Wedding Bliss

It is in June when the strains of Wagner’s ‘Here Comes the Bride’ and Mendelssohn’s ‘Wedding March’ are frequently heard.

Folklore has it that June is the favorite wedding month because it is named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and those who get married at this time will enjoy happiness and prosperity for as long as they live.

There’s another historical bit, naughty and likeable. In the 15th and 16th centuries, those in the Western world took a bath only once a year, in May which was designated bath month. Thereafter, many festivals including weddings were held in June when everyone smelt clean.

Among our superstitious ancestors, this popular rhyme served to remind the bride on what to expect if she got married on any day of the week and it goes like this:

Marry on Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday the best day of all,
Thursday for crosses,
Friday for losses, and
Saturday for no luck at all.
The Sabbath day was out of the question.

Fast forward to the digital age where any day is a good day to get married, including Sundays. The marrying season also begets many expressions of Like and Unlike – similar to Facebook – for wedding presents among friends and relatives.

Here are ‘his’ and ‘hers’ gift suggestions in many categories which the about-to-weds will love receiving especially if it’s from you.
If you like one or more of these suggestions, add them to your shopping cart, leave instructions to the courier where to deliver it (within 7 days, they will). You wouldn’t want to be seen backpacking the wedding gift, especially if it’s a huge one, to the church and the reception.

We have a Facebook page you can follow…if you want to be inspired by the latest in young fashion, gadgets, signature perfumes and health.

Dad

1972 was the year that saw breakthroughs in science and technology – the start of the space shuttle program in the US, programming languages, calculator, the first cable subscription service (HBO), video games.

Prominent among these major tech events – well, to the majority of us now basking in the computing world - was being able to communicate with each other through the computer and the beginnings of the Internet (known at that time as Arpanet).

1972 was also the year that Father’s Day was proclaimed a national holiday by former US President Nixon, although six years before that another former US President (Lyndon Johnson) had declared the 3rd Sunday of June to be Father’s Day.

The event’s legitimization as a holiday in the US happened after 100 years of lobbying by civic, trade and church groups to honor all fathers – not just mothers - on a special day. It has since then spawned yearly celebrations across the world that even the corporate world never missed observing because it touched an emotional chord in every man, woman and child.

We all have to thank Sonora Dodd of Washington who in 1909, came up with the idea of celebrating Father’s Day, as a tribute to her dad and all dads. You see, when she was only 16, Sonora’s mom died and her father – a Civil War veteran – took care of all his six children. Not much has changed 100 years ago. There is a Sonora in all of us who will try to find many ways to kick off Father’s Day celebration.

As we get closer to D Day, why not make use of the global info flowing freely through the Internet into our computers to help us decide correctly and quickly what we can do for our Dads.

Treating him to dinner, buying him personalized Happy Father’s Day gifts, looking for the best iPAD deals or arranging a surprise delivery of a stationary bike that will keep him fit, may just bring one or two happy tears to his eyes, the man we all know will stand by his family for life.