The wedding in the orchard…

There was one particular wedding that I will remember. The setting was a lovely apple orchard and the day dawned bright and sunny. Unfortunately the wedding was at the back of the orchard and the parking was in the front. The dew was covering the grass as I walked along the tractor furroughs to get to the set up for the wedding. Luckily I had worn flats and unluckily they were brand new ballet style shoes. Of course they were absolutely drenched and tightened on the way up the track. The ceremony went well, and the bride was absolutely stunning. I did have to walk around a lot prior to the wedding as I discovered that the groom was keeping watch on the track we had arrived by, but the bride was walking up a second track, and was almost upon us with no-one at the altar. Groom was standing with mom having a quick cigarette to calm his nerves when I just happened to glance behind the next tree…and there was the bride!!!

Needless to say, the places were taken quite quickly and the wedding progressed well. Bad for me were the ultra tight shoes I was now wearing and they hurt like crazy. A couple of pictures later and I had to walk back to my car. By the time I got there, I had skin missing from my feet and a couple of interesting blisters to mark the day. Fortunately I drive in one pair of comfy shoes, and had them in the car. lesson learned…take several pairs of shoes and swap them out as need be in outdoor locations.

Choosing the day…

An old UK poem for choosing the most auspicious wedding day…

Monday for wealth
Tuesday for health
Wednesday the best day of all
Thursday for losses
Friday for crosses
Saturday for no luck at all

How about this cheerful rhyme for choosing a colour.

Married in White, you have chosen right,
Married in Blue, your love will always be true,
Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl,
Married in Brown, you will live in town,
Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead,
Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow,
Married in Green, ashamed to be seen,
Married in Pink, your spirit will sink,
Married in Grey, you will go far away,
Married in Black, you will wish yourself back.

CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

After the wedding the bride must enter the new marital home through the main entrance. It is traditional for the groom to carry the bride over the threshold when they enter for the first time. The reason for this is uncertain. One explanation is that the bride will be visited by bad luck if she falls when entering. An alternative is that the bride will be unlucky if she steps into the new home with the left foot first. The bride can avoid both mishaps by being carried. A third explanation is that it symbolises the old Anglo-Saxon custom of the groom stealing his bride and carrying her off.

Hindu’s have a similar tradition. The bride is carried by her new husband so that she does not touch the threshold when entering her new home.