The release of doves by newlyweds is one of the most romantic rituals at a wedding. Each marriage is the story of a separate family born. And all the newlyweds want to make this day the most memorable and bright, so that the guests will remember the fun competitions, feasts and unusual traditions and rituals for a long time. The launching of white doves gives the holiday a special solemnity , an atmosphere of love and peace.
Newlyweds with wedding doves
Where is the best place to release doves at a wedding?
In fact, there are no mandatory instructions on where wedding doves should be released. It is not prohibited to do this even 2 or 3 times, for example, before and after the wedding ceremony, after the wedding and before the banquet. The main thing is to choose the right area from which it will be convenient to observe the flight of birds and take photographs.
Traditionally, birds at a wedding are released from the hands of the newlyweds after the wedding ceremony ends.
Why doves are released? This is not only a beautiful ritual that allows you to take memorable photographs, but also a tribute to tradition. The symbol of doves at a wedding is a strong marriage union in which the husband and wife will walk side by side all their lives , like a dove and a dove. This ritual can also be regarded as a farewell to single life.
To release pigeons in nature, you need to choose an open area such as a lawn or bank, not surrounded by tall trees. Otherwise, the doves will quickly disappear from view
The release of white doves at a wedding looks very picturesque in a green park. In this case, you will be able to create the most effective frames for photo and video shooting. Nature itself will create a gorgeous backdrop.
Newlyweds release wedding doves
Wedding signs
Wedding doves laid the foundation for many simple but interesting signs that newlyweds believe in:
- Before releasing the birds, the bride and groom make a wish, which will soon come true if the doves fly up.
- If the pigeons do not scatter in different directions, continuing their flight together, then family life will be happy.
- If the bird released by the groom flies first, then the first-born will be a boy. If the dove released by the bride flies first, then a girl will be born first.
It will be much more convenient to watch the pigeons if you tie a pink and blue ribbon to their paws, respectively. And if the birds fly wing to wing, then you can expect twins!
Advantages and disadvantages of custom
The custom of launching wedding doves into the sky from the hands of the newlyweds has many advantages, but there are also some disadvantages. So that even one minute of an important day is not spoiled, you need to take into account all the nuances.
Pros of the tradition of releasing doves at a wedding:
- the bride and groom will receive additional exciting but pleasant sensations;
- the ritual attracts the attention of all guests and becomes one of the memorable events of the wedding, causing delight and a feeling of joy;
- Spectacular photographs will remain.
The disadvantages include the fact that not all people can cope with hostility and not everyone can hold a dove in their hands. In case of allergies to birds, the tradition should also be abandoned.
The tradition has become very popular and is carried out at almost every wedding ceremony - this can also be considered a disadvantage. Therefore, if you want to make your holiday special and different from all other weddings, then the release of doves can be replaced, for example, with butterflies.
The wedding dove returning to the bride
European traditions associated with birds
Many European countries in the Middle Ages not only released birds. They presented them in a golden or silver cage to the object of their desire. It was all about giving an engagement ring. A bird in a cage was a symbol of male care and love. The cage did not symbolize submission or slavery, but reliability and security. The more beautiful the bird was, the more strongly the man expressed his feelings. Many girls considered it offensive to accept a simple nightingale as a gift instead of a motley canary.
The tradition of releasing birds into the skies has taken root much more firmly in Europe. The symbol of doves brings together the image of love, peaceful skies and the right beginning. Their beautiful wings soared upward, symbolizing the tenderness that forever intertwined two loving hearts.
How to fly wedding doves correctly
A dove is a delicate and fragile bird, so it would be useful to learn the rules on how to hold and release them so as not to harm them.
Someone mistakenly believes that such a fragile creature needs to be held in a tender embrace. In fact, the doves should be clasped with your hands gently , but at the same time firmly, so that they do not fly away ahead of time.
To prevent the pigeon from breaking out of the hands at the wrong moment, its paws should be placed between the fingers of the person holding it, and the wings should be carefully pressed against its body.
In order for the doves to simultaneously fly out of the hands of the newlyweds, you just need to unclench your fingers at once. You can also push the birds up a little. Before doing this, you need to give the photographer some time so that he can capture one of the most beautiful moments of the wedding.
Photos of a wedding with pigeons
How to hold and let go?
Pigeons are delicate and fragile birds.
You need to be able to hold them correctly so as not to injure them. To do this, the wings of the birds are carefully pressed to the body, and the paws are fixed between the fingers. This way the birds will not break free ahead of time. When the moment comes to release the pigeons into the sky, it is advised to slightly push the birds upward. You should not make sudden movements. It is important that the birds are released at the same time, so the bride and groom should agree in advance. You can, for example, launch birds on the count of three.
In order for the photographer to take several successful shots, you should not suddenly let go of the pigeons. At the same time, the bride and groom must have time to pose for the camera both with birds in their hands and against the backdrop of birds soaring in the sky.
Where to order doves for a wedding
Renting wedding doves costs little money, so every couple can have a joyful ceremony of releasing these birds. The price varies depending on who the pigeon supplier is.
If you order birds from a professional dovecote, you will need to pick them up yourself, which will require additional costs. On average, the cost will cost from 1500 to 1800 rubles for a pigeon and dove.
You can also buy pigeons near the registry office ; this option will cost the least - about 800-100 rubles per pair. Considering that the pigeons will be accepted from non-professionals, there is a risk that they will stain the outfits, because they can be fed directly on the wedding day.
For the same reason, some newlyweds refuse a beautiful tradition, fearing to spoil their wedding dresses. Therefore, it is better to order birds from specialized companies . To avoid embarrassment, the pigeons will not be fed before the specified date.
Wedding agencies often offer a service for renting wedding doves. This is very convenient, since a company employee will deliver the birds exactly at the time when they need to be released. This service will cost a little more – 1800-2000 rubles, but will allow you to do it without any extra hassle.
Also, before releasing the birds, a representative of the agency can instruct the newlyweds on how to behave properly with the birds so that everything goes smoothly
Many people worry whether pigeons return to their former place after a wedding. Professionals rent out only trained birds for the holiday, who know their dovecote and always return to it.
Photos of wedding doves
Broken air conditioner and dead pigeons: 8 terrible wedding stories
An interesting new thread has appeared on Reddit. It shares stories about weddings where something went catastrophically wrong. Here are the most popular ones.
1. “I was best man at my half-sister's wedding (instead of the groom's brother, but that's another story). She had been planning this wedding for a year, and her main and only requirement was to release doves into the sky after she and her husband took their vows.
On the special day, the bird supplier arrived later, but everything was prepared. And now they finish their vows, I help the trainer bring the cage with the birds to the altar. And then he gives me a signal to open it - and I see 20-30 dead pigeons. I quickly close it, hoping that no one saw, but everything was clear from the bride’s face. We spent the next few hours trying to cheer everyone up, but in the end everyone simply filed complaints against the trainer for cruelty to animals,” for_nefarious_use
2. “The wedding took place in a city park, famous for its gorge and waterfall. And someone suggested taking a photo with a view of this gorge. Everyone agreed, lined up for the photo - and the bridesmaid fell off the cliff to her death. It happened at an altitude of more than 150 meters,” - SingJazz
3. “The night before the wedding, the groom got so drunk that he couldn’t arrive at the altar. The ceremony was still held with the bride and bridesmaids, plus the only one friend of the groom was still sober enough to come. The groom appeared once for a few seconds, he looked like a zombie and wore regular clothes.
And this is not a strange village wedding: the bride danced professionally and worked as a backup dancer for a famous pop star, the guests were appropriate - and at the ceremony alone there were more than 200 of them, at the party, probably twice as many. The couple divorced after just six months,” davewtameloncamp
4. “The bride's father was 45 minutes late and couldn't walk her down the aisle. While they were waiting for him, the air conditioner broke down. On this day the temperature was over 40 degrees, plus incredible humidity. There were too many people, it was difficult to move without bumping into someone, and the heat didn't help the situation.
Apparently, the air conditioner failure also affected the refrigeration equipment because most of the food spoiled. All that was left was salad, spaghetti and rolls, which were not enough to feed even half the guests. Many left after the first dance. The bride's two aunts fainted from the heat. The bride and the party planner were crying." - PleasantSalad
5. “It was a big wedding, about 300 people. It turned out that the bride was cheating on her future husband with her cousin’s husband. She knew about this and waited until the wedding, where she moved from table to table, saying that the bride was sleeping with her husband. The poor groom was dumbfounded. The worst thing is that his future father-in-law was wealthy and opened a restaurant for him in honor of his wedding, but in the end he was left without a restaurant and without a wife,” admx14
6. “I was 6 or 7 years old when I attended my cousin’s wedding. I liked everything, there were a lot of sweets, everyone was having fun. When I went to the toilet, I walked past the men's and saw my uncle lying on the floor. I went up to my father and said that my uncle looked strange. It turned out that he had a heart attack and died. The bride spent the rest of the evening in tears; everyone except close relatives left. But there is also a good thing: 20 years later, she and her husband are still together, despite the terrible wedding,” DecadentOrange
7. “I studied photography and worked as an assistant to a famous wedding photographer. At one wedding, I shot on black and white film while the photographer took digital shots. We spent the whole day with the newlyweds from 9 am to 2 am and left. It was just a day, but I saw how much they were in love, and both were very pleasant to talk to.
The next day the photographer calls me, his voice is shaking. He says that the groom died the night after the wedding. Thieves broke into their bungalow to steal wedding gifts. The husband came out and tried to stop them. Then they killed him in front of his wife. For context, this was in South Africa.
We worked tirelessly all week to finish the photographs as quickly as possible, and brought the materials to the widow - of course, without any additional payment, it was the least we could do. Since my photos weren't that important, I just captured natural emotions and didn't pose people for photos. As a result, she received not only a traditional album, but also about 150 unstaged black and white photographs, where they were just a living, beautiful couple. The girl cried all those few hours that we were with her,” - HumbleTrees
8. “My best friend’s mother was getting married for the second time: she had a beautiful and expensive wedding, but for some reason no one thought of hiring a DJ. As a result, at the last moment they handed me a stack of disks and rattled off long instructions on when to turn on what. I said that I didn’t understand anything and was unlikely to cope, but the bride told me to believe in myself.
It turned out that all her life she wanted to walk down the altar to a certain song. They have already started to move, it’s sunset, everything is beautiful, but I’m trying to find the right song and constantly play the wrong one - to the horror and delight of the guests. For the next few years, every time I called their house they would say, “Oh, is this the guy who screwed up at my wedding?” How are you?’” — yeetnpotatoes
Some tips for making your own wedding garlands
Wedding garlands can be made from absolutely any available materials: balloons, paper, ribbons, fabrics, fresh flowers and many others. The main thing is that the components are harmoniously combined with each other in color and texture; When choosing a material, you should be guided by the purpose of the garland. For example, it is better to make outdoor decorations from moisture-resistant elements (film, wrapping paper, colored plastic cups)
Such decor will not deteriorate if the weather suddenly worsens; It is important that the shade of the garland correlates with the overall color scheme of the wedding; The size of the decoration elements must correspond to the size of the room. If the banquet hall is spacious, then the details of the garland can be large
If the celebration is held in a small cafe, then the decor components should be modest and laconic.
Launch: where and when?
The ceremony does not require a mandatory time and place. Usually the pigeons are released into the sky after the painting. After leaving the registry office, the ceremony symbolizes the birth of a new family and loyalty to each other.
It is not so important whether this happens immediately after leaving the registry office, during the traditional walk of the newlyweds or in the middle of the banquet. Sometimes, as a sign of farewell to single life, a ceremony with birds is organized before the painting - at a bachelor or bachelorette party.
The flight of birds looks most impressive in open areas, where trees and buildings do not interfere with enjoying the beautiful spectacle and observing the behavior of pigeons. Often the ceremony is held outside the city or in a park.
It is also important not to delay the ceremony, since no one will be able to observe and evaluate the flight of birds in the dark. Birds should be released during daylight hours.
Photo session with white doves
A photo shoot is one of the most important elements of a wedding celebration. An experienced photographer will take photographs that will remind you of an important event many years later. He will not forget about several shots with pigeons.
Spectacular wedding shots are obtained with pigeons in a cage. But the birdhouse must be beautiful and match the event. The groom is asked to lift the cage and the bride to look at the birds.
Photos in which newlyweds carefully hold doves and look at each other or at the birds look especially tender. Surely guests will also want to take photos with the birds. It is important to capture the moment of flight. To do this, you will need professional equipment, which is in the specialist’s arsenal. It is extremely difficult to film all stages of the ceremony with a regular camera or smartphone camera.
The photo session must be held in an open area. The better the overview, the better the shots you will get.
How to properly hold birds in your hands
Pigeons are medium-sized birds, quite gentle, and before you pick them up, learn how to do it correctly.
There are some nuances that you need to know in order not to harm the bird:
- pigeons must be held tightly and carefully;
- The birds' legs should be placed between your fingers, the wings should be slightly pressed to the sides, then, as it were, thrown up to the sky;
- do not throw the birds before the due date so that the photographer successfully captures the moment in history.
Sources
- https://vplate.ru/svadba/golubi/
- https://wedus.online/organizatsiya-svadby/razvlecheniya-i-shou/golubi.html
- https://NavekRodnya.ru/svadebnye-tradicii/belyj-golub-na-svadbe.html
- https://sunmag.me/svadebnye-aksessuary/golubi-na-svadbu.html
- https://svadba-sovet.ru/golubi-na-svadbu/
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