Issue September 1-30, 2005,
Wedding Ezine -The Online Magazine

We hope you enjoy our Wedding newsletter and find it both a fun and useful tool in the wedding planning process. Don't forget to book your Wedding Dance lessons with First Dance Impressions!

1) A Different Celebrity Wedding Photo from Past or Present!

This issues celebrity Brides and Grooms have just taken each other's hand in marriage and are still holding on! They are Shoshanna Lonstein walking down the aisle with new husband Joshua Gruss and Crown Prince Willem Alexander sitting with his new and teary eyed Bride Maxima.

2) A Wedding Tradition Explained!

"Decorating The Bride With Henna"

Decorating a woman with henna before her wedding day is one of the oldest uses of henna, possibly going back to the Neolithic period. Over 60 countries have traditions of hennaing brides. A "Night of the Henna" where the bride is adorned with these swirling intricate patterns exists in the Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Coptic, Jain, Zoroastrian, Sikh, Hindu and animist traditions. The "Night of the Henna" is not a religious ceremony; It is a family celebration, wherein women adorn and cherish the Bride in their home. The night before the wedding, the bride and other women gather together for the henna ritual. The bride may have a ceremonial bath, then henna is painted in swirls on her hands and feet by other women. Traditional Indian and Pakistani designs can be very intricate and detailed. These designs are often abstract with paisley shapes, lines, dots, etc. Middle Eastern henna body art tends to be even more abstract and less dense favoring graceful floral and vine patterns. African designs are usually simple as well, with more geometric shapes. The bride receives the most intricate patterns, while the other women may also be painted with less elaborate designs. Hidden within the Bride's henna design is often found the name of the groom or his initials. As an added bonus, a Bride was not expected to do any housework until her henna had faded. In the olden days, the older, married women would take advantage of the "henna party" to share the secrets of marriage with the bride-to-be.

3) Kim's Wedding Tips!

This is not something you can change your mind about! If you are considering Henna body art, try it out 6 months in advance to see how long it will last on you. Henna body decoration is like organic temporary tattooing without needles, a method of drawing various designs on the skin. The application of henna to the body is neither painful nor poisonous. Henna is a natural stain which contains hennotannic acid that binds with cells. It can not be rubbed off or washed away with soap and water. When the moist henna paste is applied it is always black, but the resulting pattern with natural henna varies from light orange to dark brown once it has dried. The henna stain will last until the top layer of the skin exfoliates and is replaced by new skin. The henna patterns can last as long as 8 weeks on the soles of your feet, or go away in as little as three or four days where your skin is very thin. The duration of the design varies from person to person, depending upon the quality of the henna, its individual reaction with a person's skin and how careful one is to preserve it. Henna is a permanent dye on fabric or wood, so be careful with your clothes and furniture!

4) Kim's Wedding Dance Tip "Whatever you say Honey!!"

Practice those words if you want to have fun dancing with your husband. Let me say them again: "Whatever you say Honey!" The ERA does not exist on the dance floor. And it shouldn't -- If you can lead a man around the dance floor then you will be utterly dissatisfied with his lead. Not politically correct, but true. Besides, men cannot follow and tend to get much more frustrated when they are first learning to dance than we do. One of the most important things you can do to help is to move with him no matter where he goes. Yes, even if he is wrong. I frequently harp on the necessity of following the man versus doing the step correctly. If you are right and he is wrong it hurts! Additionally your beloved will become frustrated if he can't get you to do the step he is trying to lead. If he is frustrated, he will only get worse. Laugh, smile and get out of his way. Work the male ego. Don't even mention that he did a step wrong! This giving up being right is hard for most modern women (we're right 95% of the time anyway!) So, practice fluttering the eyelashes, smile and say "Whatever you say Honey" whenever he tries to lead you. When your fiance has mastered leading and becomes more confident he will be a joy to dance with -- and he will also enjoy dancing with you!

5) Group Classes

Our teachers run events and perform locally on a regular basis.

Sign up for our mini groups this fall!
Have you and your friends always wanted to learn Swing, Salsa or even the sexy Argentine Tango? Dancing is a great stress reliever and wonderful social activity which can give you one of the best aerobic workouts possible. We will tailor a group class for 4, 6, 12 or even 50 people. No experience is necessary. Call us at (703) 868-0982 for more information.

6) This issue's Featured Vendor

Click on the banner above to visit Frame your Day or
Click here to e-mail Dana Dwyer, Owner of Frame Your Day

Frame your day offers you a great way to make beautiful keepsakes with your wedding invitations and photos. You select the pictures and /or images and provide one of your invitations. Dana Dwyer will discuss your wedding flowers and colors with you to inspire a completely original display. This also makes a lovely gift for the bridal couple (Mom's!). While we mainly deal with weddings with our Ezine vendors, Birth certificates, diplomas or other important sentimental documents could be substituted in place of the wedding invitations to commemorate and celebrate other big moments in your lives together.

7) Poems, Prayers & Promises

A romantic quote to simply to elevate your mood or to help you find the right sentiment for your vows or ceremony.

"Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is the threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years. That is what makes a marriage last."


Simone Signoret

8) A New Bridal Themed Wallpaper for your computer desktop!

Now your computer screen can be dressed up too! Simply right click your mouse on our background and tell your computer to save ("set") as wall paper, BUT be sure you have saved the current background on you computer desktop first, if you want to get it back! If the background does not show up immediately, right click on your desktop background and click on refresh.

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