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Choosing Your Wedding Vows: Traditional
Most of today’s traditional wedding vows emerged from religious wedding ceremonies that have evolved over the past centuries. From structured ritualistic wedding vows to more modern and flexible options, traditional wedding vows are a wonderful way to reflect your cherished and deeply held religious beliefs. For many couples, using the powerful words of religious wedding vows emphasizes their commitment to each other and to God. Many couples find great beauty to using ancient words and phrases crafted by years of use that brings elegance and class to any wedding ceremony.
To get some ideas of wedding vows that are traditional for your particular religion, check with your religious leader or officiant. They will be able to help you select the appropriate wedding vows for your ceremony. While some religious marriage vows are strict and not subject to revisions, many others are open for customizing. The officiant you have selected can advise you specifically.
There’s something about African game reserves. They have a powerful, almost menacing peace about them, with an air so thick and fragrant you can almost swim through it.
The Bride & Groom:
Leanne Littlestone to Wayne Isaacs
From:
Chigwell, UK
Wedding Location:
Masai Mara, Kenya
The Date:
8 July 2005
No. of Guests:
5
In the Masai Mara, with its constant soundtrack of unknown creatures in the woodland, the vast plains stretch away from you on all sides, sweeping out towards the Serengeti. This is the home of Karen Blixen, who “had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills” a million miles away from any Caribbean Beach or European Hotel. Which, in the eyes of Leanne & Wayne, made it the perfect wedding destination.
A private place in the middle of the Masai Mara
“We got married in the middle of the Masai Mara, overlooking the river with the most stunning sunset I have ever seen”, described Leanne. So how did the couple decide on this unusual destination? “We knew we wanted a wedding that was special to us, and not just about what our families wanted”, explained Leanne. “We also wanted somewhere private and peaceful”. Eventually, after searching high and low, they came across the Governor’s Camp in Il Moran, home of BBC’s Big Cat Diary, and the decision was made.
Stress-free planning
With a tour operator to arrange all the bureaucracy such as the legal paperwork and travel details, Leanne was able to relax and plan the finer details in her own time, liaising with the Camp over the meal, flowers, photographer and ceremony site. Although apprehensive about holding the wedding in an unknown destination, the couple found the overall experience stress-free, and were excited at the prospect of discovering the location together at such a special and romantic time.
Under a Shady Marquee
On the morning of their wedding the bride and groom spent their time, rather unusually, on a game drive, before returning to the Camp to have lunch and prepare for the ceremony. At 4pm and according to local tradition, Leanne was met by a couple from the Masai tribe, who escorted her to the ceremony site in a decorated jeep, to where Wayne was waiting for her under their shady marquee.
The proceedings, which were held next to the Masai River in front of their five guests and the staff of Il Moran, also incorporated Masai culture and tradition; the tribe attending the wedding sang as Leanne walked down the aisle, and as the ceremony started the bride and groom sat separately at opposite sides of a table, while the wedding party introduced themselves. The couple then read their pre-approved wedding vows to each other. “It was very emotional”, said Leanne. “After we’d made our vows and after a lot of tears, I swapped places with the best man and took my place by Wayne’s side as his new wife. Then we shared our first kiss”.
Reception by Firelight
Once the ceremony had taken place, a beautiful table was set up for the reception, and as soon as darkness started to fall a large fire was lit, and private chefs started preparing a huge selection of different foods for the meal. “Our wedding cake made us chuckle”, said Leanne. “The Camp had arranged it for us – it was a two tier cake, with ‘Leanne weds Wayne’ written on it”.
As the reception progressed and night fell, the guests looked out over the African plains as hippos, elephants, baboons and giraffes arrived to drink at the Masai River opposite, and perhaps even to watch the celebrations taking place in the bright, dancing firelight.
A full reception had been arranged for their return to the UK, so the couple decided to forgo the traditional events such as speeches and dancing until then. “We were too relaxed and happy for all that” said Leanne.
And the music? “No”, Leanne laughed. “We had all the music we needed in the sounds of the Great Outdoors”.
With a reputation for beauty and charm on a par with the likes of Capri and Saint Tropez, it is the sheer size of the Italian Lakes that gives this area the sense of unparalleled majesty for which it is famous.
The Bride & Groom:
Emma Meanley to Nick Edwards
From:
Leigh-on-Sea, UK
Wedding Location:
Malcesine - Lake Garda, Italy
The Date:
30 July 2005
No. of Guests:
50
The largest of the lakes, Lake Garda, ascends northwards through a variety of landscapes. Starting with the gentle plains of the southern shores, the land rises towards hills of rich vegetation, which in turn give way to the sharp drama of the snow-capped mountains in the North. Which is where, set against the slopes of Monte Baldo, you can find the medieval town of Malcesine.
Medieval Majesty
“When we first went to Malcesine for a weekend break, we immediately fell in love with the place”, said Emma. “We knew it would be the perfect location for the wedding and that it would have so much to offer our guests”. Set on the north-eastern shore of the lake, the old, cobbled, port town of Malcesine clusters around the foot of ancient Malcesine Castle - a truly majestic setting for Emma and Nick’s wedding, held on the hottest day of the year inside the Castle’s white, stone marriage hall. Conducted in Italian, the ceremony was translated into English by the Groom’s cousin.
“The castle just took our breath away”, Emma told us. “I did shed a lot of tears before the ceremony, but during it I was fine, and I couldn’t wait to see the reaction of the guests after the ceremony: as a surprise, we had booked a private boat to take us all across the lake to the reception venue”.
A Reception in the Mountains
The boat was the perfect place for pre-dinner drinks as they crossed the Lakes towards their reception venue, “Franco’s Osteria”, a mountain village restaurant which had been booked for their exclusive use. “The restaurant was surrounded by mountains, and the food was wonderful”, described Emma. “I made all the table decorations myself and had a butterfly theme, so as you can imagine there were butterflies everywhere.” After the meal, in the light of the candles and against the stunning backdrop of the mountains, the party continued on until the early hours, with dancing to the accompaniment of a live duo band.
“The best decision we ever made”
“Getting married at Lake Garda was the best decision we ever made”, Emma commented. “Our wedding co-ordinators were so helpful – they couldn’t do enough for us, both during the planning and on the day itself. In fact the day ran so smoothly I didn’t have to worry about a thing”. And as for the guests: “well, they got to have a mini holiday, instead of coming to a one day celebration like you would have back home. And I know they appreciated it – they all said it was the best wedding they had ever been to!”
Most of the real-life weddings abroad we’ve had the privilege to cover on this site have one thing in common: they’re small. Small but perfectly formed, maybe, but small nonetheless. It’s cited as one of the main advantages of having a wedding abroad. But what if you’ve always dreamed of throwing a huge, sparking affair with all your friends and relatives around you? Can you take the whole event overseas and have the wedding you really want in a dramatic, exotic location?
The Bride & Groom:
Charlotte Anderson to Christian Sumner
From:
London, UK
Wedding Location:
La Croix Valmer, Provence France
The Date:
18 June 2005
No. of Guests:
131
“Out of the 150 people we invited, 131 attended”
According to Charlotte & Christian’s guests, their wedding in La Croix Valmer was “the Wedding of the Millennium; the Party of the Year”. Situated in the heart of the Saint Tropez peninsula is La Croix Valmer, a small Provencal village, quietly nestling in a gently-sloping valley and overlooking the deep hues of the Mediterranean seascape. It has the earthy tones and heady scents typical of wine regions, and the local vineyards are as accessible as the white sandy beaches and meandering coastal footpaths. Lucky enough to have a family home here, the couple could easily fulfil the strict residency requirements, and as Charlotte naturally felt a strong emotional attachment to the area there was no competition when it came to deciding on a location for the wedding.
Ocean Splendour
Whilst the wedding blessing and reception was attended by over 100 guests, the legal wedding itself was a very intimate occasion, comprising a romantic civil ceremony conducted in French at the Mayor’s Office, followed by lunch and attended by close family only. The Spiritualist blessing, conducted by a family friend, was held on the following day and was personalised throughout. The ceremony took place in the family villa high in the hills with breathtaking views of the ocean, although we think that the views probably paled into insignificance against the splendour of the wedding party. “I had a Christiana Couture dress, which was a long, ivory, strapless gown in satin and tulle, and my bouquet was made up of peonies on a bed of olive leaves. The Maid of Honour wore a dress by Prada during the day, and Christian had a simple dark grey suit just for the ceremony, and stunning Gucci black tie for the evening reception”. Did she have Jimmy Choos to complete the ensemble, we hear you ask? I don’t think we really need to answer that one.
Romantic, Sensual, Decadent
The black-tie reception, which took place at a hotel near the villa and with the same beautiful ocean views, was equally magical. “We started at 7pm in order to take full advantage of the sunset”, said Charlotte. “We had champagne and canapés on the upper terrace of the hotel, with our string quintet playing until supper at 8.30pm”. Long tables had been prepared for the meal on a gravelled area by the hotel pool and cloisters, and Charlotte had used a candles theme to highlight the hauntingly beautiful décor she had worked so hard to create. Green and white flowers were displayed in small, irregular vases that dotted the tables, and were surrounded by olive leaves and petals. Scented candles were arranged among these displays, and the hotel was filled with hundreds of tea-lights. The seating plan was displayed in a grotto area which had been filled with soft white cushions and candles, and to compliment the candles theme, the couple had arranged for a Los Angeles company to create scented candles for each of the guests, which were flown to France just before the wedding and placed in the guests’ rooms, ready for their arrival. “We wanted the guests to feel that, at our wedding, they had the most romantic, sensual and decadent fun that they’d ever experienced”, explained Charlotte.
A wedding this extraordinary doesn’t come without a lot of hard work, and for the couple it was a very hands-on experience. The bride, keen to oversee all aspects of the planning, handled the organisation of the wedding with the assistance of her husband and mother, even though this meant several trips to the area in order to attend meetings and fulfil the very complex bureaucratic requirements. As the wedding date approached the couple hired an on-the-day co-ordinator, primarily to help communicate with the French-speaking caterers and to enable couple and their families to finally relax and enjoy the results of their hard work.
When you put this much time and effort into each tiny detail, you can’t fail to have an awe-inspiring occasion. For those of you who are wondering if it’s fair to ask your guests to travel abroad for your wedding, just imagine what it must have been like to be a guest at this wedding. We think it must have been an absolute treat; a once-in-a-lifetime experience; one of those things that money can’t buy. And we think that every couple deserves a dream-wedding like this one, so push the boat out and start planning! (and don’t forget to send us an invitation….)