Slurred Speech

There are some men who will never understand the importance of
romance. They may be lazy or don’t feel like investing any of
their time for something silly like romance. They’re the foolish
ones who are wasting time and energy trying to get what they
want the hard way.

Then there are the men who know the secrets of romance. For
example, on the reality shows such as the Bachelor and Who Wants
to Marry (whatever), it’s pretty obvious the men who are the
most romantic stick around the longest and are chosen in the
end.

Why? Not because they are rich, good looking, have great jobs,
or any of the obvious reasons. They know romance is very
powerful. And what do these romantic guys do? Simple things
like, light candles, pick flowers, look at the stars, have a
picnic or romantic dinner; nothing you can’t do with ease.

Whether you want to believe it or not, it is the small things
that matter most to a woman when it comes to romance.

Romance is the creation of an atmosphere where she feels
unconditional love and appreciation. You can turn down the
lights, turn on the radio, take her by the hand and ask her to
dance in the kitchen. That’s romance.

Hand her a wild flower, ask her to go on a stroll with you and
hold hands. That’s romance. Get it! What is she feeling? At that
moment she is the most important woman in the world, she feels
appreciated and loved. Romance can even produce the butterflies
in her stomach.

The passion and excitement she will be feeling for you not only
manifest itself in sex but will also spill over into other
aspects of the relationship. Sometimes it takes a few romantic
encounters to get the best results, she may not be used to it,
she may have been hurt by you and think you’re only doing it for
sex. Hang in there, the payoff is within reach. Above all, you
will have a fulfilling relationship and you will have fun
discovering each other.

A wedding is a blessing, full of good wishes and hopes for two people who have decided to spend the rest of their lives together. This is the reason so much tradition surrounds weddings - almost every symbol and aspect of the wedding ceremony has some superstition attached to it… the wedding ring, the wedding dress, the bridesmaids, the bouquet, the best man and even the weather are all factors to consider when planning a successful, blessed wedding.

The traditional poem used as the title dates back to Victorian times. It’s a form of a blessing for the couple, and the bride is supposed to wear each of the four “somethings” with her wedding dress. The silver sixpence is supposed to bring the couple wealth, although these days the bride normally places a penny in her shoe - silver sixpences are quite difficult to find!

Before The Wedding Ceremony

In the past marriage proposals were a very serious undertaking. A prospective groom would send his representatives to his intended’s family to put forward his case. The journey was taken very seriously indeed. The marriage was guaranteed to succeed if the representatives passed wolves, pigeons or nanny goats during the journey. However if they passed a monk, a blind man or a pregnant woman they would return immediately to the hopeful bridegroom, because these sights were considered a bad omen for the marriage.

There’s an old traditional poem that claimed it was unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname began with the same letter as hers to marry:

To change the name and not the letter
Is a change for the worst and not the better

Write her new name before the wedding is not considered a wise practice, and is believed to bring bad luck by tempting fate.

If you can persuade a cat to eat out of your left shoe one week before the wedding good luck will bless your married life. The same thinking applies if there’s a full moon one or two days before your special day.

If candles lit on the wedding day splutter and go out those evil spirits are nearby, waiting to cause mischief.

The Wedding Dress

We’ve all heard the superstition that claims it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony, but did you know it’s considered bad luck for a bride to sew her own wedding dress? The bride should also never wear the entire outfit until the day of her wedding. Some brides leave one last stitch undone until it’s time to leave for the ceremony, sewing it up before they depart for the church.

The colour of the dress is very important, and there’s a quaint rhyme to guide the bride in her decision:

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, your spirit will sink.

Green was the colour considered the most inappropriate. A green dress was thought to be imply grass stains that resulted from the wearer “rolling around in the hay”. The only time a green wedding dress was considered lucky was if the bride was Irish!.

A borrowed wedding dress will bring much luck to the wearer, but bad luck to the lender. And any bride who finds a spider inside her wedding dress should rejoice - it’s a good sign! But beware, arachnophobes - try not to struggle too much. Tearing a wedding dress means the marriage will end in death.

Veils were traditionally worn to protect the bride from evil spirits. In some Eastern cultures the groom is does not see his bride’s face until he lifts the veil after the ceremony - now that could be the basis for a wonderful horror story! The tradition behind the bridesmaid doesn’t appear to be offer anyone taking that role much happiness - they were actually decoys to confuse any evil spirits with designs upon the bride! This superstition dates back to Roman times, when the law required ten witnesses to outwit the inevitable evil spirits bound to turn up and spoil a happy event. This meant that ushers and bridesmaids were dressed in a similar fashion to the bride, in the belief that the evil spirits would become confused and take a bridesmaid instead of the bride!

Journey To The Ceremony

Before departing a quick glance in the mirror to check her attire will bring a bride good fortune. However if she returns to the mirror after the journey has begun she will attract only bad luck. There are a number of things to look out for on the journey to the church, because they’re a guarantee of a happy life together. These include: chimney sweeps, lambs, toads, spiders, black cats, rainbows and - if there’s a circus in town - elephants. Conversely the sight of one of the following during the journey is a bad omen:

an open grave, a rabbit, a pig, a lizard, a rooster crowing and monks and nuns. The latter two may be associated with chastity and poverty, and also signify that the newlyweds may be dependant on charity during their marriage.

The best man’s job is to protect the bridegroom from any bad luck and evil spirit’s lurking nearby. He must ensure that once the groom has begun his journey to the church he does not return home - for any reason.

The Ceremony

The ring must NEVER be dropped during the ceremony. If it falls to the ground does the union is doomed. An ancient wedding superstition states that if either the groom or the bride drops it, it’s a sign that he or she will be the first to die. If it rolled away from the altar steps, the omen was extremely bad. If it came to rest on a gravestone in the floor, it foretold an early death for one of the pair - the bride if the person buried beneath the stone was a woman, the groom if it was a man.

The reason the ring is placed on the third finger of the left hand dates back to Roman times, when they believed that the left hand was more clean and pure because most work was done with the right hand. They also believed the vein in this finger was directly connected to the heart, the centre of LOVE. The third finger is also symbolic of the Holy Trinity: The Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

The reason the groom arrives at the church before the bride is another old belief. It’s supposed to increase the marriage’s good fortune. This is also the reason the bride is supposed to take her first step into the church with her right foot. Timing is also import - ensure the vows are not spoken at the bottom of the hour, because that will encourage bad luck. If the bride weeps on her wedding day it’s a guarantee that she will never cry again during the duration of her marriage.

Afterwards

The new bride must enter her home by the main door, and she must not trip or fall. It’s unlucky for the bride to step into her new home with the left foot first, which is the reason the custom of carrying the bride over the threshold came about.

And remember - the spouse who falls asleep first on the wedding night will be the first to die…

This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.Prye.Com/ which is a site for Wedding Invitations.

Whether you and your spouse both work outside of the home, or one of you stays home with the children, it’s easy for one person to feel out of the financial picture. It’s important in a marriage to feel equal to your partner, on all levels of the playing field. Even if you don’t feel “stuck”, it’s important for couples to communicate openly about their financial situation, and try to better it together.

Most marriages have their financial ups and downs. It can truly be a test to your relationship with your partner in dealing with the downs in particular. Here are some tips to help you deal with these situations in the quickest and calmest way possible.

1.) Pick the Right Time. Find a non stress time to sit down and have a discussion with your partner. Me and my husband love to go on evenings out, because it gives us a chance to discuss important issues in a non stress environment. If you must stay home, make sure the kids are not present during the conversation.

2.) Come Prepared. Write down the matters you have been thinking about beforehand so that you can stay on track during your discussion.

3.) Don’t Get Emotional. Avoid personal attacks towards your spouse. Use “I” instead of “you” when speaking. Don’t be argumentative and state how you feel. Don’t point fingers, and don’t start a fight.

4.) Take Turns. Common courtesy will help you achieve your goals. Feeling equal to your partner will come with a general respect between you and your partner.

5.) Make a Plan. Discuss the situation and future plans with your spouse. Make sure you have a basic budget in place and discuss you and your partner’s vital steps in your financial future. Compile a money to-do list and check your progress often.

Remember the love you have for each other during the conversation, and listen
Also to what your partner has to say during the discussion. If it seems to be a bad time in general to talk about it, remember that there will be another opportunity to let your partner know how you feel. Let it go, and pick a better time in the future.

This article has been written by Vanessa Pruitt, a work from home mom working to promote wellness. To learn more about working from home visit www.tricitymoms.com . She is also the owner of two subscription blogs, loveworkingfromhome.blogspot.com & netmommy.blogspot.com .

Another conundrum for soon-to-be married couples is the dilemma
of having servers versus having a buffet for the reception. Both
have their advantages and disadvantages, so let’s look at both
sides before you make your decision.

At the buffet table

The first and most obvious upshot of having a buffet style
dinner at the wedding is the opportunity for all of the guests
to choose what they want to eat. This way everyone is happy and
they can have as much or as little as they want. There can be
multiple things for various dietary restrictions as well as a
multitude of side dishes for the vegetarian that hates getting
pasta at every wedding.

But the downside of the buffet table is that things that are
popular will run out. If you do not plan ahead for shortages,
then you may have guests that didn’t get what they really wanted
to eat. In terms of movement, the buffet table can be tricky.
The bride may have troubles moving up there and might be afraid
to spill anything on her dress, as other may be as well. Trying
to find ways to serve items without having a large opportunity
for spillage will help to avoid any dry cleaning bills.

The service is excellent

Having servers for the reception is a classy and easy way to
keep everyone happy during the reception. Not only will no one
have to move until the dance, but the servers can also attend to
any problems without the couple even knowing about them. Drinks
can also be served, which is wonderful for everyone–no more
needing to get up and down during dinner.

On the other hand, this excellent service does come with a price
tag. It will be costlier to have staff waiting on the guests,
especially with more guests. You will also take the chance of
the staff being nice to the head table and not to the rest of
the guests. The best advice is to interview each staff member as
well before the reception.

Both buffets and service are great options for reception
dinners. If you’re looking for something a little more casual,
then the buffet will be great, but for the more formal occasion,
service is best. You may want to stop and consider your guests
at this point. If they’re older and don’t move around well,
service is a great way to keep them comfortable.