Vlady Peters - EzineArticles.com Expert Author Bio

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Vlady Peters - EzineArticles.com Expert Author

Vlady Peters is an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant performing weddings, naming, renenewal of vows and commitment ceremonies both for Australian citizens and for overseas couples visiting friends and relatives in Australia. She is the author of two traditionally published books, "The Complete Book of Australian Weddings" and "The Small Organisation Handbbook" and is in the process of releasing two ebooks dealing with weddings and honeymoons. Her major interest is research into customs and traditions ... [More]

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Happy Ever After
[Relationships:Wedding] It used to, ‘They married and lived happily ever after’. Now, what with his, hers, and their children, the wedding day itself is a challenge. His children don’t like her. Her children don’t like his children. And their children don’t know why the other children don’t go home where they belong instead of hanging around.

The Practical Side of the Handfasting Ceremony
[Relationships:Wedding] There’s an awful lot of information about the Handfasting ceremony. Libraries carry books on the subject, specialty shops are selling special ribbons and cords for the ceremony itself, and they’re even producing boxes and porringers which are perfect for holding the ribbons. Yet there are some practicalities that make the Handfasting ceremony something of a challenge. How do you handle all those cords or ribbons before, during and after the ceremony?

It’s All Showbiz
[Relationships:Wedding] I remember reading about a society wedding which was a cross between a Hollywood production and a Roman Orgy.

Getting A Foot In
[Relationships:Wedding] While we bewail the lot of women, courtship for men wasn’t always a picnic either, especially in times where he had to make all the moves, and could end up with egg on his face.

Husband Wanted Apply Within
[Relationships:Wedding] Charles Dickens, on his visit to America, was appalled by the Democratic way with which young people got married. It seemed to him that while democracy was all right in its own way, when choosing a wife a man should think long and hard before choosing a spouse.

Where Did It All Begin?
[Relationships:Wedding] There used to be a song which went something like this: “Anything Russia can do, US can do better, US can do anything better than Russia. No, it can’t! Yes, it can! No, it can’t! Yes, it can! No, it can’t! Yes, it can! Yes, it can! Yes, it can!” For the past few years, something similar has been happening about the newest wedding tradition, Handfasting.

Honeymoon Registry and the Question of Money
[Relationships:Wedding] What is the one important thing to remember when planning a Honeymoon Registry?

Honeymoon Registry - Up and Running
[Relationships:Wedding] You’ve taken the plunge and decided to use a Honeymoon Registry. Where do you begin?

Choice of Honeymoon Registries
[Relationships:Wedding] You’ve had a good think about it, and you’ve decided to have a Honeymoon Registry. Which one do you choose?

Honeymoon Register - Simple as A B C?
[Relationships:Wedding] No matter what the people in the know say, putting together the Honeymoon Registry is nowhere near as simply as compiling the Bridal Registry.

Honeymoon Registry! Or Why Not Just Ask for the Money?
[Relationships:Wedding] Let’s face it, your friends know that you and your partner are an established couple and you need another hot water jug like you need a hole in the head. Why bother with a Bridal Registry or, indeed with a Honeymoon Registry, when they are fully aware that what you really need at this time is hard, cold cash. And why not be up front with it and say so.

What Exactly is a Honeymoon Registry?
[Relationships:Wedding] I guess, most of us know what a Bridal Registry is, so it must follow that we should know what a Honeymoon Registry is. Right? Wrong!

A Priceless Pearl
[Relationships:Wedding] I remember reading a book, whose title escapes me, about a good time girl who decided to go straight. And that she was successful was shown in the last pages of the book when she was described as dressed in a little black dress, wearing the understated elegance of a string of pearls. Pearls, it seemed, showed quiet arrival, unlike the diamond's vulgar swagger.

Rice or Rice Balls
[Relationships:Wedding] Guards of Honour for a bride and groom have come in all sizes and shapes. There has been the one we are most used to seeing - officers forming a path of honour by having their swords drawn over the heads of the bride and groom

Look, Don't Eat
[Relationships:Wedding] If we were quite candid, despite all the hoop la surrounding the wedding cake, there's a lot of people out there who hate the taste and the texture of the traditional wedding cake.

Robbing the Cradle
[Relationships:Wedding] What has Joan Collins, Madonna and the wife of Karl Marx in common?

And Never-Ending Good Fortune to You
[Relationships:Wedding] Over the centuries, brides have carried in their hands all sorts of things.

Honeymoon or Honeymede - It's pretty Sweet
[Relationships:Wedding] The Babylonionas swear that they were drinking mead when the rest of the world hadn’t even been discovered. Both the Greeks and the Romans deny such a possibility. And the Irish state, unequivocally, before the Irish Mead, there was no mead. Say, what you will, though, mead has always been part of the wedding tradition.

Virginia is for Lovers
[Relationships:Wedding] It's hard to decide whether Virginia is for lover or not. Apparently it is one of the few remaining American states where state laws are still deciding the sexual morality – or lack therefore – of their citizens. Perhaps it was correctly named, valuing as it does the sanctity of marriage, and the celibacy of those who choose to remain single. Apparently in Virginia, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Padlocks of the Heart
[Relationships:Wedding] Remember ‘Calamity Jane’, when Doris Day , racing from behind a rock, to stand in front of a tree, flying off to lean against another tree, all the while singing away about her secret love for Wild Bill Hickok? No doubt, there would be a time when Bill and Jane would reenter the little woodland, or whatever it was, and Bill, unsheathing his Bowie knife, would slash out a heart in the bark of ‘Black Hills’ White Spruce, or Ponderosa Pine, and whittle out Bill loves Jane XXX.

Who Needs the Marriage Certificate?
[Relationships:Marriage] There are couples who set up a home, have children, and are husband and wife in every way, except one. They haven’t taken the final step of making their commitment a legal one. As they will explain to anyone who wants to know, they see no necessity for this. Their commitment to each other is genuine enough without the piece of paper. But one might argue, if that piece of paper is so unimportant, why do they avoid it so much?

The Girl Who Refuses to Marry
[Relationships:Marriage] In one of Jane Austen's book we learn that the usual way of getting the daughters married in those times, was to have them enter society one at a time. Once the older one was safely married, then you would introduce the next one into the society. And so on from the eldest to the youngest. If you were to let all your daughters out at the same time, they would, in effect, be competing for the same same eligible bachelors.

L is for Love
[Relationships:Wedding] In the days where a father was unlikely to leave his young daughter alone with a suitor, the couple had to come up with a lot of imaginative communication systems which didn't require them to actually speak.

Often a Fiancee, Barely a Wife
[Relationships:Wedding] Parents, in particular mothers, have a way of distressing their unmarried daughters with such remarks as, "When are you going to settle down and get married?" or "I want to be a grandmother" or the real body blow, "You're not a spring chicken any more" – like you haven't noticed!

Groom's Best Men
[Relationships:Wedding] Few people have not heard the story of the tragic hero Cyrano de Bergerac. Skilful with his sword, and his pen, with the golden tongue of a nightingale, with a woman he could only succeed if he kept his face in the shadows. It seemed Mr. De Bergerac had the kind of nose that was a real turn-off. Jimmy Durante's "Schnozzola" had nothing on Mr Bergerac's monstrosity. And these, unfortunately, were the times where plastic surgery was as yet unheard of.

A Lock of Your Hair to Dream On
[Relationships:Wedding] The Victorian lovers, ever the sentimentalists, were forever giving each other meaningful gifts.

Wedding Gifts – Wanted and Unwanted
[Relationships:Wedding] It's been suggested that presenting wedding gifts to the bride and groom goes right back to the medieval times where the Lord of the Manor was Lord of all he surveyed, including the people who lived on his estate. His quarrels were their quarrels, and if he went to war with the man next door, they had to aid and abet in whatever way they could.

When Alexander Met Roxane – and Barsine
[Relationships:Wedding] Though a world-tripper, it is believed that when Alexander the Great caught sight of Roxane, it was love at first sight. Considering that Alexander was conquering all the lands thereabouts, including those of Roxane's father, it was fortunate for Roxane that he was so susceptible.

Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride
[Relationships:Wedding] Like the best man, in times past, there was no such thing as a bridesmaid who was married herself. The whole object of being a bridesmaid was to eventually achieve the status of becoming a bride herself. A girl who was being constantly solicited to be a bridesmaid, without ever negotiating to the next level of being a bride herself, was deemed to be doing something wrong. After all, she was out there, in front of all those eligibles, so why was she missing out in the bridal sweep stakes?

Weddings the Pioneering Way
[Relationships:Wedding] In Westward the Women, we encounter the first mail-order brides. A host of women set out into uncharted territories to find themselves a better life and a husband in the rich lands of California. One of the many problems that a newly arrived bride encounters in a foreign county is the inability to communicate in the language of her partner. But at least they can get married and try. In the colonial times of early American history, even tying the knot wasn't that easy.

A Deeper Meaning
[Relationships:Wedding] Seeing a good film, or hearing a great choir, or a wonderful film, we are often touched by the beauty of the whole, without actually thinking about all the details that go into making that perfect whole. And nowhere are small details more important than in the production of a royal wedding dress.

Come One, Come All
[Relationships:Wedding] Whom to invite to a wedding is something of a diplomatic relation job. Some people do it in a workman like manner.

I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty
[Relationships:Wedding] The tradition is that the bride always steals the show, as the wedding day is the bride’s day. Well, not always.

If You Really Loved Me
[Relationships:Wedding] While the search for love is universal and often thought to be synonymous with happiness, there seems something within the human psych that refuses to feel worthy of either. Somehow, no matter how well life treats lovers, they invariably manage to spoil it all by saying something stupid best unsaid.

And You Thought You Had Problems
[Relationships:Wedding] Another name for a wedding could be called the gathering of relations that you rarely ever see at any other time, and hope never to see again after the wedding. Often you must invite them not only because it’s the done thing, but also to keep the numbers up. If you’re going to put on a show, you want as many people as possible to see it. So it is with most people, even those living in castles and palaces.

Please, Please, Please Marry Me
[Relationships:Marriage] For many, shopping has more or less become a reason for living. If you find yourself at loose ends on a Saturday afternoon, you go to the shopping mall. And while that’s not all that bad in itself, it’s inevitable that once there, you find you simply can’t resist buying something. And even that wouldn’t be so bad. But often, in the privacy of your home, you look at the article and wonder, what on earth where you thinking when you handed over your good money for an absolutely useless piece of merchandise.

Mother-in-Law
[Relationships:Wedding] Times were when a girl married she not only acquired a husband, but also a mother-in-law. In those days the mother-in-law viewed her daughter very much like a personal slave. And it seemed, that the more the mother loved her son, the less fond she was of his wife.

The More Magnificent the Dowry, the Greater the Love
[Relationships:Wedding] Although we think of dowries as an old fashioned custom where the parents need to add to the bride’s charms by bribing the groom or his family with a few essentials such as a cow or two, in many countries where the woman’s status is no different than it was centuries ago, the custom continues with some very tragic twists.

The Dress That Dreams Are Made Of
[Relationships:Wedding] When it comes to the wedding dress, problems will pop up whether you're a beggar or a Queen.

A Kingdom for a Horse
[Relationships:Wedding] Caligula, like most Roman emperors, was ever at war with his senators. Inevitably they accused him of not doing the right thing by his subjects, being too extravagant in his own personal life style, and thought his morals or lack thereof, stank. He had an idea that if one of these days, someone slipped him some of those special mushrooms, they'd do their best to get along without him, thank you very much.

The All Important Colours
[Relationships:Wedding] When it comes to selecting the right colour for the wedding outfit, the bride is not only bound by her own sense of what suits her, but the perceptions of others.

Silence is Golden – At Some Weddings
[Relationships:Wedding] I first came across the word ‘Quaker’ in the film ‘Friendly Persuasion’. Gary Cooper starred as the Quaker, who now and then allowed the devil to get the better of him – in the nicest possible way. And then there were those liquid eyes and feckless smiles of the Oscar nominated Anthony Perkins. But for me, the most memorable of all, was the theme song, starting with the words, ‘Thee I Love’.

For Worse, No Matter How Bad
[Relationships:Wedding] At the height of the Black Plague raging during the medieval age, the one cry heard most frequently was, ‘Bring out Your Dead’. Death was so omnipresent that some cities lost ninety percent of their citizens. By the time the plague played itself out, neither church, nor government, nor the medical profession, was inclined to go out and succour the needy. They knew that exposure meant almost certain death.

When Gifts Simply Won't Do
[Relationships:Wedding] It would be true to say that these days more than 50% of all couples who eventually marry, are already living together. In that state of marriage without licence they may go ahead and buy a house together, set up the house with all those bits and pieces that transform a house into a home, and might even acquire a child or two.

These Are Their Stories
[Relationships:Wedding] For many people a wedding is a time for self-expression, not to say, showing off. In particular, the wedding cake tends to be the medium through which they tell their stories.

Here Comes the Bride
[Relationships:Wedding] In America, last to arrive at the alter is the bride. In England she is first. But whatever the timing of the arrival, a wedding march has been part of the wedding ceremony ritual since the beginning of time.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon
[Relationships:Wedding] In their continuous quest for something new and different for their wedding, grooms and brides sometimes make the most awkward choices

I Take You to be My Second Husband
[Relationships:Wedding] There was a suggestion, no doubt circulated by a widow, that a widow made a much better wife than some young thing marrying for the first time. After all, experience always matters. For many people widows, from Mrs. Robinson down, hold a certain fascination, not untinged by fear. But despite their promotional efforts, it has always been an uphill fight for the widow.

Till Death Us Do Part
[Relationships:Wedding] Every bride and groom is into personalized vows. They want to have their little say about what love and marriage means to them – and they want the whole world to know. Some of these vows, dragged out of love-filled hearts, are a pleasure to listen to. Others, just dragged out, make painful listening. The profundity is somehow lost in the open air of a wedding day.

For Better or Worse
[Relationships:Wedding] Have you noticed how men, as in male, have a tendency to make a mouthful of what seems to the unhampered mind so simple? Take marriage for example. There was a time, around the 1200’s or thereabouts, that couples could get married simple by stating the fact that they wished to become husband and wife.

The Difficulty of Getting Married
[Relationships:Wedding] Since the beginning of time, Governments seemed bent on curbing the enthusiasm of the people they ruled. As soon as they noticed people enjoying themselves, it was let’s hasten to the House of Commons and see what we can do about it. Most particularly, they seemed to be for ever meddling with the matters of the heart, wanting to tell people how old they should be before they got married, what place they should select in getting married, and sometimes even what spouse they should choose in order to get married.

Wedding with a Difference
[Relationships:Wedding] When Russell Crowe tied the knot with Danielle Spencer, the wedding had the glitter you expect from well-known personalities.

Lucky! Lucky! Lucky! Bride and Groom!
[Relationships:Wedding] Our forefathers (and mothers) were a fearful bunch. They worried that when it started to rain, it might never stop. And worried again that when the rain stopped, it might not start again. Similarly, while they lived in daily fear that they might become a snack for some marauding animal, they worried even more if the animal decamped and they lost their own supply of food.

Gift for the Gift-Givers
[Home-and-Family:Babies-Toddler] We all know the tendency for the bride and groom to be feasted with gifts galore. Quite often, though, they return the favour by feasting the gift-givers with gifts of their own.

Catch that Bouquet!
[Relationships:Wedding] Throwing the bride’s bouquet, as well as catching the bride’s bouquet, has its moments.

The Word's Out - All Couples Are not Equal
[Relationships:Wedding] In the marriage reforms initiated by the Australian government, one thing became very clear, marriage as defined by the Australian Law, could never embrace the idea of a marriage between two people of the same sex.

Valentino By Any Other Name Would Be A Tango Dancer
[Home-and-Family:Babies-Toddler] Valentino, like James Dean, died while his career was just beginning to take off. Had he lived longer he may have retained his charismatic reputation. Or, as in the case of many others, it may have died under the weight of second rate movies.

Staging the Wedding Play
[Relationships:Wedding] Often a wedding is viewed as a minor stage production with the bride and groom as the stars of the play. In such an event even the celebrant has to be auditioned. Should it be a man or a woman? Is an older person preferred to a younger one? What proportion should they have. Short? Tall? Comfortably rounded or aesthetically thin? Choosing the celebrant is actually the least of a couple’s problems.

We're on our Honeymoon - but not Alone
[Relationships:Wedding] When Zsa Zsa Gabor - she of the 'I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back' fame – was planning her ninth honeymoon, she did have some problems.

Baby Naming Wish
[Home-and-Family:Babies-Toddler] Since a Naming Ceremony is a ceremony evolving as we speak, it is interesting to see some of the new aspect entering into the celebration, such as making a wish for the baby’s future life.

Baby Naming and Godparents
[Home-and-Family:Babies-Toddler] Cinderella had a wonderful fairy Godmother who helped Cinderella achieve her heart's desire in meeting and captivating a prince. This kind of Godmother seems to be totally different from the kind of Godfather Marlon Brando portrayed. But despite this, or perhaps because of this, parents often wonder whether the term Godparent is appropriate term to use for a Naming Ceremony.

Baby Naming
[Home-and-Family:Babies-Toddler] There’s always been a debate about names. Are children destined to carry out the expectations of the names given them? Can a Jeeves ever reinvent himself to be anything but a butler? Were the names given to the twins in Steinbeck’s ‘East of Eden’ a kiss of death for anything but a replay of the story of Cain and Abel?

Wedding Day Is Not The Day For A Rehearsal
[Relationships:Wedding] Speaking of speaking, we all know that practice makes perfect. As we hear this or that speaker stand in front of the hot lights of television, we wonder in admiration at both the eloquence and the proficiency of the performance. Is this person one of the lucky ones, born to impress?

Unaccustomed As I Am To Public Speaking
[Writing-and-Speaking:Public-Speaking] Who doesn’t dread hearing a speaker at a wedding beginning with the words, ‘I’m not used to speaking in public.’ Inevitably this is followed by a long speech which proves the truth of the speaker’s opening remarks, or a very short speech which is also bad, but only for a short time

Wedding Cake! Is There Anything New Under The Sun?
[Relationships:Wedding] Living in those areas of the world, and those historical times, where obesity rather than malnutrition is likely to figure in our conversation, it might be difficult to understand the preoccupation with food that figures so largely in all our celebrations.

Wedding Hospitality – the Scottish Way
[Relationships:Wedding] When it came to hospitality, to the ancient Greeks it was the first commandment of life. Anyone under your roof, beggar or fool, became as a member of your family to be treated with generosity and respect. Perhaps the greatest example of how highly hospitality was regarded in ancient times, can be seen by the actions of Hercules – that man of inordinate strength whose labours are legendary.

Words You Hate To Hear At A Wedding
[Relationships:Wedding] The bride was radiant, the groom sober, the father of the bride managing to look prosperous, and the children under five uniformly cheerful. In short, a perfect wedding. But as the bride and groom inclined their faces towards each other in that momentous ritual of a first kiss as husband and wife, there were those hateful words from some one pretending to be whispering,

Richer Than Solomon. Without the Unhappy Ending
[Self-Improvement:Attraction] Something that ticks most people off is that whenever you complain to one of these bigger organizations, nine times out of ten you get the reply, ‘I’m sorry, it’s Company rule. We can’t do anything about it.’ And it’s almost as if they’re saying that this rule is beyond human power to transcend, when we’d have to be slightly thick if we didn’t realize that the reason the Company has such a rule is that it benefits them. The day the rule benefits the customer more than the Company, changing the rule will be done with the alacrity of a gazelle trying to outrun a hungry lion.

Wishing on a Star Might Not Do It. But There are Ways
[Self-Improvement:Attraction] I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m asked to create a wish list, it’s usually a very short one. My wishes don’t run to yachts and helicopters or Arabian ponies – or whatever the latest craze of the rich and famous happens to be. I understand I’m pretty normal. It seems that the longer we live, the shorter our list of wishes becomes, as experience tells us that wish as we may, our wishes will never come true.

Is this Really How You Want to Live?
[Self-Improvement:Attraction] I heard somewhere that just as nature hates vacuum and immediately rushes in to fill the gap, so it’s not possible to hold two emotions simultaneously. That is, you can be happy or you can be miserable, but you can’t be both at the same time. All rather obvious and some might say simplistic. But actually, a lot of people, without realizing it, choose unhappiness as a way of life, all the while claiming that happiness is what they really want.

Feel Better than You've Ever Felt Before
[Self-Improvement:Attraction] Talking about feeling good is well and good when you’re feeling good. But how can you feel good when you feel bad?

Life, Anyway You Want It
[Self-Improvement:Attraction] Life, death. One is as certain as the other. And many people, in fact, prepare themselves for the latter a lot more thoroughly than for the former.

Change Your Life More Easily than You can Imagine
[Self-Improvement:Attraction] I came across Lynn Grabhorn’s ground breaking book on Law of Attraction by accident. As my husband needed to go to the library, I accompanied him there for something to do. I stopped at the row of non-fiction books closest to the door, intending to keep on moving around the room till my husband was finished. Somewhere between Philosophy and Great Lives, I discovered ‘Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting’. As intrigued as I was by the title, l was even more intrigued by its subtitle – ‘the astonishing power of feelings’.

Is She the One?
[Relationships:Wedding] From the beginning of time, when a man was looking for his mate, at the back of his mind was the thought, am I choosing wisely. Today, he will get on the internet and fool himself into believing that the glamorous photograph of his lady love, is a true and honest representation. And, of course, the details of her many accomplishments and talents are in no way being exaggerated.

One Word More or Less
[Relationships:Wedding] Back in the days when pyramids were still being built, losing a war brought with it retribution. Since every nation, and even every city, had its own gods, the conqueror would sometimes adopt the vanquished foe’s gods and place them in his own arsenal of armoury. After all, was the winner’s thought, as long as the god was being worshipped, what cared he as to who was worshipping him. And you could never have enough gods on your side.

Ring on Her Finger, and One through Her Nose
[Relationships:Wedding] Rings, as ornaments, have had a long history. Rings, as part and parcel of romantic history, not much shorter. Being so small, and yet so visible, it was inevitable that they should be seen as an external sign of affection, especially if they could also be judged as financially valuable.

Coffee, Anyone?
[Relationships] Who, in their lifetime, hasn’t popped into a coffee shop to meet friends and loved ones, and after spending an hour or two drinking and gossiping, popped out again no worse for the experience? Most of us. But there have been times in the history of mankind, when the drinking of coffee meant a difference between getting that girl of your dreams and not getting her.

Wedding Extravaganza
[Relationships:Wedding] The extravagance of weddings is a popular topic. We blame it on modern commercialism. But then, what excuse could President Ulysses S Grant have for the money he spent on his daughter’s wedding?

Love on the Internet
[Relationships:Wedding] People are looking for life-long relationships in the most peculiar places. There’s the favourite haunt – the hotel. Here, the optimists imagine they’re going to meet a partner who never drinks or swears, apparently having accidentally stumbled into the hotel while seeking directions to the nearest church.

Toss a Garter or Two
[Relationships:Wedding] The tempo of the music begins to rise. Drums begin to throb. The bride and groom rise. Yet another ritual begins. Removing the garter from the bride’s usually hidden leg.

A Honeymoon Like No Other
[Relationships:Wedding] When it comes to choosing a honeymoon destination it’s usually sandy beaches and blue waters here, a historical sight there, or a luxurious pampering from morning till night somewhere else. The other day, though, looking through the various web sites, I came across a honeymoon destination which must surely be the most unique of them all.

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
[Relationships:Wedding] When people think about great love stories, more often than not they’ll think about Romeo and Juliet. These, of course, were no more than two hormone-sizzling teenagers whose major fascination for each other was their parents’ opposition. But here’s a real love story.

And the Bride Didn't Wear White
[Relationships:Wedding] While through history brides have agonized over what to wear on their wedding day, usually looking good was never too far away from their thoughts. Except during the American Revolution and the American Civil War.

Honeymooning on the Waves
[Relationships:Wedding] Cruising down the river was always deemed by couples the ultimate romantic date. You can’t be much more together alone than when you’re separated from the rest of the world by sheets and sheets of water. But who started the idea of a floating honeymoon is not hard to imagine.

Flowers in Her Hair
[Relationships:Wedding] Before George W. Bush became a President, John Quincy Adams was the first son of a President to become a President himself. But while John Quincy Adams lost that first, for him and his family there are still other firsts.

Honeymoon for Gourmet Lovers
[Relationships:Wedding] What about this business of food for lovers? Is it possible that if you eat this, that or the other thing, your time in bed with your partner will be more satisfyingly active? And is this food only designed for men, or is there something out there in the world to kick-start those lazy, inert women, as well?

The Sweet Smell of Love
[Relationships:Wedding] When it came to love-making, Napoleon, that short plump bundle of masculinity, knew that it all started in the head.

The Lover Who Always Succeeds
[Relationships:Wedding] To paraphrase a song, “Are you doing it more, but enjoying it less?”

Love Begins at Forty-Five
[Relationships:Wedding] As you reach 30 and beyond, you encounter a very frightening phenomena.

Money! Money! Money! Especially on a Honeymoon!
[Relationships:Wedding] It wasn’t the wedding of the century. Six people in all arrived at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York to watch the young man and woman exchange their vows. Two more had been invited but as they were running late – and this was before the easy communication of mobiles – too bad for them. The very young and very attractive bride was fetching in her suit of midnight blue with a matching hat trimmed with leather ribbons and buckles. For their honeymoon the groom had chosen a near by hotel where the two celebrated so enthusiastically that they were thrown out of the hotel not long after their arrival.

Ladies Choice. Will any Man Do?
[Relationships:Wedding] Every woman in the room agreed that Crichton was a cracker of a butler. Even before you began to open your mouth to say, “Crichton, I need” there was a shawl around your cold shoulders, drink in your thirsty hand, and a foot stool under your weary feet. But for these high-society ladies to have any design on Crichton as a possible lover. Forget it. When all was said and done, Crichton was just a butler. An admirable butler, to be sure. But butler none the less. Then something happened to change all that.

Which Erogenous Zones?
[Relationships:Wedding] Remember the frenzy of the paparazzi when they caught Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, having her toe sucked at a beach? What was the big deal? Was it that she was so well-known? Or was it that this piece of fore play was being conducted in a more or less public place? Or was it the toe itself that did it?

Pretending or Being a Lover
[Relationships:Wedding] When Maria Callas first appeared on the international scene, she sang like a bird, looked like a small whale, and the only people who truly knew and loved her were the perennial ticket-holding opera lovers. Few years later, looking like Audrey Hepburn, photographers couldn’t get enough of her face and body, socialites overwhelmed her with invitations to their yachts and private planes, and rich men kept their beds warm ever hopeful that she might, one day consent, to join them there. Yes, the world and its’ inhabitants are superficial.

The Morning After the Wedding Night
[Relationships:Wedding] Ah! It’s the wedding night. You’ve cut the cake, drank the toast, danced the dance, and now, at last you are completely alone. Unlike the bride and groom of the past.

Encore Honeymoon
[Relationships:Wedding] Henry Vlll and Elizabeth Taylor, who between them had fourteen spouses, would have had quite a few headaches planning their weddings. There would be the obvious ones – Shall I wear white for my marriage to Eddie Fisher? After all, even though this is my fourth wedding I am only 27 and white looks magnificent on me! And the less obvious ones – Should I invite all my ex ex ex wives’ relatives to the wedding? For if the truth be known, I’ve always been more fond of them, than of her.

Did Casanova Really Need the Oysters?
[Relationships] Scientists are rubbing their hands together with glee. A recent study of underwater creatures proves conclusively that oysters have certain properties that could very well enhance performance in the bedroom. Thus it follows, say the scientists in great satisfaction, that Casanova’s reputation as the world’s greatest lover can now be put down definitely to his voracious appetite for oysters. But did Casanova really need the oysters? Or did he simply like oysters?

The Night They Invented Champagne
[Relationships:Wedding] In the dim past of the last century, good time girls like Marilyn Monroe always celebrated their moments of victory with a glass of bubbly. ‘I’m marrying a millionaire,’ she’d thrill. ‘Let’s have champagne!’ Corks would pop, and the golden liquid would swirl and fizz into those wide, saucer-shaped glasses. Well-manicured fingers would spread elegantly around the bowl, the wine sparkling invitingly through the hollow stem. Then with a suddenness of an express train passing a station, the saucer-shaped glass disappeared. And a whole tradition of romance went with it.

Like Sand Through an Hour Glass
[Relationships:Wedding] Symbols! Weddings are full of them. Exchanging rings. Exchanging roses. Tying hands with ribbons. Merging coloured sands. Lighting candles. Releasing doves or butterflies. Ringing bells and kissing chimney sweeps. But when it comes to real drama, no symbol can match smashing a glass or two.

Requesting the Presence of Your Presents
[Relationships:Wedding] For better or worse, in people’s minds weddings and wedding gifts go together like a horse and carriage. Social reformers in the guise of religious reverends and ministers might rail against the excesses practiced by bridal couples, but their words fall on unheeding ears. Even governments, from time to time, try to curb the tendency by passing laws against luxury and extravagance. Invariably their influence is as transient as their own existence. Weddings without gifts is a contradiction in terms...

'ello? 'ello? 'ello? Is that the Wedding, then?
[Relationships:Wedding] You hear them at champagne-flowing parties. You hear them in crowded trains. You hear them in bumpy buses. And much, much too often you hear them at weddings. They’re a curse and abomination to many people everywhere, but to a couple about to be married, they’re the absolute limit.

Me Tarzan! You Jane!
[Relationships:Wedding] Once upon a time a caveman, while out for a walk, came a across a young woman. Struck by her beauty he immediately tried to get her attention by violently thumping his chest, his good imitation of Tarzan’s victory cry reverberating through the length and breadth of the forest. His mother, seeing that he was receiving no reaction, said in disgust, “Oh, Billy, when it comes to women you have no idea. Instead of all that thumping and roaring, why don’t you give the girl what she really wants?”

We're Engaged!
[Relationships:Wedding] He’s popped the question and you’re dying to tell someone. Without a second thought the two of you race like the wind to share the good news with your mum and dad. Wait! Haven’t you read enough etiquette books to know that there’s a right way and a wrong way to spread your fantastic news? And the way you’re going to do it will bring you nothing but regrets.

The Bride's Greatest Ally
[Relationships:Wedding] On Friday, 1st May 1835, Mr Charles Dickens, the creator of “David Copperfield” and “Please, sir, can I have some more?” was the happiest of mortals. He had proposed and had been accepted. By Saturday, 2nd May 1835, Mr Charles Dickens was wrestling with that knotty problem facing every Groom.

What's a Goldfish Doing at a Wedding?
[Relationships:Wedding] Time was when you’d open a wedding invitation you’d find an understated high quality piece of parchment...