cultural wedding customs and traditions

There are some who would say that wedding ceremonies have become highly commercialized affairs, more focused on the details of the reception than the purpose of the event, which is to witness and celebrate the coming together of two people in matrimony. It is true that over the years the planning and execution of weddings has spawned an entire industry of vendors from clothing designers, to caterers, to musicians, to photographers, videographers, florists, and professional planners. Not to mention the countless books and magazines, as well as seminars, and bridal shows that specifically target brides-to-be, and cover all aspects of the planning process to help create the perfect wedding. But what is the perfect wedding? There are plenty of wedding planning kits out there complete with a checklist to help guide couples through the process. Though thoughtful, one can't help but feel that the checklist might hinder the imagination, and lead the bride to believe that the elements on the list, and only those elements are what make the perfect wedding. The point is, there is a formula that is widely used, and if you've attended a few weddings, you should be familiar with the routine. Though convenient, weddings executed in this fashion meet the danger of becoming forgettable.

In a nation as rich in diversity as the United States, it is not uncommon for couples to come from colorful ethnic backgrounds. Many brides and grooms would love to marry in the tradition of their native ancestors, but being products of American culture as well, want to have the white wedding they've always envisioned. There is an abundance of solutions to satisfy all of these desires. Bringing culture to a wedding is not only a fantastic way to share something personal with the guests, but a sincere tribute to the families who have come together. Some couples may choose to have destination weddings, requesting guests to fly to their native country to partake in an elaborate, traditional wedding ceremony. But such a feat is not easy to pull together, and most couples who entertain the thought might be intimidated by the scope of their ambitions. For similar effect at much lower difficulty, try incorporating some aspects of culture into a classic white wedding. This can be as simple as having an ethnic menu instead of "beef or chicken", or serving sangria or sake for toasting instead of champagne, or yet, including polka, or bhangra in the musical repertoire. The smallest out of the ordinary gesture can set the mood for an entire once in a lifetime event.

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Crystal Wine Wedding Corks

The two marks of elegance are certainly crystal and wine. Each represents sophistication and glamor, the two most important things to make your wedding a memorable night for everyone involved. The crystal captures the light and flashes a romantic glow all over the tables and the whole of the reception hall while the aspect of wine adds the ideas of warmth, merriment, passion, and joy that have been associated with this drink for hundreds of years. Also, wine is a symbol of long life, which is what you want the most to share with your m new spouse.

These elegant bottle stoppers will definitely impress your guests with the use that they will get out of them at their own homes for dinner parties and other social events. The layers of meaning and sophistication that surrounds these items are sure to make them an instant success from the second your guests walk through the door land see the incandescent glow shining all mover the hall and their own personal take home wedding favor sitting at their place on the table. Try making it even more personal with some wedding favor tags. The chrome bottle stopper favor with a crystal heart is truly romantic, any way you look at it. Exclusively from the Choice Crystal line. Mesmerizing is the perfect word to describe our heart-felt bottle stopper favor that goes great with wines and spirits. The crystal heart design, from the Choice Crystal line, is carved in a brilliant pattern that catches every glint of light. A stylish chrome base adds drama.

The bottle stopper favor is magnificently set in a 4½ x 2 x 1 1/8 silver deluxe box with a simple heart design. White organza bow and matching thank you tag. Grape Theme Bottle Stopper: This goes fantastically with any theme, but really incorporates into a harvest or fruit themed wedding. So, if you are someone who really enjoys what the earth has to offer us, use this to represent your love of all things natural. The grapes also add a lot to the wine symbolism and the ideas of good luck and joy that have become associated with grapes in many cultures. What a great way to express your personality and passions! Venus Design Bottle Stopper: This bottle stopper is a beautifully cut crystal heart that will capture the eyes of everyone in the room. It's stunning beauty comes from Mikasa crystal that is cut and crafted into something so dazzling that nit can only be compared to a vibrantly gorgeous diamond. There is no better way to express your love than with the classic symbol of a heart.

This heart is extra special because of the beauty of the light that it will reflect with its crystalline angular cuts. Tee Time Bottle Stopper: This bottle stopper is definitely for all those golf lovers out there. The beauty of this crystal bottle stopper is a true testament to the fact that you do not ever have to sacrifice your personal taste and loves for the effect of beauty and elegance.

Indian Matrimonials and Astrology

Astrology is considered to be the oldest of all sciences, which studies the effects of the planetary positions and movements on our lives. Indian Astrology is an integral aspect of the Vedic literature (Vedic Astrology) and was practiced over the years by Indian sages and passed on to their disciples. In olden days, the kings would depend on astrology to determine the right and auspicious time before embarking on any new and important initiatives. Ages later, today, we still find the strong influence of astrology in our day-to-day life. Any major event in life, whether it is marriage, buying a car, buying a house, or even entering a new house, is undertaken only after consulting the astrologer for an auspicious time.

Astrology is in-depth science with multiple widespread branches. It is used to create birth or natal charts (Jathaka / Janampatri) based on the time, date and place of birth, to answer any specific questions ‘Prashnas', to find the auspicious time and day called ‘Muhurtha'. While all of these aspects of astrology are well in use today, one of the most popular one is the creation of Jathaka's and matching of Jathaka's for marriages. Marriage is an important aspect of life. In India, when a child is born, the exact place, date and time is documented and when the child grows older his/her natal chart is created based on this birth data. When the child attains marriageable age, his/her natal chart is matched with those of prospective brides and grooms to find an astrologically compatible match. This is an age-old tradition, which is practiced with equal fervor even in this tech-savvy, net-savvy age.

It is interesting to note that, thousands of years ago astrology was imparted by the teachers to their pupils orally. During the beginning of ‘Kali Yuga' the astrological literature was documented for the future generation. Today, the essence of astrology has been captured and converted into astrological software. These software's are immensely accurate and provide extensive reports based on scientific calculations.

Favorite Celebrity Diets

Is there really a favorite celebrity diet? Certainly, some diets consist of cigarettes and water and not much else. There is also the jacked-up-on-caffeine diet, which makes them so jittery and jumpy they can't possibly eat.

Seriously, though, there are actual diets that the celebs follow and with great success.

The most popular diet lately is the one that modifies carbohydrate intake. There are a few different variations on this theme, such as the Zone Diet, the Atkins Diet, the Mediterranean Diet and the South Beach Diet. Basically, it emphasizes protein intake and limits starchy foods and sugars. Jessica Alba keeps her great form by following this diet, as does Jennifer Aniston and Demi Moore. Of course, Demi has likely had help by some other means as well, but we know that Jennifer Aniston has had no work done on her body and is a religious follower of the Zone diet.

The Zone Diet, pioneered by Dr. Barry Sears, promises moderation and flexibility. It's not as rigid as the high-protein Atkins Diet, and claims to work by controlling insulin and reducing inflammation within the fat cells. When these fat cells become inflamed, that's when we purportedly see the weight gain. Apparently, by regulating the insulin and the hormonal balance, you can control your hunger and accordingly your weight gain. Hey - not only does it work for Jennifer, Demi and Jessica, but Brad Pitt and Cindy Crawford are believers, too. They all look pretty good to me, so something must be working!

Another popular diet is the Atkins Diet, which is similar to the Zone but more extreme. If you look at its followers, this makes sense. Super-skinny stars like Renee Zellwegger, Sarah Jessica Parker and Calista Flockhart are all big fans!

The Atkins Diet was made famous by Dr. Robert Atkins, and has four stages to it, all of which are very low-carbohydrate. The first stage of the program only allows for consumption of 20 net carbs a day! This is very difficult to follow, and you must be extremely focused and dedicated to the weight loss to get through the first two weeks of this program. Even after the first two weeks, Atkins followers are only “allowed” to increase their carbohydrate intake by about 5 grams per day. By the end of the program, this number increases slightly, but never by a lot. Arguments against this diet are that it is far too hard to maintain in a 'real' person's life. Sure, if you have the money for a personal chef as well as an assistant who can follow you around with your special food, this will work for you - so long as you have the discipline - as it has for the celebrities listed above as well as Minnie Driver and Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls.

Of course, there are still the oldies-but-goodies such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig. We all have seen the crazy amount of weight Kirstie Allie has lost on the Jenny Craig program, and now she is joined by Valerie Bertinelli as another spokeswoman. Their method is portion control, for the most part. Jenny Craig is slightly newer than Weight Watchers, but very successful and similar in nature.

Just look at how much weight Jenny McCarthy has lost following the Weight Watchers program! She gave birth to her baby and needed to lose the pregnancy weight she had gained. Sarah Ferguson (the Duchess) was their most famous spokesperson until Jenny. But the great thing about Weight Watchers is that it is readily available for all of us common folks, from the stores and clinics where you weigh in to the many entrees and desserts available in the frozen section of your nearest grocery store. People are assigned points to each food, and given your current weight and how much you want to lose; you are allowed a certain number of points per day. This makes it very easy to follow!

All of these diets sound completely reasonable, right? Well, we can't stop there. There are also the freakish diets of the stars that nobody should try. Did you really expect the celebs to only follow the reasonable, medically-advisable diets?

Janet Jackson, for example, is only now re-introducing whole foods back into her diet. She has basically subsisted on liquid meals prepared by her nutritionist until recently. Demi Moore drinks a lot of herbal tea to ward off cravings for actual food, and thinks this is made healthier by taking vitamins with that tea. No wonder she stays so slim! Pop star Fergie downs tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Hey, nobody said these stars look the way they do easily.