Wedding

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Weddings: The Most Important Day In Your Life

A wedding is the ceremonial element to the beginning of a marriage or civil union of two individuals. There is a great deal of tradition in this ancient and historical ceremony. These traditions vary greatly from country to country and the greatest differences are between religions and cultures/ethnic groups. There are often other differences but these are often based upon the social class of the couples and their ability to be able to afford some of the lavish elements.

While most wedding ceremonies are lavish and expensive some traditions offer the couple a cheaper alternative. Such a tradition is that witnesses at Gretna Green in Scotland. In essence it developed from the fact that the marriage laws in Scotland were different to those of neighboring England.

Gretna Green & Marriage

Gretna Green is a small village in Scotland and very close to the border with England. In 1753 a law was passed in England making the marriage of people under the age of 21 illegal without consent from the parents. In Scotland the legal age was 14 for boys and 12 for girls and no consent was needed. Other differences meant that knowledge of the planned wedding was easily obtained in England as announcements had to be made of any impending weddings whereas, in Scotland, this was not a requirement.

Scottish law, at that time, had an allowance for "irregular" weddings whereby couples could marry so long as a legal declaration was made in front of two witnesses. Almost anybody had the authority to conduct the wedding ceremony so many young couples in England eloped to Scotland to get married. Gretna Green was the most accessible village and the local blacksmiths happily conducted the ceremonies for them. By 1887 Gretna had become famous for this and the Old Blacksmiths opened as a tourist attraction.

The marriage laws of England and Scotland changed in 1929 and were brought into unison in many respects. The legal age is now 16 but consent is still required in England and Wales until the age of 18. However Gretna Green remained a popular destination for elopers and today it is one of the worlds most popular venues for the weddings of couples of all ages. Various wedding traditions developed but most are considered to be embellishments for the sake of tourists. It is generally considered that up to one out of every six marriages held in Scotland are held in Gretna Green.

Wedding Types

Of all the wedding types I find the one at Gretna the most romantic but the popular white wedding comes in at a very close second. The white wedding is so named because of the use of a white wedding dress and is popular in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland. The Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana was considered by many to be the most romantic of all time. The wedding dress was a major talking point.

A civil wedding is one which is presided over a civil authority such as a judge. They are usually conducted at the local town hall where it is now common for the ceremony to be held in the main chambers to allow more guests. Previously it was more commonly held in smaller rooms or the judges chambers at a local courthouse.

It is now increasingly common to find that same sex weddings are allowed and in some places they can be legally binding (under civil contract).

Today it is common for people to design their own weddings, altering their wedding vows and other traditional elements. The choice of location is now wide and varied with Las Vegas being the center of the "weird and wonderful" wedding ceremony.

Whichever type of wedding you are proposing to have we hope that it really does prove to be the most important and memorable day of your lives. We hope that you find the articles below useful in your wedding plans but most of all we wish you the very best of luck in your marriage.

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