DIY: Build Your Own Chuppah

No, I am not Jewish...but I loved the concept of having a chuppah (which symbolizes the home that the couple will build together) at my wedding ceremony, so I made one (with some help). You can click on the picture, to get a better view. I had previously posted about having a chuppah before my wedding. Here is what you need to make one of your own:

• PVC pipe
• 4 PVC joint connectors
• 4 Paint buckets
• 4 Quick drying cement

You will need to start this a day or so before you need it. I assembled most of mine the 2 nights before the wedding. I thought it was really easy to do. Here are the steps:

• You will need to measure your space to see what length that you need to create the chuppah. I used 4 ten foot PVC polls and 4 five foot PVC polls. Make sure that you have your measurements when you go to the hardware store to obtain your pipe, so that the you get the hardware stores staff to cut it to the length that you want. I could have used shorter polls ones, but wanted a grand effect.
• Mix the quick drying cement. Be mindful of what the temperature is when mixing it. You do not want it to be too runny or too thick.
• Fill the paint buckets half full. Place the long PVC polls ( for me the 10 foot polls), in the center of the bucket. Make sure that you secure the polls with rope or wood to ensure that the polls dry in the cement straight. I thought that I had them straight, but when Mr.Broomjumpinggroom came home he immediately said that they were not and got busy making sure that they were.

Once at the site....

• Space the buckets with the polls in them where you want them.
• With using the connectors, connect the shorter polls to the longer polls. Once connected you should have created a square.
• Decorate how you want. I used fabric, ribbon and flowers on my chuppah. The only issue that I had was ensuring that the numbers printed on the PVC pipe were covered up. To fix this I turn the buckets to the back of the altar and covered the polls with ribbon. You may want to use light fabrics because extra weight may not work well on the PVC polls. Make sure that you have good tape and/or stick pins to attach your decor to the PVC polls.

In creating a chuppah, make sure that you have many hands to assist with assembly at the site. It is quite helpful. Depending on the height make sure that you have a ladder, it makes it so much easier. At the end of the night, taking it apart was easy....my husband (who was ready to to leave) pulled on one of the polls and it just popped apart. Even though it came apart so easy, the chuppah was really strong. If you want to ensure that it does not pop apart you can always, use constructive adhesive to link the PVC connectors and pipes together. In the end, the buckets and polls that I used went in the trash, mainly because I do not have anywhere to store it after the ceremony and I kept all the decor.

Cost:

• PVC pipe $3.22 a piece ( the 4 short pieces was two pipes that were cut in half)
• PVC connectors $1.55 (4 connectors)
  
• Quikcrete $ 2.77 (4 bags)
  
• Paint bucket $ 1.00 (4 buckets)
  

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Total $40.60

( I love this picture. It shows my mom's handy work off. She made the table cloth, chair bows and the napkins for my sweetheart table. Thanks mom!!!)

There will be additional cost for the decor that you want to add to it. I loved the way that it looked for my wedding. My husband and I stood under it with our minister for the ceremony and had our sweetheart table underneath it for the reception. It added so much to our wedding. I was proud that I made it.

Halloween Wedding Ideas

With Halloween being next Friday, several couples will be celebrating their special day in a ghoulish way. Not all Halloween weddings have to be scary they can be quite elegant. There are several website that can assist you with your last minute Halloween wedding ideas or give ideas for your wedding for next year. Here are a few of the sites and articles that I have found that are specific to Halloween wedding planning.

• Halloweddings


• Apples for Teacher


• Wedding Photo USA


• Wedding Insight

If anyone out there is having a Halloween wedding and would like to share your ideas or photos, contact me at broomjumpingbride@yahoo.com and I will post them. Happy Hallowedding!!!

Chairs

You have to have a place for your guest to sit while they witness your vows and enjoy the celebration at the reception. There are several types of chairs to choose from.

• Chiavari--These chairs are usually gold or silver and have a bamboo design on them.


• Dining Room--These are the standard chairs that are used at most banquet halls.


• Resin--These chairs generally come in white or black. They are wood with a padded seat.


• Folding Chair--We know that these are. They come in metal with a padded seat or in black or white plastic.

Which ever chair you choose there are several choices on how to decorate them. You can use chair covers, which can be a little expensive, but make the room look really nice. I know I can not afford chair covers , but I might want to use one of these ideas to dress up the chairs at my wedding.

What are you doing for your wedding?
(Pictures from The Knot)

Wedding Traditions: Chinese Wedding Traditions

There are many wedding traditions for persons of Chinese descent. One of the traditions is a tea ceremony. The tea ceremony takes place right after the wedding ceremony, but some couples are choosing to do this during different times in their wedding depending upon the how private or public the couple wants the ceremony to be. The parents of the bride and groom are seated and the bride and groom are kneeling in front of them. The bride serves her father-in-law and father. The groom serves his mother-in-law and mother. There is not standard tea served, but some of the standard choices are green tea and orange blossom tea.

If doing a Chinese Tea Ceremony..here are a few items that you will need:

• Tea


• Cups


• Double happiness symbol


• Chinese marriage dragon gods


• Gold and red colors


• An altar to display ancestral pictures


• White flowers


• Offertory wine


• Incense
• Candles

If having a public ceremony, you will need someone to have someone explaining the ceremony if you choose to have a public ceremony. If interested in more information about Chinese wedding traditions or more explanation of this ceremony..click here.

Wedding Traditions: Latin Wedding Traditions

Many brides today would like to honor their heritage with adding something that reflects their culture to their ceremony. Here are a few things that a bride with Latin or Hispanic heritage might add to her special day.

The Thirteen Gold Coins (Trece monedas de oro)
The madrina de arras holds the 13 coins the bridegroom presents to the bride. The coins, or arrhea, was a Roman custom of breaking gold or silver, one half to be kept by the woman and the other half by the man, as a pledge of marriage.
The groom gives the bride thirteen gold coins as a symbol of his unquestionable trust and confidence. He pledges that he places all of his goods into her care and safekeeping. Acceptance by the bride means taking that trust and confidence unconditionally with total dedication and prudence.
The custom of the coins originated in Spain. Thirteen gold coins are given to the bride by the bridegroom, signifying he will support her. Often presented in ornate boxes or gift trays, this represents the brides dowry and holds good wishes for prosperity. These coins become a part of their family heirloom.
The number 12 represents Christ and his 12 apostles. The coins are presented to the priest by a friend or relative (usually the purchaser). The priest then blesses the coins and hands them to the bride who places them in the groom's cupped hands at the beginning of the ceremony. The coins are then placed on a tray and handed to an assistant to be held until later in the ceremony. Near the end of the ceremony the box and coins are given to the priest who places the coins in the box and hands them to the groom.
The groom will then pour the coins into the bride's cupped hands and places the box on top. This represent his giving her control as his mistress of all his worldly goods. (Sometimes their hands are tied with a ribbon for this portion of the ceremony.)

The Lasso (El lazo)
As part of the ceremony to symbolize unity, a large loop of rosary of beads or lasso cord is placed in a figure eight shape around the necks of the couple after they have exchanged their vows. It also is beautiful when made of entwined orange blossoms (which symbolize fertility and happiness). A double rosary lasso may also be given by one set of the parents and may be blessed with holy water three times in honor of the trinity.
A special person/couple places the lasso around the shoulders of the bride and groom, groom's shoulder's first. The lasso may also be tied around their wrists. The couple wears the lasso throughout the remainder of the service. (The loop is symbolic of their love which should bind the couple together everyday as they equally share the responsibility of marriage for the rest of their lives.)
At the end of the ceremony, the lasso is removed by either the couple which placed the lasso on the couple, or the priest. The lasso is given to the Bride as a memento of her becoming the mistress of the groom's heart and home.
Most weddings will use the mariachis at the end of the ceremony as a part of the recessional.
The reception is always family oriented and festive. Everyone is presumed to be invited.
For the bridal couple's first dance, guests will gather in a heart-shaped ring at the reception around the couple. Salsa, merengue and the flamenco guitar music may add a Latin flare to the reception.
Favors could be wedding cookies wrapped in tulle, Spanish fans, note cards of Mexican painters, or pieces of pottery could be given.

Wedding Tip of the Week: Jumping the Broom

The title, "Jumping the Broom", is really not what you think is the name for a blog about someone planning her wedding. To bring everyone reading up to speed about what " Jumping the Broom" actually is, I decided to share a few facts behind the title.



Jumping the broom was always done before witnesses in order for members of the slave community to know a couple was married. No form of marriage was recognized for African-Americans during slavery, therefore jumping the broom solidified this ceremony within the slave community.



Placing the broom on the ground symbolizes the couples new home together. Jumping the broom symbolizes the sweeping away of the past and the jumping into a new beginning.



Jumping the broom fell out of practice due to the stigma it carried, and in some cases still carries, among African-Americans wishing to forget the horrors of slavery. Once slavery had ended and African-Americans were able to have European style weddings, many African-Americans wanted nothing to do with anything associated with that era and discarded the broom jumping practice altogether.



Today many African-American couples add this practice to their ceremony once they are pronounced as husband and wife or when the couple first enters their reception. African-American couples do this today to honor their past and ancestors and to look forward to their future.



Here is a picture of what a broom would look like that would be used in a ceremony today. I did not want you to think that it was just an ordinary broom that you use for sweeping the floor. You can decorate the broom to reflect your wedding colors or theme.

I will be having this custom as a part of my wedding ceremony. I think that I want to do it right after we are pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Jumping the Broom. Are you having any special customs or traditions in your wedding ceremony? Like to share. Respond to this post.

(information from Wikipedia)