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photo courtesy of traditions.cultural-china.com

The Chinese have a very elaborate and meaningful wedding rituals and customs. They are divided into 5 different categories which are “Proposal & Betrothal”, “Pre-Wedding Ritual”, “Wedding Day Ceremony”, “Wedding Night Ritual” dan juga “Post-Wedding Ritual”.

Most of the gifts exchanged and presented symbolises a different meaning. Contohnya, semasa upacara pertunangan ( “Proposal & Betrothal ), pihak perempuan akan menerima  teh sebagai salah satu hadiah kerana daun teh yang tumbuh banyak melambangkan pengantin mendapat cahayamata yang ramai. Token money in the amount of 99 or 999 is ususally given as the number “9″ represents forever in Chinese culture.

In the “Pre-Wedding Ritual”, families will announce the betrothal by giving friends and families “Double Happiness Cake” with the wedding invitations. Pihak pengantin lelaki akan meyediakan barangan dowri seperti yang diminta pihak perempuan dan juga melakukan persiapan untuk rumah pengantin manakala pihak pengantin perempuan akan menyediakan perabot untuk bilik tidur mereka.

During the “Wedding Day Ceremony”, “capping rituals” are performed on both the bride and groom respectively before the groom sets out to the bride’s house. Di sana, pengapit pengantin perempuan akan cuba menghalang pengantin lelaki daripada masuk ke rumah sehinggalah dibenarkan selepas bermain teka-teki dan sebagainya. Only then will the newlywed meet the groom’s parents for the important “Tea Ceremony” with an elaborate feast completing the affair.

Pada malam perkahwinan (“Wedding-Night Ritual”), bilik pengantin akan dinyalakan lilin untuk menghalau roh jahat dan pasangan pengantin akan minum daripada 2 cawan yang diikat tali merah dengan yang disilangkan. This is the official wedding vow in the Chinese culture. The bride will also be offered half-raw dumpling as the pronunciation of “raw” is similar to giving birth and indicates fertility. In “Post-Wedding Ritual”, the bride will have to rise early in the morning and prepare a meal for her in-law family to show she has been trained well.

photo courtesy of traditions.cultural-china.com

photo courtesy of chinapictures.org

Princess Grace of Monaco

Let’s face it, we LOVE celebrities. We really do! We read about them in magazines, we watch them on TV, we criticise their clothes, their makeups and we even listen to them on the radio. Selebriti banyak mempengaruhi kita dan rata-rata selebriti menjadi idola terutama sekali dari segi pemakaian baju.

Apabila seorang selebriti berkahwin, kita tidak sabar untuk melihat rekaan gaun pengantin yang dipakai pada hari itu. We go crazy over the pictures, gossip rags go wild with their praises or criticisms and the designer thank their lucky stars when their design gets a major approval by the masses. Gadis-gadis di seluruh pelosok dunia akan mengambil inspirasi daripada rekaan gaun perkahwinan selebriti kegemaran mereka. Every bride wants to wear a gorgeous wedding dress and they get inspired by these leading ladies.

I’ve compiled my top 10 favourite wedding dresses of famous brides over the century for you to get inspired from.

1) Princess Diana

2) Ivanka Trump

3) Elizabeth Hurley

4) Nicole Richie

5) Jessica Simpson

6) Hilary Duff

7) Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

8 ) Avril Lavigne

9) Siti Nurhaliza

10) Chelsea Clinton

Kita boleh lihat bahawa kesemua gaun pengantin ini mempunyai ciri-ciri yang berlainan.

There’s the heavily beaded bodice, the mermaid dress, the ruffled hem and even the stunningly simple ones but one thing remains the same for every single one of these dresses: They are absolutely beautiful!

Kebiasaannya di majlis-majlis perkahwinan, tetamu akan diberikan sedikit cenderamata sebagai token terima kasih kerana sudi meluangkan masa menghadiri majlis itu. In the olden days,adults were given “bunga telur” while little children received gifts of candies and chocolates.

The idea of giving door gifts to guest has evolved over the years. Cupcakes, scented soap, fancy hand towels and even scented candles have made their way into the giftbags of wedding receptions replacing the classic “bunga telur” as first choice. Tahun 2010 dan 2011 telah menyaksikan “trend” yang baru untuk hadiah tetamu iaitu kek cawan atau lebih dikenali sebagai “cupcake”. Cupcakes are fuss-free, simple, relatively cheap and what’s important is, it looks good!

Although cupcakes are the new trend for this century, there are still other items favored as gifts for guest. Mungkin agak tidak sesuai untuk pasangan pengantin memberi cenderahati kek cawan sahaja kepada tetamu kehormat kerana terlalu ringkas barangkali. Apakah barangan yang lebih sesuai untuk diberi bersama kek cawan kepada tetamu-tetamu VIP? There are a few things you could give such as crystal ornaments, carved ornaments or an intricate paper weight. What’s great is that these items can be personalized with your name or message to make it more intimate for your guests.

Selain daripada bunga telur dan kek cawan, terdapat juga pasangan pengantin yang memilih untuk memberi kepada para tetamu “potpourri”, minyak wangi Arab, kompilasi CD lagu dan juga kipas tangan. What you decide to give your guests is up to your creativity and the theme of your wedding. Sometimes it is just simply a matter of what you want to give. Mungkin majlis anda bertemakan “Love Story” dan memang bersuaian jika anda bercadang untuk memberi tetamu anda cakera padat kompilasi lagu-lagu romantis kegemaran anda.

So what works for you? Candies and chocolates or maybe the versatile cupcakes that works for every occasion? I personally think that a little both of classic and modern gifts would be perfect! Say, the “bunga telur” and the cupcakes? Or perhaps tradition is what you want to uphold, then the “bunga telur” and the candies for little children would be just perfect!

Credits to Chomel Cupcakes for the first heart-shaped cookie picture!

So what completes the whole wedding dress? Veil? Check. Heels? Check. Jewelleries? Check. Beautiful white dress? Check. And of course, tiara? Check. The tiara or also classically known as the diadem is that all-important headpiece a bride wears on her head during her wedding day. Pada zaman kini, tiara telah menjadi salah satu aksesori yang paling penting untuk seorang pengantin wanita.

Why are the tiaras one of an important headpiece ever since ancient times? Originally, the ancient Egyptians used tiaras to adorn the heads of royal mummies while the Greeks adorn the statues of Gods and priests with it. Permata tiara dipakai oleh pembesar-pembesar Greek semasa majlis dan upacara istimewa dan mereka juga menganugerahkan permata tiara kepada juara-juara pertandingan. The Romans meanwhile uses the tiara as a symbol of one’s power and status in a civilization.

Pada awalnya, tiara menjadi simbol kekuasaan seorang pembesar dan kemudian ia menjadi lambang elegan seorang wanita. Akhirnya  sekarang, tiara menjadi lambang cinta sejati. This dazzling piece of jewelry was used and is still used to enhance the beauty of a woman. The design of a tiara varies and changes through time. In older times, silver metalwork and diamonds are favored together with more intricate designs and detailing.

Today’s bridal tiaras are created from many different types of materials and precious stones. Although silver tiara is the norm, the gold tiara is becoming increasingly popular among modern-day brides together with ivory gowns. And it’s not all about diamonds and precious gems anymore. Some tiaras are created with a combination of gems, Swarovski crystals and pearls for a more elaborate look. For those who prefer something more sleek and simple, diamonds never fail.

If you are looking for something unique to complement a simple wedding dress, go for statement tiaras. The designs are usually bold and adorned with rubies, amethysts and other precious stones. Just ask yourself, which tiara makes you feel like a modern-day princess?

Sudah menjadi kebiasaan bagi rata-rata pasangan yang berkahwin untuk mengadakan majlis di dalam dewan kawasan perumahan ataupun di dalam dewan berprestij seperti Dewan Merak Kayangan, ‘ballroom’ hotel, Dewan Seri Endon dan lain-lain lagi. What’s important is that the hall provides ample space for guests to eat and mingle comfortably with friends and families.

Ada yang berpendapat dewan yang lebih mahal adalah lebih besar, lebih cantik dan lebih ber’class’ jika dibandingkan dengan dewan-dewan kawasan perumahan yang murah. I’m not denying this fact but sometimes, its not altogether true. We can have a grand hall wedding in the neighbourhood hall if you have the right decorations for it. Perlu ke kita membayar mahal untuk kawasan dewan yang luas tetapi suasana yang hambar akibat terlalu besar? Take into consideration the amount of guests attending your wedding and choose a hall that fits just nice.

Terdapat beberapa perkara yang anda perlu ingat ketika merancang majlis perkahwinan anda di dewan. Make sure you or your wedding planner decorate the hall in the theme that you wish for. Too little decorations and the hall will be too bland and empty. Pastikan susunan meja adalah teratur supaya dewan tidak terasa sempit. Plan with your wedding planner where you will have the bridal dais on stage so that the cameraman and guests will have a good view of you from where they sit. Jikalau tetamu akan dihidangkan makanan dengan cara bufet, anda harus memikirkan tempat yang sesuai untuk meja makanan itu. Mungkin anda memerlukan lebih daripada satu hidangan meja bufet?

What’s really great about having a wedding in a hall is that there is so many things that you can do with the vast space. Anda boleh mengadakan hiburan dan persembahan untuk memeriahkan majlis anda seperti tarian-tarian tradisional dan silat. Suasana di dalam dewan tentunya akan menjadi lebih meriah dengan adanya persembahan-persembahan sebegini. It’s becoming a trend too for the bride and groom to sing a song or two on stage and that’s what you could do for your own wedding. It is your wedding after all, anything you wish for you get!

A bride can never be complete without the hand-held bouquet of flowers in her hand, Selalunya, jambangan bunga yang dibawa adalah daripada jenis jambangan kecil yang dikenali sebagai ‘posy’.

Posy was very much favored during the Victorian-era where blushing brides walked down the aisle in white laces and carried a small bunch of flowers in their hands. Bunga-bungaan yang dipilih melambangkan maksud yang tersendiri. Bunga lili putih melambangkan kesucian dan ros merah untuk cinta. The orchard flowers represents love and beauty, the azalea for first love, daisies for innocence and dandelions for faithfulness.

Anda boleh memilih jambangan bunga yang anda inginkan. Terdapat 3 jenis jambangan bunga pengantin yang berlainan iaitu ‘cascade’, ‘round or posy’ dan ‘hand-tied’. Cascade is arranged with some flowers on top and some flowing downwards while the posy or round bouquet is round in shape and has more flowers than leaves. A ‘hand-tied’ bouquet is more simple and more casual. Jambangan ‘hand-tied’ terdiri daripada sejambak bunga yang diikat bersama menggunakan riben dengan batangnya dibiar tersusun rapi.

You can personalize your own bouquet of flowers by adding a number of different things. Anda boleh memilih untuk menambah klip rama-rama, bulu putih, mutiara dan banyak lagi. It really depends on the look that you are trying to achieve whether you want a simple look or an extravagant look. Work with your florist in creating the design that you want. What is the shape and size of your posy bouquet? Would you like more ribbons or pearls or a combination of silk and fresh flowers?

Jikalau anda mempunyai bajet yang agak ketat, anda boleh memilih jambangan bunga yang menggunakan bunga sutera kerana harganya jauh lebih murah. Silk flowers are just as beautiful as fresh flowers when arranged properly. Anda juga boleh menyimpan jambangan bunga jenis sutera ini sebagai kenangan hari perkahwinan anda!