DELA PEÑA MASAYA SA TEAM

While every bride wants to look breathtaking on her wedding day, many women find it difficult to decide on the details that make all the difference such as whether to wear white or champagne, or how to style their hair.

Marco Polo Plaza Hotel becomes a one-stop destination to would-be brides and grooms as it unfolds the much anticipated Bridal Fair and fashion Show on May 19 and 20.

The island’s finest wedding planners, fashion designers, stylists, florists and photographers, as well as makers of exquisite jewelry,  personalized invitations and giveaways will be on hand to share their expertise and offer exciting choices  on how to make one of  the most important celebrations  truly memorable

The newly established Fashion Council of Cebu is the fair’s event partner. They are composed of the city’s top fashion designers such as Felix Yu, Philip Rodriguez, Minnie Yuviengco, Arcy Gayatin, Albert Arriba, Rey Santos, Oj Hofer, Ditas Rodriguez and Jun Escario.

Over cocktails at the Pool Lounge, a sneak preview of the forthcoming fashion show was presented and, it goes without saying, the invitees were more than pleased with what they saw.

While everyone is invited and encouraged to drop by Marco Polo Plaza and check the bridal fair, let me share with you some of the real meanings behind time-honoured wedding traditions. 

Something old, something new – refers to the bride’s passing from her old life to her new one, something borrowed reflects the sharing aspect of marriage and  something blue refers to the colour’s association with constancy.

The white wedding as we know is a Victorian invention before which brides simply wore their best dress with a white ribbon attached to it to symbolize purity.

Veils were traditionally thought to ward off evil spirits, who would be confused by not being able to recognize the bride.

The wedding ring, being circular, is a symbol of everlasting love. The tradition of wearing it on the third finger of the left hand comes from the Egyptians who believed that the vein from that finger ran right to the heart.

Confetti is thrown as a symbol of fertility. The Roman threw nuts and the Greeks figs to ensure fruitfulness in marriage. Later rice and almonds were used before giving way to paper.

The bride and groom should cut the wedding cake together to prevent a childless marriage. Keeping a piece is supposed to guarantee a husband’s fidelity. Today, many couples keep the top tier for the christening of their first child or celebrating their first anniversary.

The honeymoon is so called because newlyweds were traditionally meant to drink honeyed mead – a symbol of life and fertility for 30 days, until the moon waned.

A wedding reception is of course, a wonderful excuse for throwing a party. But also has links with the medieval period when the groom had to show that he could support his wife and so gave gifts of food to his future in-laws.