The Citizen, 2012-03-01, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2012. PAGE 19.
MUNICIPALITY OF
HURON EAST
SEAFORTH & DISTRICT
COMMUNITY CENTRES
Seaforth & District Community Centres is an excellent location
to hold your wedding reception. Our modern air-conditioned
facility with fully-equipped kitchen is ready to serve up to 480
people. The accessible hall is fully licensed and rentals can
include bartenders and security. Round tables are now
available for your use. Book now for your upcoming wedding.
Call Dave Meriam ~ 519-527-1272
Email - c4tharena@huroneast.com
BRUSSELS, MORRIS & GREY
COMMUNITY CENTRE
Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre offers an air
conditioned banquet hall that holds 450 people and is fully
licensed for your convenience. Our kitchen has a dishwasher
and all the utensils you will need to serve your guests. The hall
is fully accessible with bartenders included in your rental. We
also offer a discount on your wedding rental if you also book
your Buck and Doe with us.
Call Abi Corbett ~ 519-887-6621
Email - bmgcc@ezlink.ca
VANASTRA RECREATION CENTRE
Small community hall with indoor pool also available to rent.
Vanastra Recreation Centre is located at 26 Toronto Blvd.,
Vanastra. Our facility can hold 200 people.
We have a full-service kitchen.
Great for family get-togethers.
Call Lissa Berard ~ 519-482-3544
Email - vrcberard@cabletv.on.ca
“Make it Memorable ~ Make it Mildmay Tent Rental”
Celebrating 25 years in business
519-367-5403 www.mildmaytentrental.ca
Covering the counties of Bruce, Grey, Huron & Wellington
Tents from
400-7200
square feet
Comfortable,
unsinkable
chairs
Round or
banquet tables
Globe lights
Dance floor
up to 15x20 feet
Glassware/
dinnerware
Tablecloths,
overlays, napkins,
skirting,
chair covers
and sashes
Mildmay Tent Rental
“Like” us on Facebook
Qualified experience with
small parties, corporate
events, grand weddings
and large festivals
2012 Wedding ShowcaseRice, cake and other traditions: where they came from
MS –Chances are those who have
attended a wedding have witnessed
some popular traditions take place.
The bride wears a veil, a court of
wedding attendants accompanies the
bride and groom, and birdseed, rice
or flower petals are tossed. But have
you ever wondered why? The
wedding customs are ripe with
tradition and harken back to days
when superstition and myth often
ruled the day.
• Throwing rice: Today it has
become de rigueur to blow bubbles,
toss birdseed or release doves when
the bride and groom leave the house
of worship newly betrothed. That’s
because savvy individuals found that
raw rice can pose a hazard to birds
pecking in the area. However, rice
throwing is an old custom that dates
back to the Middle Ages, when
wheat or rice where thrown to
symbolize fertility for the couple.
• Bouquet: Nowadays, the bride
carries a beautiful bouquet of
flowers, but the purpose of the
bouquet held different meanings in
the past. Saracen brides carried
orange blossoms for fertility. Others
carried a combination of herbs and
flowers to ward off evil spirits with
their aroma. Bouquets of dill were
often carried, again for fertility
reasons, and after the ceremony, the
dill was eaten to encourage lust.
• Bridesmaids:There may be
arguments over dresses and how
many bridesmaids to have in a
wedding party now, but in ancient
times it was “the more the merrier”.
That’s because bridesmaids were
another measure to keep the bride
safe against evil spirits. Essentially
the bridesmaids were decoys for the
spirits – dressing like the bride to
confuse the spirits or maybe help
deter them to leave the bride be.
• Wedding rings: Wearing of
wedding rings dates back to ancient
Egypt. The round shape of a ring
symbolizes eternal love. The ring is
worn on the fourth finger of the left
hand because it is believed this
finger has a blood vessel that goes
directly to the heart.
• Wedding cake: The traditional
wedding cake evolved from Roman
times when the cake was originally
made from wheat. It was broken
over the bride’s head to ensure
fertility. All of the guests eat a piece
for good luck. Single women used to
place a piece of wedding cake under
their pillows in the hopes of finding
their own husbands.
• Father accompanying the
bride:This tradition symbolizes that
the bride’s father endorses the
choice in husbands and is presenting
his daughter as a pure bride to that
man.
• Kissing the bride: In older
times, a kiss symbolized a legal
bond. Therefore, the bride and
groom kissed to seal the deal on
their betrothal.
There are many traditions
surrounding a wedding that people
simply accept. But understanding
their origins can make the ceremony
more meaningful.
Kruz in style to your event
with no worries!
Chad Mann
519-357-3015
www.kruzinmannlimos.com
Belgrave
Community
Centre
Rentals for all occasions
Contact: Marvin Cook
519-357-4220 or 519-357-1461Unique wedding reception ideas
MS –Over the course of their
lifetimes, many people will be
wedding guests on several
occasions. During the height of
wedding season, weddings can run
into one another, as the format and
the festivities are similar at various
ceremonies. Couples interested in
setting their nuptials apart may want
to enhance the wedding reception
with a few unique ideas.
Who hasn’t attended a wedding
that seems formulaic? The couple
enters, they do their spotlight dance,
there’s food, a bouquet toss and then
the cake cutting. Guests may
actually be able to predict what’s
coming next. While it is often
customary and easy to follow
tradition, that doesn’t mean you
cannot buck with tradition and offer
a few creative ideas to make your
event stand out.
Here are several ideas you can
introduce into your wedding to add
something special to the reception.
• Skip the big entrance.Those
who were kind enough to attend the
ceremony have already been
introduced to the newly-minted
happy couple. Instead of spending
the cocktail hour in the isolation of
the wedding suite, mingle with your
guests from start to finish. So much
time is spent posing for pictures or
being out of touch with guests, the
cocktail hour can be a great time to
sit and chat. Being with guests
during the cocktail hour means you
don’t have to make that big entrance
from behind closed doors. Guests
will have all eyes on you when you
step on the dance floor for your first
dance together.
• Dance to an upbeat number.
Guests are expecting a slow, sappy
tune. What they may not expect is an
upbeat song that shows you are
willing to have a little fun. If you
haven’t mastered the waltz but enjoy
a little quick step now and again,
feel free to choose a tune that shows
your excitement and love for each
other.
• Encourage couples to dance
together.It’s often customary for
the bridal party to join the bride and
groom on the dance floor midway
through the first dance. However,
that leaves spouses or significant
others waiting in the wings while
their dates tango with groomsmen or
bridesmaids. Instead, don’t have
assigned partners. Rather, encourage
your bridal party members to dance
with whomever they choose.
• Swap the garter/bouquet toss
for something more meaningful.If
you’re part of a couple who feels the
garter and bouquet toss has become
trite, there are other ways to create
special moments in your
celebration – ones that don’t single
out the singletons who haven’t yet
found their special someones. Use
this time to present a small gift or
token of your affection to someone
on the guest list who has served as a
mentor or source of inspiration.
• Choose one special component
as an extra goodie for guests.
Some couples feel the more they
offer the better guests will view their
wedding. Spending more money
doesn’t necessarily mean guests will
have a better time. If you want to go
above and beyond the ordinary, find
one thing that you absolutely love
and offer that at the party. It could be
a flambe presentation, a chocolate or
candy bar, a carving station with
your all-time favorite food (even if
that’s a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich), or a carnival-inspired
automatic photo booth.
• Hire a live performer.
Although it’s hard to beat the
performance quality of your
wedding song being performed by
the original artist, unless you’re
cousins with Celine Dion, chances
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