My Tucson Wedding

 A popular reading for wedding ceremonies is, “Love is Friendship Caught Fire”, by Laura Hendricks. It is a wonderful reading used quite often, and the wording is given below. The photo to the right was taken at Saguaro Buttes by Ivory Orchid.

Love is Friendship Caught Fire

“Love is friendship caught fire; it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weaknesses. Love is content with the present, hopes for the future, and does not brood over the past. It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and working toward common goals. If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you do not have it, no matter what else there is, it is not enough.”

 The history of the wedding cake, believe it or not, goes back to the days of the Roman Empire. During those times it was more like the bread we eat and it would be broken over the brides head. From the 17th century through the 19th century there was a custom of the bride’s pie, with the main ingrediant a glass ring. An old adage stated that the woman that found the ring would be the next to be married. By the late 19th century the brides pies disappeared and the single layer wedding cake we know started to appear. White has been the traditional color for the cake, denoting purity. Symbolically one of the first tasks that a couple perform together is the cutting of the wedding cake. This is one tradition that most of have seen many times. The bride cuts the cake with the help of the groom.The multi-tiered wedding cakes used to be reserved for British royalty alone but today they have become the rule of the day. Saving the top tier for the first anniversary goes back to the 19th century, to be eaten on the first anniversary of the couples wedding. This cake pictured above was recently served at a wedding at Saguaro Buttes for a reception of over 250 people.  

At a recent wedding at Saguaro Buttes, this acappella vocal band which sings rock and soul for the cocktail hour. They did a wonderful job and were enjoyed by the guests. They are called Catacousticgroove.  They have been singing together since 1993. Their web site is www.catacousticgroove.com.  

Patio music during a recent wedding reception, with awesome views of the Rincon mountains at sunset, and with live mariachi music makes for a great evening hour for your wedding guests. This photo was taken at a recent wedding at Saguaro Buttes. 

This is a unique idea that I thought was worth passing on. As guests arrive they take an instant Polaroid picture of the guest or guests. Then placing the photos in a memory book, the guests write notes of encouragement, congratulations or possibly advice to the Bride and Groom. This is a great keepsake for the married couple that will last a life time.

Chris and Sherry were wed at Saguaro Buttes on Oct. 23, 2008 in a cozy ceremony with a few family and friends. Chris and Sherry have known each other for over 20 years as they had met in High School (Sabino).

Their paths crossed years later and brought them back together again. The officiant Nadine Rosin performed the beautiful ceremony allowing the couple to take center stage with her standing off to the side during half of the ceremony. The ceremony was concluded right a sunset.

At a recent wedding at Saguaro Buttes this beautiful chocolate and ivory table setting was enjoyed by all. The optional chair covers with ties added to the dining elegance.

Fall time can be a lot of fun, especially at weddings. These unique pumpkin cakes were perfect for this Fall wedding of Alyssa & Joseph Downey at Saguaro Buttes.

A Moss Green linen provides  a great backdrop for this beautiful display.

This Fall Wedding was done in various colored attendants dresses. I thought it was  beautiful with the bouquets complimenting the dresses with Fall colors.

The veil can be traced back to Roman and Greek times when it was a complete head to toe cover. The Veil, which was yellow in ancient Greece and red in ancient Rome, was to prevent the groom from seeing the bride. Wearing these bright colors also served to ward off evil spirits and demons which the Bride was fearful of in those ancient times.  Since thicker colored veils obscured the vision of the Bride this led to another tradition, having the father walking the bride down the aisle.

Arranged Marriages

Arranged marriages were common in those times, and many times the groom would not have even seen the Bride’s face until the veil had been lifted. Talk about surprises. If the bride was not the most attractive it might prevent the groom from running. But everyone knows there is no such thing as an unattractive bride. She is either “very pretty” or “absolutely gorgeous”.

Meaning Changed

Over time the costume and meaning of the veil changed. The veil developed into a symbol of chastity, as white wedding attire came into style to represent the virginity of the bride to be, the white veil followed as well.

Lifting the Veil

Today, lifting the veil can be done a couple of ways. First, is for the father to lift the veil as he presents his daughter to the groom. Second, is after the vows, right before the kiss, the groom lifts the veil.  If the bride takes the initiative in lifting it, thereby presenting herself to him, she is showing more independence. You have options today. It is still considered bad luck today for the bride to be seen by the groom before the ceremony.

Outdoor Ceremonies

Outdoor wedding ceremonies may present a small challenge with the veil, wind can cause them to blow around being distracting,  especially if it blows in the grooms face. I usually ask the maid of honor to hold it from blowing, or to secure it some way. This usually takes care of the problem. The picture above was taken by John Holman at Saguaro Buttes.