Congratulations on the loaf from the groom's mother. How the groom's parents greet the newlyweds after the registry office. What do you think should be done with him now?

Examples of parents’ speech when meeting newlyweds with a loaf

After the marriage ceremony in the registry office, before the ceremonial feast, it is customary to greet the newlyweds with “bread and salt,” that is, a wedding loaf laid on an embroidered towel, which is carried out by the groom’s mother and an icon in the hands of the father.

This ritual is accompanied by many beliefs and traditions that must be followed by both newlyweds and their parents.

One of these traditions is the obligatory speech of parents.

To meet the newlyweds with the wedding loaf, it is necessary to prepare a short speech for 3 - 5 minutes, but no more than 7 minutes, since the young spouses and their guests, returning after a walk, will most likely want to rest a little and enjoy the delicacies prepared for the wedding feast.

A long speech can be made closer to the middle of the feast.

A few warm words coming from the parents’ hearts often look better than a pre-memorized speech, and not all parents are able to memorize congratulatory words, for example, in poetry. If parents have concerns that all the words will be forgotten due to excitement, you can write them down on a paper card and keep them somewhere nearby. Even the simplest words “blessings”, “congratulations” and “advice and love” sometimes sound better than long and flowery speeches.

OPTIONS FOR PARENTS' SPEECH WHEN MEETING YOUTH WITH A LOAF AT A WEDDING

When meeting the newlyweds, the parents bless the new family, and the groom’s mother brings out a loaf of bread to the wedding, saying: “Dear children! Please accept this wedding loaf from us with wishes for strong love, prosperity and prosperity for your family.”

Then the remaining parents make a short speech: “We cordially congratulate you on the birth of a new family and wish you...” or “I believe that after many years spent together, warmth and tenderness for each other will remain in your hearts, like the warmth of this beautiful loaf, your table will be richly set, and the house will be filled with the cheerful laughter of your children. May you live happily ever after!".

Words like this would also be useful: “Dear children! We wish you happiness and bless you for a long and happy life. May you live happily ever after!"

Parents can also say that their daughter-in-law has become their favorite daughter, and their son-in-law their son, for example: “We are very happy that, in addition to a wonderful son, we now have a beautiful daughter.”

The speech of parents should be simple and understandable to all guests, so you should not tell funny stories from the lives of young people. You should not make jokes that may be unpleasant for the young people or their guests and can ruin the festive mood. After making a speech, guests should have a feeling of a friendly and comfortable atmosphere for them.

If parents have doubts about whether the prepared speech is correct, it is worth reading it to someone else who can evaluate whether the speech contains phrases that can be understood in two ways and whether the speech is worthy of a wedding celebration.

As a rule, if parents prepare in advance for delivering a speech, the speech turns out much more beautiful and interesting. Preparation will give you confidence and help you avoid mistakes. You can also practice facial expressions and gestures that will be used during speech delivery. By repeating the speech prepared for the moment when the wedding loaf is brought out, parents can remember something important that they would like to tell the newlyweds.

When all the parting words and wishes have been said, the toastmaster, on behalf of the newlyweds, invites guests to the wedding table.

What words should parents find to bless the newlyweds?

According to tradition, the groom’s mother meets the newlyweds on the threshold of the restaurant with a loaf of bread on a towel, the rest of the parents are nearby, the bride’s mother or father can hold glasses with a drink (champagne or just mineral water) on a tray.

Words when meeting the groom's mother(Several variants):

1. My dear children, I sincerely congratulate you on the beginning of a new path in your life. And on the threshold of this happy beginning, I present you with the main symbol of prosperity and well-being in all things earthly - a wedding loaf. I want your hearts to retain the warmth that this loaf has preserved for you. Let your house always be full of guests and let everyone get at least a small piece of food. Advice and love to you!

2. Our dear children! Today is your wedding day. We would like to sincerely congratulate you on this event. We had a son, and now we are doubly happy to have such a beautiful daughter. Your union is simply a great happiness for us. First of all, we, of course, are happy for our son, who has found such a lifelong friend. But his girlfriend has become our daughter today, and her happiness is just as important to us. We ask you to keep your hearts as warm until the end. Advice and love to you!
3.
Warmest congratulations
Take it in the shower now.
Advice and guidance
Listen to us.
May your home always sparkle
Comfort and warmth.
Let joy warm you
With your holy soul!
Have a good trip!
Advice and love to you!

For mother of the bride(the mother of the bride is not obliged to say welcoming words to the newlyweds, but if there is a desire, then, of course, it is possible):

1. Our dear children! At this exciting hour, we sincerely congratulate you on this wonderful holiday! As we guide you into family life, we wish you to always love each other, keep love, and strengthen love. Our dear daughter, protect your family hearth like the apple of your eye, let there be comfort and order in your home, let the pies smell delicious in your kitchen, be a true friend and life partner to your spouse! Our dear son-in-law (son), be a real master in your home, take care of the well-being of your family, be a good father to your children, respect and honor your wife! Happiness and love to you, dear children!

2. I want to congratulate you on your marriage.
Keep the warmth you have acquired.
And do your best,
So as not to waste everything you found.
Live peacefully, amicably, fairly,
So that trouble cannot sneak up on you.
May life be fun and beautiful.
Never part, children.

3. I want to throw flowers at your feet,
So that the road is paved with them.
So that your secret dreams come true,
You ask God for blessings.
I'll shower the family with congratulations,
Which is a little over an hour old.
I'll sprinkle you with holy water,
I will bless you, so that with a reserve.
I hasten to congratulate you with all my heart,
After all, the marriage took place.
All congratulations in the world are good,
I give them to you with all my efforts.

The young people break off a piece, dip this piece in salt, feed each other, wash it down with a drink and break glasses for good luck, throwing them at the same time with their right hand over their left shoulder. The guests form a living corridor through which the newlyweds pass to their places of honor.

If you choose poems, try to memorize them. Reading from a sheet when nervous means stuttering and stuttering, fixing your gaze on the piece of paper, and at this moment it is important to look at the young people, and the speech should be gentle and friendly.

The tradition of greeting newlyweds with bread and salt came to us from ancient times, when salt was still a sign of wealth, and bread was baked differently in each house: some from sieve, some from zhizn. The mother-in-law, meeting her daughter-in-law on the threshold of the house, offered her to try THAT BREAD that she would now have to eat all her life in her husband’s family. And if she presented the most precious things - bread and salt, which used to be worth its weight in gold, then she gave the go-ahead for the marriage!

Another controversial point that I would like to mention is: should the loaf be distributed to guests or only young people can eat it?
The answer must also be sought in the roots of tradition. The fact is that before, and even now, Ukrainian holiday loaves were baked three-tiered, decorated with sugar icing and dough flowers. Isn't it true that the analogy with a wedding cake immediately comes to mind? So, the young people left the upper tier for themselves and their parents. Moreover, part of it was supposed to be wrapped in a clean rag and kept forever. Close relatives were treated to the middle tier. And the bottom one, the largest one, was distributed to the guests. To leave a wedding without a piece of loaf is to offend the newlyweds.
Now decide for yourself what to do with the loaf.

Since ancient times, our country has had a tradition of welcoming newlyweds with a loaf of bread after their wedding or marriage. This special bread is considered a symbol of the hospitality of a family welcoming a new resident into their home, namely a daughter-in-law. This wonderful custom has been preserved almost unchanged to this day. The parents of the newlyweds have a special role in this ceremony. Therefore, this article proposes to take a closer look at its implementation and study the words of the meeting of the newlyweds with a loaf at a wedding.

Drawing up a scenario for the newlyweds to meet with a loaf

Nowadays, while the newlyweds are on a walk and photo shoot, their parents and holiday guests go to the banquet venue, where they prepare to welcome the newlyweds. Usually everything goes according to the following scenario:

The guests form a corridor along which the bride and groom will pass. At the same time, they should shower the young ones with rice, rose petals or coins.
Parents make a congratulatory speech and bless their children for a happy married life.
Then the bride and groom, in turn, must break off or bite off a piece of the loaf, dip it in the salt shaker placed in the center of the loaf, and eat it. There is a sign that the one who bites off the largest piece will be the head of the family.
Although biting is a twisted version of tradition. Previously, they broke off a piece from a loaf.
Then the newlyweds are presented with glasses of wine, and they are asked to wash down the loaf and pour the rest behind their backs.

Briefing for guests

Arriving at a restaurant or cafe, guests should gather near the entrance and wait for the newlyweds to arrive. The wedding organizers explain the meeting scenario to invited friends and relatives, and give out small items to shower on the bride and groom. Then a corridor is built from the guests.

Excessive force should not be used when throwing objects at young people, since getting hit on the head with a coin, for example, is not very pleasant. It's better to throw them under your feet. The toastmaster must explain to the guests that by doing so they will, as it were, pave the way for the newly formed family with prosperity and wealth.

Who should present the loaf?

After the procession along the living corridor, the young people approach the entrance to the banquet hall, where they meet with their parents. According to a long-standing custom, the groom's mother should hold the loaf on a towel. This is due to the fact that this is how the mother-in-law welcomes her new daughter into her home.

However, you can deviate from this tradition and give this right to the mother of the bride, since now it is rare for newlyweds to go to live in the groom’s house after the wedding, but move into a separate apartment. And, accordingly, the conditions for accepting new members into families are equal for both the mother of the groom and the bride. An excellent way out of this situation could also be the decision to hold a loaf of bread on both sides to both women, symbolizing the reunification of two families.

What do fathers do when newlyweds meet?

Under no circumstances should dads distance themselves from the ritual of meeting the loaf. In the hands of one there should be glasses of wine, with which the young people will wash down the loaf, and the other will hold the icon with which the parents bless their son and daughter for a happy and carefree family life.

Treating guests to a loaf of bread

After completing the meeting ritual, the newlyweds must enter the hall and dance their first dance, and then treat everyone to a loaf of bread. Its sale, like a wedding cake, is categorically excluded, because bread has always been a product that was shared with a pure soul and without self-interest. Therefore, the bride and groom must offer each guest a piece of loaf.

Welcome words from parents when meeting a loaf of bread

The text of congratulations, blessings and parting words should be written in advance so that unnecessary incidents do not arise. The speech may contain poetry or be in the form of prose; there are no clear rules in this regard, the main thing is that the words come from the heart. It is advisable that each of the parents address the newlyweds with congratulations.

You can see an example of a blessing in prose below:

“Our dear and beloved children! Please accept this loaf prepared by your parents with all your heart as a sign of blessing for a happy married life. We wish your family to be strong and your relationships to be tender and prosperous!”

The message of the mother-in-law and mother-in-law in poetic form can be read in the photo:

As for the fathers of the newlyweds, they should also take an active part in the blessing ceremony. One of the parents should have a tray with wine and an apple cut in half as a snack. In this regard, dads can recite the verses shown in the picture:

It happens that some men are a little shy in public and don’t know what to say, however, it’s still worth saying a few encouraging and supportive phrases. The children will be very grateful for this.

It should be concluded that such an ancient custom as meeting young people with a loaf of bread after marriage is very important and solemn to this day. And the newlyweds will remember the words of their parents as a blessing for the rest of their lives.

about tradition, the groom’s mother meets the newlyweds on the threshold of the restaurant with a loaf on a towel, the rest of the parents are nearby, the bride’s mother or father can hold glasses with a drink (champagne or just clean water) on a tray.

Words from the groom's mother when the newlyweds meet

(Several variants):

My dear children! I sincerely congratulate you on the beginning of a new path in your life.
Our dear children! Today is your wedding day.
Warmest congratulations

For mother of the bride

(the mother of the bride is not obliged to say welcoming words to the newlyweds, but if there is a desire, then, of course, you can):

Our dear children!
I want to congratulate you on your marriage.

I want to throw flowers at your feet,

IF YOU WANT TO BAKE A LOAF YOURSELF, THIS WILL BE USEFUL FOR YOU
RECIPE FOR A REAL WEDDING LOAF!

Another controversial point that I would like to mention: Should the loaf be distributed to guests or can only young people eat it?

The answer must also be sought in the roots of tradition. The fact is that before, and even now, Ukrainian holiday loaves were baked three-tiered, decorated with sugar icing and dough flowers. Isn't it true that the analogy with a wedding cake immediately comes to mind?

So, the young people left the upper tier for themselves and their parents. Moreover, part of it was supposed to be wrapped in a clean rag and kept forever. Close relatives were treated to the middle tier. And the bottom one, the largest one, was distributed to the guests. To leave a wedding without a piece of loaf is to offend the newlyweds.
Now decide for yourself what to do with the loaf.

As you know, participants in any event remember its beginning and end best. For guests who were not present at the marriage registration, the beginning of the wedding celebration is the moment the newlyweds arrive after the registry office at the banquet hall, so the meeting of the newlyweds is perhaps one of the key components of the holiday. Of course, the meeting scenario largely depends on the preferences of the newlyweds, on the theme of the celebration and on some objective factors (for example, the time of year and weather play a significant role), however, a certain set of mandatory elements of the ceremony has developed, which will be discussed below.

Loaf

The most traditional way of meeting newlyweds is with a loaf of bread, which is primarily due to tradition: just as in ancient times, parents greeted newlyweds with a loaf of bread after the wedding, and today, the groom’s mother holds the ruddy, richly decorated bread in her hands when the newly-made spouses come to the restaurant after registering their marriage in registry office and walks.

Of course, in many ways this ritual continues to remain, let’s say, sacred: the mother-in-law, offering bread and salt, seems to accept her son’s young wife into her family, while the mother-in-law holds an icon in her hands to bless the newlyweds. The bride and groom, according to tradition, must cross themselves, bow to the icon, break off a piece of the loaf, dip it in salt and give it to each other to eat, then thank their parents and kiss them three times.

Salt, by the way, is an obligatory element of the meeting: according to one version, future tears are eaten along with it, according to another, the young people symbolically “annoyed” each other for the last time in order to live in peace and harmony in the future. Interestingly, the salt shaker should also be present at the celebration dedicated to the 25th anniversary of marriage; However, the meaning of this attribute is somewhat different - the salt shaker represents a pound of salt that the couple ate together.

However, today the meeting with a loaf of bread has in many ways become nothing more than a symbol, so there is no talk of any strict observance of all the rules prescribed by tradition. For example, instead of an icon, the mother of the bride often holds a tray with glasses of champagne or a plate of honey, symbolizing the sweet life. Well, breaking off pieces of a loaf has long turned into a competition: whose piece turns out to be larger will be the master of the family.

However, often young people do not break off pieces, but bite them off, striving for family leadership. Perhaps this procedure causes fun among the guests, but, frankly speaking, it does not look entirely aesthetically pleasing, especially in photographs and videos in which the newlyweds, including the tender, ethereal bride, are captured with their mouths wide open or with bread crumbs on their lips .

It seems that for the sake of elegance and aesthetics of the beginning of the holiday, it is still worth breaking off pieces of the loaf, or even better, to give up the competition and, in order to maintain traditions, try the loaf, cutting off two small pieces in advance, which the newlyweds can easily take, salt and quickly chew.

Rushnik

Most weddings are not complete without an embroidered towel, symbolizing the long and bright journey of the newlyweds. As a rule, a loaf is placed on it, folding the edges of the towel towards the center. However, when newlyweds meet, towels sometimes perform other functions.

Firstly, a towel is necessary if the meeting program includes a blessing from the parents: it covers the icon with which the newlyweds are blessed. Secondly, at some weddings a large towel is laid out in front of the door: as in the case of a loaf, this is a way to determine who will be in charge in the house - the one who steps on the towel first. Probably all newlyweds already know how to avoid disagreements: the groom must take the bride in his arms.

Another ritual is associated with spreading a towel in front of the newlyweds: according to Slavic mythology, a special role in the house is assigned to the threshold - the border between the family territory and the outside world. There are many superstitions associated with it: you can’t talk across the threshold, you can’t pour water, you can’t sweep the house away from the threshold, you can’t hit it, and other, other superstitions. At a wedding, the groom carries the bride over the threshold in his arms so that she does not accidentally touch the floor and thereby encounter evil spirits. And in order to protect the newly-made husband, a towel is spread in front of the threshold (in our case, in front of the entrance to the banquet hall).

Glasses

Another detail of the meeting of the newlyweds, which has become almost obligatory, is the breaking of glasses before entering the restaurant. Dishes, as you know, beat for happiness - and when else can you dream of a happy future if not at a wedding? Happiness in this case is not a well-fed life, as it might seem, but the absence of quarrels, because breaking plates often accompanies a stormy showdown. Let this dish be the first and only one that the young people will break on purpose - something like this might sound like the toast that accompanies this action.

However, the custom also has another meaning - you should not relax! Yes, a wedding is a wedding, but life is not only a holiday, it is also difficulties that we have to overcome together. The sound of a glass breaking should serve as a reminder that there is no need to give in to problems. By the way, in the Hebrew tradition, the groom did not throw the glass, but stepped on it with his heel - this personified victory over all adversities.

Besides, is it possible to do without spirits and otherworldly forces that are just waiting to prevent the wedding from taking place? You need to outwit them by breaking the dishes - let them think that they managed to do a little mischief after all, and leave the young people alone. It is interesting that, according to Russian custom, when the newlyweds met, the father of the bride brought them two glasses of vodka. The young people put them to their lips, but did not drink, but poured them out over their left shoulder (behind which the demons were hiding, while the place of deployment of the angels was behind the right shoulder). Vodka got into the eyes of evil spirits, neutralizing it, however, only for the duration of the holiday.

Finally, breaking glasses is another way of telling fortunes “for a boy or a girl.” It is believed that if they break into small fragments, a girl will be born first, but if they break into large fragments, there will be a boy. According to another version, the number of fragments determines the number of children that will appear in the family.

By the way, just as at a banquet the glasses of the bride and groom should be different from those used to serve the tables for guests, so you need to break “special” glasses. This, of course, is a trifle, but it is precisely details like these that ultimately make up the overall impression of the holiday. However, the main thing is that the dishes break easily, that is, you should give preference not to crystal glasses, but to glass ones.

Even during the celebration, do not forget about safety rules. Firstly, you only need to break glasses on the street; enclosed spaces, especially small ones, are far from the most suitable place for this. Secondly, the toastmaster or witnesses must ensure that the guests present at the ceremony have moved away to a safe distance. And it’s even better to carry out the ritual with minimal losses: after drinking the champagne, wrap the glasses in beautiful napkins, put them on the ground and break them with your heel.

The ceremonial cutting of the ribbon usually accompanies the opening of a new building, institution, event - in a word, some kind of undertaking. The red ribbon is a symbol of success, a symbol of a new stage, expectations and hopes. It is not surprising that this custom has found its place in the scenarios of modern weddings, and the ribbon does not have to be red at all - by and large, any color can be used that is in harmony with the color scheme of the ceremony or with the shades of the bride’s dress.

Very often, it is not just a swing of scissors (it is important to check that they are sharp!), but some kind of symbolic action. For example, the number of children is judged by the number of resulting segments (who said that the tape can only be cut in one place?). By the way, a small red ribbon is present in the wedding tradition of Turkey; True, not at the celebration itself, but during the engagement. It ties the wedding rings of the bride and groom to each other and thus symbolizes that from now on nothing can separate them, and the connection between them will be eternal.

Guests meeting the newlyweds at the banquet hall line up in a living corridor and arrange a real rain for the newly-made spouses - say, from rose petals. Beautiful and romantic, isn't it? In addition, it is also popular, easy to organize - in a word, complete advantages. According to tradition, the mothers of the bride and groom begin the sprinkling first, and only then do the rest of those present join them, but it is not at all necessary to follow these rules.

Perhaps the most important thing when organizing such a meeting is to choose what the rain will actually consist of. In Rus', as a rule, it was hops - as a symbol of life in wealth and prosperity. Well, today's newlyweds have slightly different preferences, although the meaning of the ceremony remains the same: the guests symbolically wish the young spouses well-being and happiness.

The most wonderful decoration of the ceremony is a rain of rose petals, which personify eternal love and beauty. Don’t forget about practical issues: white petals don’t always look great in photographs, especially against the background of the bride’s white dress, and bright red petals can leave marks if the flowers come in artificially colored (unfortunately, many flower shops are guilty of this ). The solution is to use pink petals or buy flowers from trusted retail outlets.

By the way, such fireworks turn out to be very beautiful if they consist of petals of different shades. Flower shops today are increasingly offering to purchase ready-made kits, but they can be stored until the holiday for no more than three days and only in the refrigerator.

A completely worthy replacement for living petals is paper confetti: it’s festive and very inexpensive; in addition, confetti can be of different shapes and colors (including shiny foil ones). This option, however, must be agreed upon both with the young people, who may not want to take out multi-colored paper circles from their pockets and hairstyles after the ceremony, and with the restaurant.

In many European countries, as well as in Russia, there is a widespread tradition of showering young people with grain - rice, millet, oats, which symbolize wealth and prosperity. If you can make real fireworks from flower petals, then it is better to throw grain under your feet - so that on the first wedding night the groom does not have to remove rice from the bride’s hair. In exactly the same way - coins are thrown at your feet; They're unlikely to get stuck in your hair, but the "money shower" can be quite painful.

An effective, albeit expensive, solution is “revived” fireworks made from butterflies. It is believed that if you catch a butterfly, whisper your cherished wish to it, and then release it, then everything you have planned will definitely come true. This way, a wedding can simultaneously become a day of “dreams come true” not only for the newlyweds, but also for everyone present.

Finally, wedding rain can be sweet - if the role of drops is played by candies. As in the cases with coins and rice, it is better to throw sweets, even if they are very small, at the feet of young people in order to avoid unexpected troubles. Well, to the delight of children, who, as a rule, collect these candies with pleasure. By the way, about children. It is believed that their presence during the shedding ceremony is a good omen, which guarantees numerous and healthy offspring.

Let us remind you of small details, the absence of which can spoil the impression. Whichever version of the “holiday rain” you choose, it is important to think about what guests will use to hold petals, rice or coins. Ordinary plastic bags are too mundane and ugly, so it’s worth ordering or making yourself original bags or small baskets, designed in the style of the wedding.

Living corridor

If the newlyweds, for one reason or another, decided to refuse any “rain”, this does not mean at all that they should not organize a living corridor, because such an element of meeting the newlyweds is beautiful, solemn and allows you to set a friendly and cheerful tone for the entire holiday. The bride and groom will be pleased, even if the guests simply greet them with applause and chants of congratulations, but some decorations of this “system” will not be out of place.

Perhaps the most obvious, but also the most expensive solution is flowers. To make the ceremony not only elegant, but also stylish, it is better for everyone present to hold in their hands not their own bouquets in assorted wrappers, but, for example, one rose of the same shades.

Another option for decorating a living corridor would be, say, narrow ribbons on sticks, which guests will wave in greeting when greeting the newlyweds. If you are not lazy and glue a small rhinestone to the edge of each ribbon, they will glow brightly in the sun and look even more elegant. Such ribbons are a good solution for those who want to prolong the celebration, because you can wave them for a long time (if the guests, of course, do not get tired).

In addition, in order to capture in a photo, say, the already mentioned rose petals in flight, the photographer must be quite efficient and experienced, while young people can go through the corridor of ribbons twice for the sake of a successful shot. Well, if you put the initials of the newlyweds or the image of some symbol reminiscent of the holiday on the ribbons or on the sticks themselves, they will also become a wonderful souvenir for guests.

The decoration of the evening wedding will be sparklers, with which guests will illuminate the path of the newlyweds to the banquet hall. This option is good for a holiday that takes place in winter: it gets dark early, the meeting is limited in time due to the cold, but with the help of sparklers it can be made unforgettable even in such conditions.

Three roads

The problem of a crossroads, choosing the right path, is one of the central ones in Russian folklore; Let’s remember at least the treasured stone with the inscriptions “If you go to the left, you will lose your horse,” “If you go to the right, ....” The newlyweds, it would seem, have already chosen their path, but their joint path in life depends only on themselves, which, in fact, symbolizes the popular scenario of a meeting in the form of three roads.

The options offered for choice may be different, but the most correct one, which does not require serious reflection, is patriarchy, equality, matriarchy. It seems that the obvious solution for the groom is to take the bride in his arms and take the middle road, choosing equality in the family.

One of the varieties of the “numerical” theme is not three roads, but four elements, with the help of which newlyweds are initiated into spouses. This scenario allows you to combine almost all the elements of a meeting at the banquet hall, which were mentioned above. The first element is earth: the young are invited to step on a spread towel, which will protect them from falls (in other words, from life mistakes). A “test by earth” can also be a joint planting - probably not a tree (it’s hard to imagine a bride in a snow-white dress and with a shovel in her hands), but, for example, a flower bulb in a beautiful pot.

The second element is fire, a sign of the hearth and family warmth. Fire can be personified by lit candles, sparklers in the hands of guests, and a passionate, “fiery” kiss of the bride and groom. The third element is water: the young people are invited to give each other water (or champagne) so that not a single drop falls between them, or drink the drink through straws from a common bowl.

The fourth element is air; it can be personified by snow-white doves, the already mentioned butterflies, and balloons. Finally, the very “fifth element” without which life is impossible is love. Well, in fact, the entire festive banquet following the meeting of the newlyweds will be dedicated to love.

Other options

The elements of meeting newlyweds listed above are the most popular, widespread and traditional. However, nothing prevents you from moving away from traditions and making the ceremony unusual and different from others. Let's try to imagine what else could accompany a meeting at a restaurant:
. Alternatives to loaf - pizza; ice cream topped with multi-colored syrups (their colors can also be played with); strawberries and cream; bagels (whose half turns out to be larger after breaking - he will be the leader in the family).
. Meeting the newlyweds with two large painted boots (after all, from now on they are “two boots - a pair”).
. Presenting the bride and groom with two wide glasses, in each of which a bright fish swims: they should be symbolically released into one common aquarium.
. Symbolic burying of the “axe of war” (young people bury a small toy hatchet in a flower pot).
. Presenting the newlyweds with a nesting doll, in which notes with the secrets of family happiness are hidden; in the last, smallest nesting doll, there is a note with the word “love”.
. The newlyweds are given two pieces of ice in small bowls; holding them over the candles, they need to be melted and the resulting water drained into one common glass (the ceremony symbolizes that the warmth of love melted two souls, which from now on united into one stream).
. An offer to walk along a rainbow (designed using stretched ribbons or pieces of fabric), each color of which symbolizes something: red - love, orange - passion, yellow - warmth, green - eternal youth, blue - health, blue - fidelity, purple - wisdom.
. Presenting the newlyweds with a “new family business card” with their names, home address and telephone numbers; During the banquet or after it, they can distribute these cards to everyone whom they will be glad to hear and see as their guests.

Practical points

How does the average wedding guest usually prepare for a wedding? In addition to choosing a nice outfit and the best shoes, he usually doesn't dine, trying to "save room" for the holiday goodies that will be served at the banquet. This means that the newlyweds are greeted not just by welcome, but also by fairly hungry guests who are eager to sit down at the table as quickly as possible.

Considering that the newlyweds may be delayed during a walk or, for example, get stuck in a traffic jam, this wait can become very tiring. This means that the meeting of the newlyweds should not be long. Its main goal is not to entertain the participants of the celebration (for this, the organizers of the holiday have the whole evening ahead), but to create an atmosphere, to serve as a kind of transition from the official part of the holiday to the informal one.

It is better to give up complex competitions, demonstrations of dexterity and ingenuity, and a large number of welcoming poems - such a meeting scenario will not be appreciated by either the young people themselves or the guests, many of whom, moreover, still feel rather constrained, especially considering the fact that not all of them know each other. 10 minutes is perhaps the maximum duration of the welcoming ceremony; during this time it is quite possible to prepare those present for the holiday without tiring them.

The second important point that cannot be ignored when planning a scenario for meeting young people is the time of year and weather conditions. It is unlikely that the enthusiasm of the guests will be caused by waiting for the newlyweds outside in severe frost or in pouring rain; in such conditions, it is better to hold the ceremony in the restaurant lobby. Of course, not all ideas can be implemented indoors, but even a meeting within “four walls”, with due diligence and imagination, will turn out to be original and memorable.