A Jonas Brothers Love Story--Chapter 29 (BB Good)

**Last chapter the boys and the girls chilled at the bank the whole day. Now Nick says he has plans for dinner....... Catch red-handed plans! Let's see ...

Ethnic rituals to make your wedding distinctive

Whether you’re planning a budget blending or a full-blown extravaganza, there remains the matter of the conventions itself:  how to make it distinctively yours, and interesting for those who sit through it?

If you’re having a faithful ceremony, you may have little input into the actual program of the ceremonial itself, other than possibly some brief personal vows that you have each written yourselves. 

However, if your Officiant is dispassionate of other faiths and denominations, or certainly if you are using a non-denominational Officiant, there are some colorful rituals from assorted faiths, cultures, and periods of time that might be incorporated into your etiquette to make it more memorable.  As the guests may not be bold with them, it would be helpful if your Officiant would say a few words about the origin and connotation of the tradition.

Let’s start with one that won’t be big news to anybody:  the Similarity Candle.  Of course, this needs no introduction:  the Consentaneousness Candle ceremony symbolizes the joining of two families, with the bride and tittivate each lighting a taper representing their respective household, then merging the flames of the tapers to light a larger candle together, representing their new “m,” and blowing out the smaller tapers.  Sometimes the mothers of the several will come forward to light the tapers and with a bequeath them to the bride and groom.  So if it’s so mundane, why even make mention of it?  Because this predictable wedding component could use a more valid/ interesting twist!

First, some simple math.  It doesn’t take a go through the roof scientist to understand that this is not the joining of TWO families, but of FOUR: each of you comes from two parents, and each foster-parent hails from their own family.  And since there are so few ways for fathers to be included in the proprieties–why not have BOTH parents come forward, one to expand on the taper, the other to light it, presenting it to their son/daughter together?  Judge devise how much nicer this is, for grandparents or other family members the nonce, who would like to see their family acknowledged in some way.  (Put your photographer on attend to:  this will be a key ceremony moment.)  If a father is deceased (or even divorced and not attending), perhaps there is an aunt or uncle from that household who could take their place.  A lot of talk surrounding weddings includes “the tree of autobiography” and the value of tradition and family ties; here is an moment to expand this mundane little ritual to in truth illustrate it.