Destination weddings in Italy by the team at Weddingitaly.com

• Italian wedding curiosities
• Love poems
• Marriage poems
• Special blessing
• Famous quotations of Love
• Common classical music for ceremonies
• Bible verses
• Wedding rhymes
• The language of flowers
• Get married in Italy
• Italian weddings
• Italian Wedding locations

ITALIAN WEDDING CURIOSITIES

Leaving home

Bride should exit her house from the front door and step out right foot first.
Why bride and groom avoid seeing each other on the morning of the wedding day? Perhaps has something to do with the period of arranging marriages!  The bride's father, probably, feared the groom would stop the engagement if his fiancé wasn't beauty.
 

Getting to the church

Walking was thought to be the best way of getting to Church, as there was more chance to see lucky omens. Meeting a black cat, seeing a rainbow, having the sun shine on the Bride meant all lucky things to come. Bad omens were seeing a pig crossing the road or meet a funeral procession.
 

Getting to the new house

Have you ever wondered why the bride is carried over the threshold of her new house? Tradition tells that the new bride must enter home by the main door, and to avoid bad luck must never fall.
 

Bridal Gown Superstition

Other superstitions are that the bride should never make her own dress, that the final stitch should
not be completed until she is departing for the Church. The bride should never try on the entire outfit before the wedding day. Usually, brides would put their gowns in sections: looking at herself fully dressed was considered unlucky. Even on the wedding day it was advised to leave off a part of the bridal outfit, such as a glove, when the bride checked her appearance in the mirror.
 

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids and best men originate from the Roman law that demanded ten witnesses to be present at a wedding. In ancient times it was also believed that evil spirits could attend marriages with the purpose to cause mischief and disharmony. The attendants all dressed in identical clothing to the bride and groom so that the evil spirits wouldn't know who was getting married. That's why today bridesmaids and best men wear clothes that are similar to the bride's and groom's.
 

Bridal flowers

In ancient times bouquets were made with herbs and spices, because it was thought that strong smelling herbs would ward off and drive away evil spirits, bad luck and ill health. Garlic and chives were also popular for the same reason. During Victorian times, flowers took on an additional significance, due to the fashion of the flower language.
The Bouquet or Toss Bouquet
The bouquet was considered a symbol of happiness. Today the practice of tossing the bouquet is a derivative of throwing the garter. The single woman who catches the bouquet is believed to be the next to marry.
 

Throwing the garter

Throwing the garter began in France, when the bride would throw the garter to the guests at the wedding and whoever caught it could expect good luck. Today the groom traditionally removes the garter from the bride and throws it to the unmarried men. The man who catches it is thought to be the next to marry. The garter is placed on the bride's right leg, just above the knee.
 

Why the bride stands on the left

Brides stand on the left because in ancient times grooms used to capture their bride by kidnapping her. If the groom had to fight off other men who also wanted the same woman, he would hold his bride-to-be with his left hand and fight with his sword in the right.
 

Wedding cake

There is an old tradition that isn't practiced today: breaking the cake over the bride's head; its origin dates back to the Roman empire.
The groom would eat part of a loaf of barley bread baked for the occasion and break the rest over the head of the bride. This symbolized the dominance of the groom over the bride. The guests would grab for the crumbs that fell to the ground as catalysts for fertility.
Color: The white color of the icing on a wedding cake has come to symbolize purity and virginal attributes, because of the association of the cake with the bride. The fashion of the white cake started in Victorian times. The white icing was also a symbol of affluence because it was made with refined sugar, which  was very expensive.
 

Cutting the Cake

Cutting the cake has come to symbolize the first task in the couple's life together.
Immediately after the cutting, the bride and groom feed each other the first slice.
This action symbolizes the commitment to provide for each other that the bride and groom have undertaken. Today the first slice is cut by both bride and groom, but in the past this task was performed by the bride only: she had to show her ability in distributing food without waste, thus proving herself a good housekeeper.
 

Giving Pieces of Cake as Gifts

This tradition started as far back as the Roman empire, but it is still carried on today. The idea of sleeping with a piece of cake underneath your pillow dates back to the 17th century.
It is said that you will dream of your future spouse if you sleep with a piece of wedding cake underneath
your pillow.
 

Wedding favors

Today, the tradition of wedding favours has evolved to
giving each guest five sugar coated almonds (Italian confetti) as a symbol of health, fertility, wealth, joy and long-life. Why almonds? A Greek legend tells the story of a young man called Demophon, who fell in love with a Tracian princess, Phyllis. Before the marriage ceremony  Demophon is informed that his father has died in Athens and he must return for
the funeral. He promises to come back by a certain day but cannot return until three months later.
By this time Phyllis is sure that she will never see her lover again and hangs herself. The Gods, touched by her love, transform her into an almond tree. The desperate Demophon offers a sacrifice to
the almond tree, declaring his undying love.
In response, the almond tree blossoms.
Therefore the almond came to symbolize impetuous youth and immortal love.
 

The Wedding Rings

The circle is the symbol of the sun, love, the earth, the universe and perfection. It is worn on the left third finger because of an ancient Greek belief that a vein from that finger goes directly to the heart.

LOVE POEMS

A red, red rose - Robert Burns

O My Luve's like a red, red rose,That's newly sprung in June;
O My Luve's like the melodieThat's sweetly played in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass, So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,And the rocks melt wi' the sun:O I will love thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.And fare thee well, my only luve
And fare thee well awhile!
And I will come again, my luve,
Though it were ten thousand mile.

Sound of Silence - Raymond J. Baughan

Here in the space between us and the world
lies human meaning.
Into the vast uncertainty we call.
The echoes make our music,
sharp equations which can hold the stars,
and marvelous mythologies we trust.
This may be all we need
to lift our love against indifference and pain.
Here in the space between us and each other
lies all the future
of the fragment of the universe
which is our own.

William Shakespeare - Sonnet 23

O, learn to read what silent love had writ:
To hear with eyes is love's fine wit.

William Shakespeare - Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed.But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of the fair thou ow'st;Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

How do I love thee? - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,--I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!--and, If God choose,
I shall love thee better after death.

If thou must love me, let it be for naught
Except for love's sake only. Do not say"I love her for her smile--her look--her way
Of speaking gently,--for a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine, and certes brought
A sense of pleasant ease on such a day"--

For these things in themselves, Beloved, may
Be changed, or change for thee--and love, so wrought,
May be unwrought so. Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry:A creature might forget to weep, who bore
Thy comfort long, and love thy love thereby!

But love me for love's sake, that evermoreThough mayst love on, through love's eternity.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, from Sonnets from the Portuguese, Sonnet 21

Say over again, and yet once over again,
That thou dost love me. Though the word repeated
Should seem "a Cuckoo song," as thou dost treat it,
Remember, never to the hill or plain,
Valley and wood, without her cuckoo strain
Beloved, I, amid the darkness greeted
By a doubtful spirit voice, in that doubt's pain Cry,

"Speak once more-thou lovest!" Who can fear
Too many stars, though each in heaven shall roll,
Too many flowers, though each shall crown the year?
Say thou dost love me, love me , love me- toll
The silver iterance! -only minding, Dear,
To love me also in silence with thy soul

George Gordon, Lord Byron, Stanzas for Music

There be none of Beauty's daughtersWith a magic like thee;
And like music on the waters
Is thy sweet voice to me:
When as if its sound were causing
The charmed ocean's pausing,the waves lie still and gleaming,
and the lulled winds seem dreaming.

And the midnight moon is weaving
Her bright chain o'er the deep;Whose breast is gently heaving,
As an infant's asleep.So the spirit bows before thee,
To listen and adore thee;
With a full but soft emotion,
Like the swell of Summer's ocean.

Love's Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley

The Fountains mingle with the River
And the Rivers with the Ocean,
The winds of Heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle.
Why not I with thine?-
See the mountains kiss high Heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother,
And the sunlight clasps the earth
And the moonbeams kiss the sea:
What is all this sweet work worth
If thou kiss not me?

Percy Shelley, To -

Music, when soft voices die
Vibrates in the memory. -
Odours, when sweet violets sicken,
Live within the sense they quicken.-

Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,
Are heaped for the beloved's bed-And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,
Love itself shall slumber on.
She Walks in Beauty - Lord Byron
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies:
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face:
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

A Birthday - Christina Rossetti

My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a watered shoot;
My heart is like an apple tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
Because my love is come to me.
Raise me a dais of silk and down;
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleur-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me.

Saigyo Japanese Poet

You left impressions unforgettable
and when I view our moon
your image surfaces
and that love seems forever.

I Love Thee - Thomas Hood
I love thee - I love thee!
'Tis all that I can say;
It is my vision in the night,
My dreaming in the day;
The very echo of my heart,
The blessing when I pray:
I love thee - I love thee!
Is all that I can say.
I love thee - I love thee!
Is ever on my tongue;
In all my proudest poesy
That chorus still is sung;
It is the verdict of my eyes,
Amidst the gay and young:
I love thee- I love thee!
A thousand maids among.
I love thee - I love thee!
Thy bright and hazel glance,
The mellow lute upon those lips,
Whose tender tones entrance;
But most, dear heart of hearts, they proofs
That still these words enhance.
I love thee - I love thee!
Whatever be thy chance.

MARRIAGE POEMS

Will You Give Me Yourself? - Walt Whitman

I do not offer the old smooth prizes,
But offer rough new prizes,
These are the days that must happen to you:
You shall not heap up what is called riches,
You shall scatter with lavish hand all that you
earn or achieve.

However sweet the laid-up stores,
However convenient the dwellings,
You shall not remain there.
However sheltered the port,
And however calm the waters,
You shall not anchor there.

However welcome the hospitality that welcomes you
You are permitted to receive it but a little while
Afoot and lighthearted, take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before you,
The long brown path before you, leading wherever
you choose.

Say only to one another:
Camerado, I give you my hand!
I give you my love, more precious than money,
I give you myself before preaching or law:
Will you give me yourself?
Will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?


Ann Bradstreet

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women you can
I prize thy love more than whole mines og Gold.
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay,
The heavens reward thee manifold repay,
Then while we live, in love let's so persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.


Kahjil Gibran - Marriage

Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of Marriage, master?" And he answered saying: You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days. Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.


William Shakespeare - Sonnet 116

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments: Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O, no! it is an ever-fixèd mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeksWithin his bending sickle's compass come;Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom:
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.


Come live with me and be my love - Christopher Marlowe

Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That valleys, groves, hills, and fields,
Woods, or steepy mountain yields.
And we will sit upon the rocks,
Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow rivers to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.
And I will make thee beds of roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle;
A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty lambs we pull;
Fair lined slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold;
A belt of straw and ivy buds,
With coral clasps and amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me, and be my love.
The shepherds' swains shall dance and singFor thy delight each May morning:
IF these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me and be my love.



Love Lives - John Clare

Love lives beyond
The tomb, the earth, which fades like dew.
I love the fond,
the faithful, and the true

Love lives in sleep,
The happiness of healthy dreams
Eve's dews may weep,
But love delightful seems.
'Tis heard in Spring
When light and sunbeams, warm and kind,
On angels' wing
Bring love and music to the mind,
And where is voice,
So young, so beautiful and sweet
As nature's choice,
Where Spring and lovers meet?
Love lives beyond
The tomb, the earth, the flowers, and dew.
I love the fond,
The faithful, young and true.

SPECIAL BLESSINGS

An Irish Blessing for Weddings

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon the fields.

May the light of friendship guide your paths to gether.
May the laughter of children grace the halls of your home.
May the joy of living for one another trip a smile from your lips,
A twinkle from your eye.

And when eternity beckons,
at the end of a life heaped high with love,
May the good Lord embrace you
with the arms that have nurtured you
the whole length of your joy-filled days.
May the gracious God hold you both
in the palm of His hands.

And, today, may the Spirit of Love
find a dwelling place in your hearts. Amen.


Navajo Wedding Blessing

Now you have lit a fire and that fire should not go out.
The two of you now have a fire that represents love, understanding and a philosophy of life.
It will give you heat, food, warmth and happiness.
The new fire represents a new beginning - a new life and a new family.
The fire should keep burning; you should stay together.
You have lit the fire for life, until old age separates you.
Apache Wedding Blessing
Now you will feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no more lonliness for you,
For each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two bodies,
But there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place,
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.


Blessing For A Marriage - James Dillet Freeman

May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring,
and may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding.May you always need one another - not so much to fill your emptiness as to help
you know your fullness. A mountain needs a valley to be complete; the valley
does not make the mountain less, but more; and the valley is more a valley because
it has a mountain towereing over it. So let it be with you and you.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice one another, but not compel one another.
May you succeed in all important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.
If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense
enough to take the first step back.
May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness of one another's presence -
no more physical than spititual, warm and near when you are side by side, and
warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another!
Old Wedding Blessing
May God be with you and bless you.
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

FAMOUS QUOTATIONS OF LOVE

The hours I spend with you I look upon as sort of a perfumed garden, a dim twilight, and a fountain singing to it. you and you alone make me feel that I am alive.. Other men it is said have seen angels, but I have seen thee and thou art enough.
~George Moore~

The way you let your hand rest in mine, my bewitching Sweetheart, fills me with happiness. It is the perfection of confiding love. Everything you do, the little unconscious things in particular, charms me and increases my sense of nearness to you, identification with you,
till my heart is full to overflowing.
~Woodrow Wilson~

O happy hours when I may once more encircle within these arms the dearest object of my love- when I shall again feel the pressure of that "aching head" which will delight to recline upon my bosom, when I may again press to my heart which palpitates with the purest affection that loved one who has so long shared it's undivided devotion.
~Alexander Hamilton Rice~

I cannot exist without you- I am forgetful of every thing but seeing you again- my Life seems to stop there- I see no further. You have absorb'd me. I have a sensation at the present moment as though I were dissolving.. I have been astonished that Men could die Martyrs for religion- I have shudder'd at it- I shudder no more- I could be martyr'd for my Religion- Love is my religion- I could die for that- I could die for you. My creed is Love and you are its only tenet- You have ravish'd me away by a Power I cannot resist.
~John Keats~

... See there's this place in me where your fingerprints still rest, your kisses still linger, and your whispers softly echo. It's the place where a part of you will forever be a part of me.
~Gretchen Kemp~

All love is sweet, given or returned
~Percy Bysshe Shelley~

Love distills desire upon the eyes, love brings bewitching grace into the heart ~Euripides~

Two souls with but a single thought, two hearts that beat as one
~John Keats~

To love another person is to see the face of God.
~ Lyric from Les Miserables ~

With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly good I thee endow.
~ Wedding Vow, Book of Common Prayer ~

We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.
~ Anonymous ~

Love is shown in your deeds, not in your words.
~ Fr. Jerome Cummings ~

Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ~

Gravitation can not be held responsible for people falling in love.
~ Albert Einstein ~

It is wrong to think that love comes from long companionship and persevering courtship. Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and unless that affinity is created in a moment, it will not be created for years or even generations.
~ Khalil Gibran ~

Love gives naught but itself and takes not but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; for love is suffficient unto love.
~ Khalil Gibran ~

Marriage is the golden ring in a chain whose beginning is a glance and whose ending is Eternity
~ Khalil Gibran ~

Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.
~ Roy Goodman ~

A compliment is like a kiss through a veil.
~ Victor Hugo ~

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it.
Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.
Hatred darkens life; love illumines it.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr. ~

To love someone deeply gives you strength.
Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.
~ Lao Tzu ~

We seek the comfort of another. Someone to share and share the life we choose. Someone to help us through the neverending attempt to understand ourselves. And in the end, someone to comfort us along the way.
~ Marlin Finch Lupus ~

There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage
~ Martin Luther King ~

The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.
~ Blaise Pascal ~

To be able to say how much love, is love but little.
~ Petrarch ~

For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks; the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.
~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~

The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the mediocre and vile can be transformed, and (c) doing that makes it that. We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.
~ Tom Robbins ~

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
~ William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act i. Sc. 1. ~

Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts.
~ William Shakespeare, King Henry the Sixth ~

One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love.
~ Sophocles ~

Who, being loved, is poor?
~ Oscar Wilde ~

Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle.
~ Marianne Williamson ~

All love, at first, like generous wine,
Ferments and frets until 'tis fine,
But, when 'tis settled on the lee,
And from th' impurer matter free,
Becomes the richer still the older,
And Proves the pleasanter the colder
~ Samuel Butler ~

Deare, when I from thee am gone,
Gone are all my joyes at once;
I loved thee, and thee alone,
In those love I joyed once,
And although your sights I leave,
Sight wherein my joyes do lie,
Till that death do sense bereave,
Never shall affection die.
John Downland

Through all eternity to thee
A joyful song I'll raise,
For oh! Eternity is too short
To utter all thy praise.
Joseph Addison

Never so happily in one
Did heaven and earth combine;
And yet 'tis flesh and blood alone
That makes her so divine
Thomas D'Urfey

COMMON CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR WEDDINGS

Prelude Music

Is the 30 to 45 minutes before the bride arrives. In that moment guest can be seated and have chance to relax. The music played is relaxing and peaceful.
Allegro Concerto #4 in G - J. S. Bach
Nocturne in E Flat, Op. 9 No. 2 - Chopin
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun - Debussy
Air from Watermusic - Handel
Adagio in E. Flat - Mozart
Air on the G String (orchestral suite #3) - Bach
Spring : Four Season - Vivaldi


Processional Ceremony Music

It begins when the brides starts her walks down the aisle.The music enphasises the bride entrance so everyone can admire her beauty.
Traditional Wedding March - Mendelson
Traditional Wedding March - Wagner
Canon in D - Pachelbel
Sleeper's Awake - Bach
Arioso - Bach
Processional to Tedeum - Charpentier Gustave
Romance from String Quartet - Mozart
Ave Maria - Harry Conick, JR


Recessional Ceremony Music

The Recessional is the moment after the bride and groom have kissed and are declared husband and wife, so they walk up the aisle.
Traditional Wedding March (A Midaummer Night's Dream) - Mendelson
Autumn: Four Season - Vivaldi
Ode to Joy - Beethoven
Hornpipe Watermusic - Handel
Sonata in G - Tartini

BIBLE VERSES

First Corinthians, Chapter 13, verses 4 - 8

Love is patient,
love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil,
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails...



Ephesians, Chapter 5, verses 25 - 33

Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ also loved the church,
and gave himself for it;
That he might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the word,
That he might present it to himself
a glorious church,
not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without blemish.
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.
He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh;
but nourisheth and cherisheth it,
even as the Lord the church:
For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother,
and shall be joined unto his wife,
and they two shall be one flesh.
This is a great mystery:
but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so
love his wife even as himself;
and the wife see that she reverence her husband.



Genesis, Chapter 2, verses 22 - 25

And the rib,
which the Lord God had taken from man,
made he a woman,
and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said,
This is now bone of my bones,
and flesh of my flesh:
she shall be called woman,
because she was taken out of Man.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,
and shall cleave unto his wife:
and they shall be one flesh.
And they were both naked, the man and his wife,
and were not ashamed.

WEDDING RHYMES

There are many rhymes, superstition and traditions related to weddings but probably not everyone knows the origin or meaning of them. Incorporating wedding traditions in your wedding day is a funny and wonderful way of celebrating and understanding the historical importance of marriage within a modern context. Listed below you will find some rhymes, superstitions and traditions still popular today. What do they mean?
Well, here you will find an explanation...


RHYMES

"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue... and a sixpence in your shoe"

The meaning of this popular bridal rhyme dates back to the Victorian times.

Something old refers to wearing something that represents a link with the bride's old life. Usually brides wear their mother's wedding dress or a piece of the family Jewelry.

Wearing something new may bring good fortune to the bride's new life. The bridal gown can be used , if it is purchased new, or any other new item purchased of the bride's wedding attire.

Wearing something borrowed, which has been worn by a friend on her wedding day (if she is happily married), is meant to bring good luck.

Something blue dates back to biblical times when the color blue was the symbol of purity and fidelity.

A sixpence in your shoe... is a symbol of wealth. Placing a sixpence in the bride's left shoe, should bring her both  financial wealth and wealth of happiness throughout her married life.

 

Month of Marriage Rhyme

This is an old English rhyme that tells you the best month for getting married.

Married when the year is new,
He'll be loving, kind and true.


When February birds do mate
You wed nor dread your fate.


If you wed when March winds blow
Joy and sorrow both you'll know.


Marry in April when you can
Joy for maiden and the man.


Marry in the month of May
And you'll surely rue the day.


Marry when the June roses grow
Over land and sea you'll go.


Those who in July do wed
Must labour for their daily bread.


Whoever wed in August be,
Many a change is sure to see.


Marry in September's shine,
Your living will be rich and fine.


If in October you do marry
Love will come, but riches tarry.


If you wed in bleak November
Only joys will come, remember


When December's snows fall fast,
Marry and true love will last.


Religious scruples prevented Christians from marrying during Lent, Advent, or Easter week. In the 16th century, thanks to the Protestant Reformation, the church allowed to celebrate wedding ceremonies during these religious holidays.

 
Day of Wedding  - Rhyme

Despite this rhyme most couples prefer to marry on Saturday.

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

Sunday, in ancient times was the best day for getting married because most people were free from work.

 

Bridal Gown Rhyme

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

 

In ancient times brides used to marry in red or others bright colors. Was Josephine Bonaparte who broke this tradition by wearing a white gown on her wedding day. Since then, brides began wearing white gowns as symbol of their social status and wealth.White is also the symbol purity and virginity.

" Married in green, ashamed to be seen": To say a girl 'had a green gown' also implied that she was of loose morals, because her dress would be grass-stained due to rolling around in the fields!

 

Ancient Roman Proverb

"Prosperity to the man and happiness to the maid when married in  June"

The name of June derives from Juno , the Roman Goddess of women. She possessed women's life, protecting their fertility and blessing engagements and marriages.

The Romans believed that  blessed marriages that took place in her month.

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS

The language of flowers in Italy began in the 18 th century when the painters and writers associated the colours, scents and image of each flower to particular behaviours or qualities of the humans. In this period it was not common to express emotions, so men and women start to use the beauty and colour of flowers to demonstrate their thoughts and wishes
 

Use these indications to add a deeper meaning to your flowers scheme for your reception or ceremony

•  Amaryllis Splendid Beauty

•  Aster Truly feelings

•  Amaranth Immortality, Unfading Love

•  Carnation Pure and deep Love. Elegance.

•  Calla Magnificent Beauty

•  Crocus Gladness

•  Dahlia Elegance and Dignity

•  Ivy Fidelity, Wedded love

•  Fern Purity

•  Orange blossom Eternal love

•  Camellia Gratitude, excellence

•  Daisy Innocence, simplicity

•  Forget me not True Love, do not forget, love commitment

•  Fuchsia Desire

•  Heather Adoration, Protection

•  Gardenia Joy, sympathy

•  Hyacinth Loveliness

•  Iris A message for thee, Purity

•  Jasmine Amiability

•  Lavender Devotion

•  Lemon Verbena Unity

•  Lilac Pure emotions of love

•  Lily First love, light, happiness

•  Lily of the Valley Happiness

•  Mimosa Sensibility

•  Magnolia Perseverance

•  Myrtle Energy, power of love, love devotion, complete love

•  Marigold Sacred affection

•  Mint Prosperity, good feelings

•  Mistletoe Good luck, happiness

•  Peony Sweetness, happy marriage

•  Red Rose Love, Respect, courage and passion

•  Sword-lily Personality

•  Violet Faithfulness

•  Veronica Fidelity

GET MARRIED IN ITALY CUSTOMS

If you plan to get married in Italy, its fun to learn about some of the traditional Italian marriage customs. By no means, are you expected to follow them. However, if any of them suit your fancy, it might be fun to incorporate them into your ceremony.

If the groom proposes directly to the bride, he serenades her first, either by playing an instrument or showing up with his musically-talented friends.
 The medieval Italians gave diamond engagement rings because they believed that the diamond was created by the flames of love. In preparation for her wedding, the bride prepared a bundle of household goods and brought them to the groom's family. The night before her wedding she would wear green to bring luck and abundance.

In the Veneto region of Italy, on the day of the wedding, the groom would walk to the bride's house. The wedding party would accompany the bride and groom to the church. The residents of the town would watch and present the bride a number of mischievous challenges. They might put a broom on the ground and if she picked it up to put it away, she was considered a good housekeeper. If the couple came across a crying child and were able to calm him, they were considered good parents.

In the Southern regions of Italy, the couple would shatter a glass into many pieces at the end of the wedding day. The number of pieces indicated the number of years they would be married to one another. These charming traditions should give you a taste of the cultural history of Italy. To get married in our charming country is truly a dream.

ITALIAN WEDDINGS

There are some traditions unique to Italian weddings. Though you are not required to observe them, they can be fun to learn and even more fun to implement. They simply help to add more Italian flavor to your wedding.

Italian wedding celebrations can be quite long. They often begin with a morning mass, and continue on with dancing and feasting that lasts well into the next day. Since bachelor and bachelorette parties are not common before Italian weddings, the bride and groom should have plenty of energy left for such lively celebrating.

For Italian weddings, it is considered good luck for the bride to wear green the night before the wedding. The color is said to bring good luck and abundance. To avoid unfavorable luck, the bride is supposed to avoid wearing gold until after her wedding ring is presented. The groom is expected to arrive at the church before the bride (she's expected to be late) and await her arrival. As he waits, the groom's best men tease him about the bride, joking good-naturedly about whether or not she'll actually show up to marry him.

In Northern Italy, the groom is expected to wait with the bride's bouquet in hand. Candy-covered almonds are tied up in mesh bags and tossed at the couple, like confetti. This particular tradition is intended to avoid childlessness.

Ask us at WeddingItaly.com about these and other Italian wedding traditions, if you wish to include them in your celebration. Come prepared with your own traditions and customs as well, for a wedding that is uniquely yours. We'll do our best to incorporate them where appropriate.

There are many choices available to you when it comes to Italian wedding locations. You may feel dazzled by them all and even confused. Everything you see or learn of is sure to be beautiful and full of the romance that is an integral part of Italy's make up. You may wish you could celebrate your wedding in several different locations because they're all so lovely.

Since you are only getting married once, you will have to choose, but that doesn't necessarily mean missing out on the other great Italian possibilities. To see and experience as much as possible of Italy's heady mixture of romance, beauty, energy, and personality, simply stay on in Italy after the ceremony and make your Italian honeymoon as unforgettable as your wedding.

At Wedding Italy, we're happy to help you select from among the many exciting Italian locations for your dream wedding. We'll help you narrow down the choices, discussing your personal needs and preferences, as well as taking into account the size of your wedding party, number of guests, and overall wedding budget. We'll artfully plan your wedding day from the exchange of vows to the reception and beyond.

From a wedding in Venice to a honeymoon in the Lake District, we'll expertly plan it all for you. We can even provide Italy excursions, accommodations, and guided tours for your guests, so you and your new spouse can explore alone. Whatever your needs, we are happy to fill them.