The Garter Toss...

Today, the tradition of the wedding garter is tame in comparison to France of the 14th century. In North America, the bride wears two garters; one as a keepsake garter and the other for the throw away.  Both garters are worn on the right leg just above the knee.

The garter tradition originated back to the 14th century. In parts of Europe the guests of the bride and groom believed having a piece of the bride’s clothing was thought to bring good luck. They would actually destroy the brides dress by ripping off pieces of fabric. Obviously, this tradition did not sit well with the bride, so she began throwing various items to the guests – the garter being one of them. It became customary for the bride to toss the garter to the men. But this also caused a great problem for the bride….sometimes the men would get drunk, become impatient and try to remove the garter ahead of time. Therefore, the custom derived at having the groom remove and toss the garter to the men.  The groomsmen considered the sash to be a trophy. Whichever groomsman "captured" the garter would wear it in his hat for the remainder of the celebration.

Another interesting custom dated back to the ancient times where the wedding garter represented the virginal girdle. When the groom removed the garter from the bride, this represented the bride’s relinquishment of her virginity.

Wedding Planning is easier when you do it with us!

787.240.9843

"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue..."

Have you ever wondered where this tradition started??  This tradition began on the Victorian Era.  There is an old saying that goes like this:    

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

 

Each item in this saying is a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. 

 

"Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past.   

"Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. 

"Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

“ Something blue” As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to represent purity, faithfulness, love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true." 

And finally, "a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe" represents wealth and financial security. It may date back to a Scottish custom of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings.  Most brides don't follow this sixpence tradition, since there are some new customs to bring fortune to the newlyweds. 

Wedding Planning is easier when you do it with us!

787.240.9843

Wedding Ideas - It's Christmas!!

If you are getting married during the holidays and wish to give a small holiday taste to your big day... we can give you a couple of ideas that we found on the web:

Make white your main color and use red for details and accents...

 

 

Include red details on your wedding stationary...

 

 

Include the colors in you wedding attire...

 

 

Cupcakes can be great favors or a fun substitute for the wedding cake...

 

The red napkin will be a great color accent in the table...

Candy bars are FUN!! Keep the holiday colors on the candy selection...

Signature drinks will help you give a colorful accent to your wedding while you keep down the budget!

Wedding Planning is easier when you do it with us!

787.240.9843

The History of the Bridal Bouquet

The custom of bouquets has its origin in ancient times. Women carried aromatic bunches of garlic, herbs and spices to ward off evil spirits.

In ancient Greece and Rome, the bride and groom wore a garland around their necks, symbolizing new life, hope and fertility. Traditional Celtic bouquets included ivy, thistle and heather. The garland was not made of flowers but of strong-smelling herbs and spices. The strong-smells were thought to have mystical powers and meant to keep away evil spirits.

When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, the herbs and spices had been replaced by fresh flowers, especially marigolds. Edible flowers were still included in the bouquet. The bride would carry her arrangement as she walked down the aisle. The dill from the bride's bouquet (also known as the herb of lust), was consumed by the bride, the groom, and their wedding guests during the reception, as the herb was meant to increase sexual desire.

In Victorian times, flowers became the secret messengers of lovers; each flower having its own meaning.  It is believed that “the flower language” began in Turkey during the seventeenth century.  Lovers began using floral exchanges to convey messages. Thus bridal flowers were chosen with regard to their traditional significance.

Unfortunately many lovely flowers were assigned rather undeserved meanings. For many brides, these meanings continue to influence the types of flowers they included in their bouquets. These meanings were based on a science known as Florigraphy “the flower language”. Many flower lovers followed this language as it revealed underlying messages to sending and receiving flowers.

However in our modern times, brides pick their flowers on their lovely colors and shapes. Lovely blooms that suit their personality, bridal gown and their own unique style and taste.

Enid Rivera & Roy Soto

On a very intimate ceremony, with only the closest friends and family, 

Enid and Roy joined their lives. A very simple but elegant decoration

created by Ralph Ventura from Moments and Events made the room 

perfect for the celebration.

Ing. Michelle Ramos & Ing. Javier Lopez

On a beautiful summer afternoon, the happy couple pronounced their vows on a intimate ceremony. The wedding location was the Trump Int. Golf Club of Puerto Rico.  Choosing The Yunque Rain forest, as a background, provided a cinematic setting  for their wedding ceremony.  An outdoor cocktail hour was followed by a dinner at the Paradise Bay Grill.   At the reception, the guests had a blast with the music of DJ Jordan and the Latin Brass band.  On the way out, the couple gave their guests a sweetened "thank you" as they handed in a Vanilla Bean cup cake as favor.