Breaking News! Pastor April always said she would be as vocal when it became legal for online officiants to marry couples in New York, as she was about the court cases where couples were disenfranchised by illegal celebrants and the day has come.... or almost come... It looks like Gov. Hochul has signed bill (S.739A/A.6300A) that will, in 90 days, provide a path for not only online officiants, but also friends and family members to legally marry couples in New York State! There has never been a statewide license given to officiants, so verifying identity will be done with a

(Photo by Anchor and Lace Photography) What is a handfasting? This is one of the most common questions couples who are planning one will hear. It is the symbolic binding of the hands at the end of the ceremony that inspired the terms the “Bonds of Holy Matrimony” and to “Tie the Knot”. Sometimes it is a full Handfasting Ceremony but most often it is a simple binding at the end of a regular wedding ceremony. This custom has been known the world over for centuries. The practice of binding the hands of the bride and groom is not limited

by Rev. Cheryl D. Cavalconte, M.A. of Wedding Ministers RI According to the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church, Canon 1161 states that the “radical sanation [healing] of an individual marriage is its convalidation without the renewal of consent, granted by competent authority and including a dispensation from impediment, if there was one, and from the canonical form, if it was not observed, and the retroactivity into the past of the canonical effects.” Most couples who seek convalidation seek convalidation due to lack of “canonical form,” i.e. marrying outside of a church or parish. The position of the Church

The benefits of being on time on your wedding day... Time is something that is going to fly by on your wedding day, and being on time is important to getting the most of your day. People say “the Bride is always late” or “weddings never start on time”. This is only true for those who don’t care if they get everything they have paid for or those having small home weddings were there are no vendors or time frames, just family and friends enjoying the entire day together. So the things that are important to consider are… Giving your

When it comes to the wedding ceremony, one of the most beautiful things about being a 21st century Bride is that there are no rules anymore. This is also one of the most confusing aspects of being a bride these days. Many couples don’t know where to begin so let’s begin at the beginning with some things to consider while making your choices! Traditionally, in a Christian or Civil ceremony, the Groom enters down the aisle and goes to his Right. (which is my Left as I face the guests.) Traditionally for Jewish couples this is reversed. Being a matriarchal

by Charles Panati Here is the history of the diamond engagement rings. A Venetian wedding document dated 1503 lists “one marrying ring having diamond.” The gold wedding ring of one Mary of Modina, it was among the early betrothal rings that featured a diamond setting. They began a tradition that probably is forever. The Venetians were the first to discover that the diamond is one of the hardest, most enduring substances in nature, and that fine cutting and polishing releases its brilliance. Diamonds, set in bands of silver and gold, became popular for betrothal rings among wealthy Venetians toward the

by Charles Panati The early Hebrews placed the wedding ring on the index finger. In India, nuptial rings were worn on the thumb. The Western custom of placing a wedding ring on the “third” finger (not counting the thumb) began with the Greeks, through carelessness in cataloguing human anatomy. Greek physicians in the third century B.C. believed that a certain vein, the “vein of love”, ran from the “third finger” directly to the heart. It became the logical digit to carry a ring symbolizing an affair of the heart. The Romans, plagiarizing Greek anatomy charts, adopted the ring practice unquestioningly.

Antiquity Asia and Europe by Charles Panati Today old shoes are tied to a newlyweds’ cars and no one asks why. Why, of all things, shoes? And why old shoes? Originally, shoes were only one of many objects tossed at a bride to wish her a bounty of children. In fact, shoes were preferred over the equally traditional wheat and rice because from ancient times the foot was a powerful phallic symbol. In several cultures, particularly among the Eskimos, a woman experiencing difficulty conceiving was instructed to carry a piece of an old shoe with her at all times. The

16th Century England and France by Charles Panati White has denoted purity and virginity for centuries. But in ancient Rome, yellow was the socially accepted color for a bride’s wedding attire, and a veil of flame-hued yellow, the flammeum, covered her face. The bridal veil, in fact, predates the wedding dress by centuries. And the facial veil itself predates the bridal veil. Historians of fashion claim that the facial veil was strictly a male invention, and one of the oldest devices designed to keep married and single women humble, subservient, and hidden from other males. Although the veil at various

By Guest Contributor and Bagpipe Artist: Darius Kaufmann Bagpipes! For many, it is a sound they will never forget: The distant call of the pipes, the stirring notes of a joyful march or a lively dance tune…And who would not be impressed by the sight of a piper in full kilt! For centuries, bagpipes have been played at weddings, banquets and social occasions of all kinds. In the past few years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the pipes for weddings. Why? What a spectacle! The sound and music of the pipes is stirring and uplifting, and a