Drink? That sounds easy enough.
By Never teh BrideFor the most part, I like the bring cake toppers to people’s attention because they tend to be ridiculous, tacky, or just plain odd. Just check out Godawful Wedding Crap for some chuckle-worthy examples! But every so often I come across a cake topper that I wouldn’t dream of using but is nonetheless culturally relevant to a culture not my own. Thus, I bring you the Native American wedding vase topper.
Like I said, it’s not my thing. But the wedding vase has been a part of the traditional ceremony for many a long year. In the past, the parents of the groom-to-be would craft and fire the vase a few weeks before the wedding. When it is complete, the bride- and groom-to-be, and his parents and her parents, aaaaaand all his relatives visit the bride-to-be’s home. She then shows all of these people the tools and equipment she will use to set up a happy home. I’m talking clothing, cookware, linens, furniture…everything.
The assorted family members present then heap sage advice upon the couple. Finally, the bride drinks a little holy water from one side of the vase, the groom drinks a little from the other side, and bada-bing, bada-boom, they’re hitched.
Because these vases are an intrinsic part of the marriage ceremony, they are treasured as works of art. A couple keeps their wedding vase until the husband or the wife outlives their spouse. The remaining half of the couple then gives the vase to a couple known to have a happy marriage, and the cycle, presumably, continues.
Now I love the sentiment, even if I don’t particularly care for the topper. I wouldn’t mind displaying one of the full size vases I linked to above, however. Oddly enough, I’m fairly sure my grandparents have one, if not more than one of these. I just never knew what they were until today!
September 7th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
You know, I’d be tempted to skip the ‘feed each other a slice of cake’ routine and just do the drinking from the vase tradition instead of having it as a cake topper.
September 7th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Wonderful notion, Audrey — then no one has any reason to chant “Smash it,” or goad anyone into making a messy mistake!
September 7th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
That really is a cool tradition though! I would love to have had something that was passed down the generations.
September 8th, 2007 at 5:29 am
Say what you will, it’s still better than those Precious Moments porcelain gewgaws. Or Hummels, for the social climbers.
September 8th, 2007 at 11:39 am
[...] Never teh Bride… The assorted family members present then heap sage advice upon the couple. Finally, the bride drinks a little holy water from one side of the vase, the groom drinks a little from the other side, and bada-bing, bada-boom, they’re hitched. [...]
September 10th, 2007 at 11:04 am
I am so with you there, raincoaster!