Celebrate Your New Union With A Sand Ceremony

Posted on July 28, 2009 by

In a sand unity ceremony, the traditional candles are replaced by glass tapers containing sand. A third vase will hold the sand that the bride and groom pour out from their individual tapers. The sand can be of different colors and the third vase will then hold sand layers of two different colors. You can choose the colors to reflect your wedding theme or any other color combination that is meaningful to you both. The union of the two selves is symbolized beautifully by the mixing of the sand in the third vase. Some brides and grooms choose to retain a little bit of sand in their individual vases to show that they continue to retain some individuality.

Sand ceremony unity candles are suited to both outdoors and indoors ceremonies. The wind cannot blow out these candles and there is no mess of dripping wax. Besides, others such as close family members too can take part in this ceremony to show that the families have now merged. It gives the wedding party a sense of participation in the wedding ritual. This is more so in the case of blended families where young children are involved. Each child can pour out a different colored sand of their choice into the unity vase. The children are bound to be thrilled and will share a sense of oneness after the ceremony.

No bridal dress is complete without bridal garters. You can either buy ready to wear garters or get custom made ones especially for you. Available in a variety of sizes including plus sizes, the garters come in either traditional blue or in more contemporary themes. Which ever you choose, order two, one for tossing and one for keeping along with your bridal dress.

No traditional wedding is without the wedding cake. You can get wedding cake supplies from either wedding specialty stores or bakeries. Or you can order the traditional bride and groom ornament on top from over the Net. These figures come in a variety of styles. Please choose one that symbolizes your idea of marriage as your wedding cake topper.

No wedding planning is complete without some extra thought being given to wedding favors. These are the way in which the bride thanks her guests for their time and presence and gifts and wishes. As such the wedding favors have to reflect all these sentiments and more. Show your gratitude to your guests by giving away candle wedding favors.

These wedding favors are a perfect combination of practicality and keepsake. They can also be personalized easily at a small extra cost. They come in a variety of colors and moods to suit your wedding theme. Your guests are sure to treasure them and light them up for a special candle lit dinner after a while. Always remember to order more wedding favors than the number of guests you plan to invite. This will give you enough leeway to include last minute guests into your plans without this leading to the necessity of making major changes.

All the things mentioned above can be procured either from online stores or offline ones. Whichever option you finally opt for, be sure to place your orders in advance. This is more so for the Internet shopping as you have to give them adequate time to ship supplies to you. The Net option is also likely to cost you a far lesser sum than the offline version. So if you are comfortable with making purchases online, you should seriously consider this at least for some of your wedding purchases. You are bound to save a lot of money that way. Moreover, the shopping experience is hassle free.

Get ready for the wedding by learning to delegate all work and responsibility. You should also rest adequately before the wedding. A well planned affair without too many frills will leave you free to enjoy your wedding day without the hassles of last minute preparations. Again, delegation is the key to a successful event such as a well conducted wedding party. And most of all remember to face the big day of your life with an even bigger smile. Nobody, least of all the bridegroom, can resist the charm of a smiling and cheerful bride.

Stories of the Gonzalez Family and the British in Jerez

Posted on July 16, 2009 by

Despite all his qualities, Don Manuel will never be as famous as his Uncle Joe. A famous conversation once overheard of two old gentlemen talking to one another in a dining-car on British Railways:

“Will you have a glass of sherry?”

“Yes, I think I will. What sherry are you drinking?”

“Tio Pepe.”

“Is that a dry sherry?”

“Yes, it’s very dry. ‘Tio’ means ‘very’ and ‘Pepe’ means ‘dry’.”

The fellow was a humbug! ‘Tio Pepe’ means ‘Uncle Joe.’ Uncle Joe was a maternal uncle of Don Manuel who was in the wine business at Sanlucar. Sanlucar is the home of those light, fresh, delicate wines known as manzanilla, and Uncle Joe was accustomed to drinking them. He had no time for the heavier amontillados and olorosos of Jerez.

So his nephew took two butts of his most delicate fino, marked them ‘Tio Pepe’ and kept them in a special room where Uncle Joe could go and entertain his friends with crystal cut drink glasses, custom coasters with monogrammed wine bottles, and other entertaining bar supplies. The friends liked the wine as much as the uncle did.

Vizetelly, rather alarmingly, likened it to one of the rarer growths of the Rhine. Soon people were asking for it, and a solera was started. It is now the most popular fino in the world. In the days when foreigners were rare in England and everything foreign was regarded as erotic and wicked, Don Manuel’s son visited Liverpool selling his father’s wines.

One of the wine merchants had some vague knowledge of these dreadful aliens and thought he would put his visitor at ease with a few polite inquiries:

“Are you married, Mr Gonzalez?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Ah! At your tender age I suppose you have only one wife?”

He explained that monogamy was an old Spanish custom. Anyone going to the Gonzalez, Byass bodegas today will see something quite unusual – a family of inebriate mice. They are kept by an old foreman who spends half his time looking out for cats. He thoroughly enjoys showing his dissolute vermin to visitors, and they are well worth looking at. They drink quite neatly out of a sherry glass accompanied by their pick of any paper coasters or table coasters they desire, but do not always know when to stop and get up to all sorts of antics.

Another important British firm, Mackenzie & Co., was founded in the middle of the nineteenth century: Kenneth Mackenzie came to Jerez in about 1842. He was succeeded by his nephew, Peter Mackenzie, who was perhaps the most British of all the British residents: although he lived in Jerez for many years, he never learnt to speak Spanish properly, and he used to delight the Jerezanos with his odd phrases.

Unfortunately little more is known of the history of Mackenzie & Co., as all the old documents are lost. In 1970, the company was bought by John Harvey & Sons, Limited, the great Bristol wine merchants, but that story belongs to a later chapter. By 1840, the fog of Victorian respectability was beginning to descend upon England; everything had to be done properly.

There was a new beatitude of bourgeois conventions, and one dictum at least was to benefit the sherry, table coasters, sandstone coasters, and custom coasters trade for many years before ultimately leading to disaster. It was considered “correct” to entertain with wine, but the quality did not matter much. Even in quite humble houses, there was a decanter of sherry with a few biscuits waiting for whosoever might call.

Cashmere Scarves… How to Make It Last Longer

Posted on July 1, 2009 by

Cashmere scarves and the fashion elegance they inspire… a single cashmere scarf can literally command respect and admiration on the person who wears it such that it should be kept in its pristine condition. This is to ensure that such a fine fashion accessory can complement the many needs of today’s modern woman – that of elegance and sophistication in the otherwise stressful career environments.

The quality of cashmere items like scarves, shawls, and toles are well known the world over. Stemming from the age-old tradition of hand woven, intricately designed neck scarfs that initially had the purpose of keeping human bodies warm during the cold summer months in India and Persia, cashmere products have clearly transformed from being a mere utility to a piece of fashion substance. Owing to the delicate nature of individual fibers of these fashion accessories, each cashmere scarf, shawl and tole hand woven by the Indian artisans from only the highest quality of wool, it pays to have these garments maintained in pristine condition. This does not necessarily mean, however that the owner of such a fine garment should spend a fortune for its upkeep.

Generally, it is best to allow ample time for the scarves and shawls made of high quality cashmere to rest in between uses. A 24-hour time period is observed from the first time it’s used and its next use, and 24 hours for every subsequent wearing of the womens scarf. This will allow the individual wool fibers to return to their original shape once the wrinkles brought about by its being worn are shed. It is highly recommended to hand cashmere scarf¸ shawls and other garments made of wool on shaped or padded hangers. Wooly garments such as cashmere can be given a breather from the abuse of frequent wear by hanging them in a steamy bathroom. The moisture from the steam will remove the wrinkles and will no longer require separate pressing.

One very important thing about prolonging the life of such delicate garments is to dry them in room temperature. First class cashmere scarf and shawls are essentially made of natural sheep’s wool that is sensitive to extreme heat. Drying them under the direct heat of the sun or in devices that produce heat can significantly damage the overall condition of these fine garments. Unless your cashmere garment has a "superwash" label, it is generally not advisable to machine wash these very sensitive fabrics because of the possibility of felting shrinkage. Hand washing is generally preferred by soaking them first in lukewarm or cold water with a mild soap or non-bleach containing liquid detergent for about 3 to 5 minutes.

The trick is in gently squeezing the soap suds through without necessarily twisting or wringing the whole cashmere garment. Rinse the garment twice in clean water with the exact temperature as the wash water and gently squeeze out excess water. Roll the garment in a towel and then pin the garment to dry away from sunlight and direct heat.

In ironing newly washed cashmere items, it is best to use a flat iron that has a built in steam function and has wool settings. The lowest setting of the flat iron is always used and the moisture coming from the steam vents facilitate the removal of wrinkles. Furthermore, don’t press directly on the right side of the fabric unless a press cloth is placed on top of the cashmere. An extra scrap of wool fabric can be good press clothes because they help to protect the resilient texture of cashmere while at the same time preventing ‘shine’ occurrences. The trick in ironing cashmere and other woolen garments is in literally "pressing" on the garment and avoiding the usual back and forth sliding motion.

and shawls made of high quality cashmere to rest in between uses. A 24-hour time period is observed from the first time it’s used and its next use, and 24 hours for every subsequent wearing of the womens scarf. This will allow the individual wool fibers to return to their original shape once the wrinkles brought about by its being worn are shed. It is highly recommended to hand cashmere scarf¸ shawls and other garments made of wool on shaped or padded hangers. Wooly garments such as cashmere can be given a breather from the abuse of frequent wear by hanging them in a steamy bathroom. The moisture from the steam will remove the wrinkles and will no longer require separate pressing.

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Monthly Archives: July 2009

Celebrate Your New Union With A Sand Ceremony

Stories of the Gonzalez Family and the British in Jerez

Cashmere Scarves… How to Make It Last Longer