August 31, 2009
Luhya Wedding Traditions
The first step before a Luhya traditional wedding can take place is payment of the bride price. The groom is expected to take a token of appreciation to the bride's parents to show that the parents raised their daughter well. Traditionally, this token would be in the form of livestock or farm produce. This token would act as a token to show how much the man cares for his future wife and show that he can provide for his future family as well. The Luhya community is known to love chicken and these are provided in plenty for guests to eat. On the wedding day, the man would go to the bride's homestead and call out the girl's name. If the girl responds, the ceremony can then go on. In the past, guests in attendance dress in special traditional attire with paintings all over their bodies and dance the whole night. The ceremony would last for about three days. The married couple would then proceed to their new home.
Present day Luhya wedding ceremonies are more modern and include celebrating the event in a church. Dancing and singing accompany most luhya weddings. Groups of women who sing praise songs encircle the bride. The wedding party normally arrives at the church a few minutes before the ceremony starts. The ceremony is usually recorded on video and wedding photos taken. This is one attribute that both Luhya and Toronto weddings have. Once the church ceremony is over, the wedding party goes to the reception venue for wedding photos and food. Luhya weddings have plenty of traditional foods to offer as well as western cuisine. Entertainment in a luhya wedding involves singing traditional songs and dancing to their tunes. Luhya dancing is quite vigorous and is a very entertaining activity. Unlike in Toronto, Luhyas can hold their ceremonies for as long as two weeks.
A Luhya wedding is not complete without speeches. The speeches normally come after gifts are given and wedding photos are taken but before the cake is cut. The theme of most wedding speeches is usually advice to the groom and his bride on how to take care of their new family. Grooms are advised to take care of the wife and the bride is advised to cook properly for the husband. Different people who may use a lot of proverbs and sayings to drive the point home give variations of the same message.
After the main event, the bride and groom go to their new home. The wedding photos taken serve as a reminder of the wedding ceremony. They can be passed down from generation to generation and act as a teaching aid to their children on the importance of marriage and families.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The New Trend of Wedding Silk Invitation Boxes
Silk synonymous with luxury. Now silk is a good trend in the fashion world or the other. In fact, there are now designs wedding invitations with silk materials.
The times of sending a simple wedding invitation postcard to the whole family are over. More and more brides choose the exclusive way and order one of various invitation products including silk invitation boxes, silk pouches, folios and even silk envelopes.
Thai silk is one of the signature products from Thailand.
No question it suits just perfect to make exclusive wedding invitation boxes with pure Thai silk. There are no limits in creativity and extravaganza. For example embellished invitations with silk flowers or brooches with rhinestone crystals carefully ensembles on a padded silk envelope or silk pouches. My favorite is the rhinestone crystal rings with ribbon bands combined with a gatefold silk invitation box.
Select the right material to meet your budget
Generally silk invitations are made with pure 100% silk or if your budget does not allow with Faux silk (artificial silk). Thai silk looks just so much more exclusive if you hold it against the light, but more and more brides choose the cheaper version of Faux silk invitations. No question, nobody wants to pay the debts of an expensive marriage until the silver wedding. Don't miss to contact me if you need support finding the right wedding favor, silk invitation box or wedding gifts.
Contact your invitation designer early to avoid delays
Thai silk invitations are hand made, so each item needs time to finish. If you place the order late, the manufacturer may not be able to manufacture high quality products. To get the best result, inquire 2 month before you actually need the invitation or wedding favor to arrive your home. This way you have around 4 weeks to discuss the design and look of your dream invitation box or silk invitation holder and the manufacturer has another 4 weeks to produce the order.
By : phie
Silky Wedding Flowers
When brides choose their wedding flowers, one question they must ask themselves is: do I want real flowers, or silk?
Traditional brides always go for real flowers. Their delicate beauty can never be duplicated by artificial flowers. The mesmerizing scent of roses or lilies is a far cry from the artificially scented silk flowers. Scent is often associated with feelings or memories and a wedding is an emotional and memorable experience. And that is where real flowers score over silk ones.
Real flowers have their disadvantages, too. The main disadvantage with real flowers is their longevity. They wilt away very fast. Brides who want to preserve their wedding bouquets often settle for silk flowers. Moreover, brides who want exotic or out-of-season wedding flowers often opt for silk flowers because they are much more readily available and affordable. Silk flowers are also popular with brides who are allergic to real ones. No bride wants to be red-eyed and sneezing at her wedding.
Silk flowers have advantages and disadvantages too. Although not the traditional choice, silk is fast becoming a popular option. Silk flowers look almost as natural as real flowers and brides don’t have to worry about the availability of their preferred choice. Silk flowers are also much more affordable. Preservation of real flowers is very expensive, but not with silk. They always look as good as new.
Thus, both real and silk flowers have their positive and negative points. It depends on the bride to choose between them, according to her priorities.
By : Phie
Teaser Trailer: AVATAR
Story:
The story’s protagonist, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is a former Marine who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down in combat on Earth. Jake is selected to participate in the Avatar program, which will enable him to walk. Jake travels to Pandora, a lush jungle-covered extraterrestrial moon filled with incredible life forms, some beautiful, many terrifying. Pandora is also home to the Na’vi, a sentient humanoid race that humans consider primitive, yet are more physically capable than humans. Standing three meters tall (approximately 10ft), with tails and sparkling blue skin, the Na’vi live in harmony with their unspoiled world. As humans encroach deeper into Pandora's forests in search of valuable minerals, the Na’vi unleash their formidable warrior abilities to defend their threatened existence.
Jake has unwittingly been recruited to become part of this encroachment. Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human-Na’vi hybrids known as Avatars. The Avatars are living, breathing bodies that are controlled by a human "driver" through a technology that links the driver's mind to their Avatar body. On Pandora, through his Avatar body, Jake can be whole once again. Sent deep into Pandora's jungles as a scout for the soldiers that will follow, Jake encounters many of Pandora's beauties and dangers. There he meets a young Na’vi female, Neytiri, whose beauty is matched only by her ferocity in battle.
Over time, Jake integrates himself into Neytiri's clan, and begins to fall in love with her. As a result, Jake finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth, and the Na’vi, forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world.
See the trailer here:
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Exotic Muslim Weddings
What makes these occasions amazing is the fact that it follows years of tradition that has been passed from generation to generation. Muslim weddings are a lot different from Christian weddings not only because of their colorful attires but also because of the customs that are followed from the start of the couple's engagement.
While a Christian wedding is seen to be a romantic union of two people in love and united by the religious ceremony, a Muslim marriage is more of a social contract between the two families involved. Most, if not all of these marriages become possible due to the dowry system, which is more like an economic transaction rather than a romantic union. Here is how a Muslim wedding is celebrated in some parts of the world.
Iran
A wedding in Iran can last up to seven days. The focal point of the ceremony and the reception is the bride's home, which undergoes a customary banquet where the food is arranged so that it faces east. Iranian Muslims use a silk table cloth for the wedding table which has been passed from one generation to another.
Pakistan
An event in Pakistan can last up to three days, with the Mehndi taking place in the house of the bride and groom. It also follows a henna ceremony with the Nikah or the signing of official papers as its highlight. After the bride's family signs the papers in the Imam's presence, the family of the groom hosts a banquet as a way of formally announcing the marriage.
Malaysia
An affair in Malaysia is quite different in the sense that the henna ceremony takes place only for the bride. The signing of the contract is made in the presence of a Syariat Court official and is made official after a small amount of money is exchanged.
Singapore
A Muslim wedding in Singapore is characterized by the kidnapping of the groom by the bride's beautician and her family. The groom is allowed to enter only after he has given a reasonable amount of money as entrance fee.
Muslim weddings are celebrated in various ways depending on what country the couples reside. But whatever the differences, they will always be exotic and interesting to the western world.
Vintage Wedding Dress
Wedding Dress Emergency
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Hairstyles For Brides With Long Hair
There is an old custom that when a woman gets engaged, she should start to grow her hair. There is no doubt that having long hair will give you a lot of flexibility in choosing both your hairstyle and headpiece for your wedding. There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing the perfect wedding hairdo for long hair.
The first question is whether to wear your hair up or down. This will depend, in part, on just how long your hair is. Very long hair, while very pretty, also requires a lot of brushing to look neat over the course of a long day. This type of maintenance is totally impractical during a busy wedding day. If your hair is only sort of long, flowing waves can be a very romantic look.
A nice compromise is to pull some of your hair back, and let the rest be down. This is great for brides who love their long hair and want to show it off. It's also a nice idea if your fiance has always loved to see your hair long and loose. Pulling some of your hair back will also give you better options for anchoring a pretty piece of hair bridal jewelry, like a comb or delicate tiara. When your bridal hairstyle is all down, the only type of hair jewelry that tends to work is a wreath, which has pretty limited uses.
Many brides with long hair will choose to wear it up, and having it long means that it can be sculpted into all sorts of intricate hairdos. When you are thinking of an updo, it is very important to have at least one trial run with your hairstylist before the wedding. Your regular stylist might be terrific at cut and color, but not all of them excel at formal hairstyles. With long hair, you might need to seek out a stylist who specializes in working with your hair length.
Finding the right stylist is particularly important for brides whose hair is very long, like waist length or even longer. A true story: the day of my wedding, all of my bridesmaids had come to my salon to have their hair styled. One of my bridesmaids had exceptionally long hair, and when the stylist saw it, he looked at her and said, "What am I supposed to do with this?"! Fortunately, a different stylist stepped forward to take care of her, and she looked beautiful in the end, but not before a few tears were shed. It is bad enough to see this happen to a bridesmaid, but imagine if it was you on your wedding day. That is why trial runs are so critical.
Another great reason to have a practice hairstyle is to see how it feels. If you have a lot of hair, or it is thick, having it all piled on top of your head can actually give you a headache! For brides who find that to be the case, a low bun at the nape of the neck can be a more comfortable option, as can wearing the hair half down.
There are so many wonderful looks that you can create for your wedding with long hair. One very pretty style is to have a series of braids woven into a bun at the lack of your head. A classic chignon is another lovely updo for a bride. It is a great idea to go through magazines and pick out a few looks that appeal to you. Don't limit yourself to wedding magazines, either - you can often find the most chic looks at celebrity events.
Long hair will give you so many choices for your wedding. All you have to do is narrow it down to your favorite look, whether it is classic, romantic, or cutting edge. With so many wonderful options, you are sure to find a style that makes you feel absolutely beautiful.
Meera Chopra (South actress)
Meera Chopra has also done modeling. Meera Chopra has also worked at NDTV for a few months in Delhi.
Meera Chopra's first film was 'Anbe Aaruyire' with S.J. Suryah, which was a big hit.
Meera Chopra has also done Telugu movies. Her last Telugu movie Vaana, was highly appreciated.