Weddings And Marriages

Francis Githinji asked:


The definition of marriage can be described as broad. This will depend on the structure or method of description. A marriage can be both described in few words and in many words. Legally, marriage is the union of two consenting adults who are sane; to live together until their marriage is dissolved by death or divorce. Another description of marriage is that it is a contract between two individuals, who have made it public that they are joint emotionally, economically and legally. There have been very many misconceptions about marriage. People who decide to live together in the United States without a legal document to show they are married are not married. In Kenya, when two people live for a number of years and produce kids without a marriage license, they are deemed to be married. Therefore, when there is public perception of marriage in many countries of the world, a government will recognize it as so. There are very many legal implications that come with marriage. The person you marry will be entitled to what you have; whether property or assets.

For this reason, marriage and perception of marriage becomes very critical. It is very vital for your marital status to be made clear. The traditional definition of marriage is not different. It stresses on longevity of a marital union which is supposed to be eternal. Many cultures mark their marriages differently. One thing marriages have in common in the social aspect. The community is usually invited to witness and behold the great transition. The above definition of marriage is for an ideal couple; a man and a woman. To address the *** community, marriage will have a slight difference in definition. Countries that allow *** marriages like Canada have a definition of marriage for their *** country men and women. They refer to such marriages as unions. A *** union is therefore a legal marriage between two people of the same *** for the purpose of living together for the rest of their lives. In the UK, they do not recognize this definition and, there is therefore no provision for *** marriage. Another form of marriage is polygamy.

This is where one man decides to be joined to more than one woman. Polygamy is not very popular in the west but, there are a very many people who practice it. The Muslim community is a polygamous one. A man can marry 4 wives. It is also very popular in the continent of Africa. Polyandry is the union between a woman and many men. It is illegal in many countries. It is vital to end with knowledge of what polyamory is. This is when married people decide to have *** in and out of marriage. It is commonly known as an open marriage. It has become popular in the recent past. It is meant to fulfill all the sexual urges that partners may have. It is vital to note that, for a marriage to be called a marriage there must be consummation or completion of marriage. This means that the couple must make love to have a true marriage. Otherwise, people who have not yet consummated their union can have their marriage annulled.

SA Wedding Photographers asked:


Your wedding day goes by so quickly, it’s just obvious that you’ll do everything in your power to preserve your memories! I can’t think of a better way of doing this that with a Wedding Scrapbook.

Its important to decide what your goal is before you enthusiastically approach your first page. Would this book only tell your wedding day tale or do you want it to include everything from the engagement to the honeymoon? Decide on a look and feel (romantic, vintage, clean) as well as on the colour scheme before you start this exciting project.

The most popular way is to go with your wedding colours, but it might be interesting to add a bit of extra colour, for example if your wedding colours were white and lilac, you can add silver and a deep purple to this, even a slight touch of pink. As long as the colours don’t overpower your photos – the extras should be subtle in order to make your photos the primary focus (the majority of the memorabilia can be stored in a nice memento box). You wouln’t want to look at this in 15 years and shreak, therefore its better to keep it simplistic, which will definitely guarantee a timeless and elegant look.

It would be wise to do your planning before you hit the shops. This would include how many pages your album would be, what photos and memorabilia you’d like to use etc. To create a personal, intimate feel, use the more spontaneous photos for scrap booking, the more posed photos can be framed or sent to family members, the remainder of the photos can be stored in a separate album. It’s a good idea to print a duplicate set to work with – this would give you peace as you’re working, knowing that your originals are safe.

Memorabilia you might want to include:

- Wedding and bridal shower invites

- Fabric from your dress (as well as any other fabric samples)

- Receipts

- Bridal registry

- Napkins

- Any form of printed material (menu, song-list etc, congrats and thank-you cards)

- Honeymoon tickets and extras

- Congrats and thank you cards

The foundation of a scrapbook is the journaling, sit down somewhere where you won’t be disturbed and go back to that special day – What did you feel when preparing for this big day, when the minister declared you husband and wife, sitting at the reception looking at your guests? When writing, be real and be yourself. We so often forget these very special moments, this way your memories will be preserved as long as you both shall live.

Bring in some of your friends or family’s thoughts – ask a few people you are close to, to write down a sentence or two on what it was that stood out for them on this day (supply them with nice paper or a colourful pen). Start the book with a dedication page – why you are creating this book, why your wedding day was such a special day etc. Some other pages you can add is “what I remember” or “what I was grateful for” or even “what didn’t matter at this stage” – as women we often plan this day and want it to be absolutely perfect, but when we are in the moment, we realize that that’s so not the point of this day.

As you create your book, be real and true – don’t only choose the perfect pictures – being real when choosing your photos and writing your love story will show throughout your book. And most of all, enjoy making this book and enjoy this season!

For info on wedding photographers in South Africa go to SA Wedding Photographers