Bride ransom is a very old tradition.
In the modern world, newfangled trends are gradually replacing old customs, but wedding ransom remains relevant to this day. There is even a belief that if the gods and deceased ancestors like the marriage, they will protect the spouses, contributing to their successful life and prosperity. Among the Slavic peoples, the bride was never released from home just like that. The groom had to show his strength and courage. And since the family lost an au pair, they had to pay a ransom.
The ransom is a bright, colorful and funny performance in which the groom's friends, bridesmaids, and, often, some guests take part. The room for ransom is decorated with balloons, posters, flags, garlands, etc., mainly the action takes place in the entrance or in a private house.
Bride kidnapping by wedding guests
It is very popular and traditional when it is the invited persons who kidnap the bride, then the event is fun and active, and most importantly, it will be remembered for a long time.
You need to think through the entire scenario and props in advance so that everything planned goes smoothly and unforgettably.
Abduction by gypsies
This type of theft will look very good, since the gypsies add zest to the celebration with their atmosphere, colorful dances and unique speech.
To make everything look beautiful and natural at the celebration, you should:
- Order actors who will act out any scenario; it is thanks to colorful costumes and professional acting that the desired atmosphere of the event will be achieved.
- You should also order another hero who will conduct direct negotiations with the young man and his relatives.
- You can choose a more economical option, but no less boring - you should agree in advance with the bride’s friends, who will find costumes and play the role of gypsies.
The most important thing is not the costumes, but the right moment. A company of cheerful and perky gypsies should burst into the hall, who with their singing and ditties will distract not only the groom, but also the guests
And thanks to their magnificent costumes, the gypsies dance around the bride and take her out of the hall so that no one notices.
Demands that can be put forward to the husband.
- Dance a gypsy dance, of course.
- Sing a serenade.
- Play a song on any instrument.
After the buildings are completed, the man is given a friend dressed in women's clothing, and in order to receive a wife, he must pay an agreed amount of money.
In the style of a Caucasian captive
To carry out a stylized theft, inspired by the cult film “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, you will need:
- prepared remarks;
- 2 sleeping bags and one blanket;
- white rope;
- shoes;
- flesh-colored stockings;
- cotton wool;
- pillows.
You need to make the base of the “body” from pillows and ropes, stuff the stockings with cotton wool, and then insert them into the shoes.
At the right moment, the thieves must approach the newlyweds, take the bride, and plant a silhouette of the body in her place.
While the girl is being taken away, you need to convince your husband that this is a ritual that is constantly performed at weddings.
Afterwards, the girl is wrapped in a blanket and taken away, while the husband is left alone. Only after this do three guys in disguise come into the hall and convince the young man that he needs to do a courage test.
After the test has been passed, the stuffed animal must be brought again, as if the captive had been returned. Before anyone notices, you should run away, but slowly, so that the groom and his boyfriend can catch up with the kidnappers, pay off and take the bride.
Armed attack
To pull off a theft like this, you need quality props and people who will play their roles flawlessly.
In this case, the spouse is taken a short distance, after which they begin to demand money from the husband and to pass tests. At least 5 people must pick up the bride.
Tests that can be proposed to be completed.
- Peel the potatoes for a while.
- Hit the target.
- Squats or other types of physical activity.
If you are playing out a raider takeover scenario, you need to demand a ransom; if the groom does not have money, then he is given a bag and sent to collect money from the guests; if there is little money, you can offer to take part in a quiz.
How to prepare a script
The ransom script must be written in advance, and all details must be approached responsibly. The ransom should be fun, easy, funny, and involve as many people as possible. After all, this is part of the holiday. The scenarios may be different, perhaps simply with competitions that are not related to each other, or this action is based on some story, film or fairy tale. In any case, all tasks should have a common theme, and in this case poetry comes to the rescue. Ransom in poetic form diversifies the standard form of competitions.
If you are not deprived of creativity, then you can come up with everything yourself or look for ready-made options. In the latter case, do not forget to change the script in accordance with the theme of the holiday, so that both the words and the tasks have a personal touch, a little serious, a little funny, because this is a holiday. It is not at all necessary to hold a poetry duel and write out the entire scenario in poetic form; short quatrains between competitions will be appropriate.
Rhymed lines are a real decoration of the ritual
Pushkins are not born every day, but it is not at all difficult to hold competitions for bride price in verse. Moreover, both the main character and the receiving party can act as a poet. If you want, but the problems with adding lines are global, then ordering a full-fledged script or individual quatrains from a professional is not a problem.
Rhyming miniatures for any stage
An excellent solution is quatrains-eyeliners. They are easy to remember, sound original, and you can start almost any test with them.
- Do not hesitate, clear falcon, On a solemnly beautiful day, Prowess, falcon, show, Feelings, falcon, prove!
- A task awaits you, cowboy: If you overcome, good luck, No, then don’t blame me, Be ready to pay.
- Your princess is waiting for you, Like a gourmet delicacy, But you can continue on your way, If you give me something!
- Come on, well done, wait, Honor us with attention - Let the attention ring and make your pocket heavier.
Mini-tests for the groom's intelligence
Creative riddles for bride price in verse are another ritual feature. It is advisable to prepare truly ambiguous puzzles that require maximum intelligence from the candidate for the role of husband.
Small rhyming problems can be dedicated to the future responsibilities of the spouses, the profession of the chosen one, her favorite movie, dish, or pop group. It’s useful to mention the mother-in-law’s hobby, the team the father-in-law supports, or a significant event for the whole family. Also suitable for poetic riddles are questions about appearance: height, manicure color, shoe size, number of moles on the body.
The groom's trials set the tone for the entire celebration, so a positive attitude with a great attitude is important. And the newlywed’s team must support their friend at all stages without options, otherwise even the brightest show will lose its entertainment value
Competition with the participation of a witness and a witness
There is another interesting task. But in addition to the groom, the witness and witness take part in it. The young girlfriend is laid on chairs or a bench. The hero of the event places banknotes of different denominations on her body.
Photos of witnesses at the wedding
After this, the young witness comes into play. He is blindfolded and asked to collect all the banknotes from the girl with his mouth without using his hands. Whatever amount he manages to collect, such amount will return back to the betrothed’s pocket.
During this time, almost all the banknotes are removed from the witness, leaving a maximum of three pieces. And here comes the fun part. It's incredibly funny to watch the witness explore the bridesmaid's body with his own mouth. Often the audience explodes with laughter.
Whatever competitions you decide to organize, it is recommended to carefully prepare for them. Otherwise, everything may be uninteresting, boring, even “crumpled.”
Preparation
Decide right away who will be responsible for purchasing and preparing the props (see the full list below), who will be the reader (presenter), and who will act as the decorator. It is recommended to start preparing for the buyout at least 7 days before the wedding .
Some tips for ransom organizers:
- There is no need to torment the groom and his retinue for a long time. If they suddenly reach a dead end, tell them that they can pay off with money or candy ;
- You shouldn’t tire your guests and make some kind of “grand” buyout for 55 competitions. It would be ideal to take 15-20 minutes ;
- The ransom in poetic form is best distributed among 1, maximum 2 readers .
- It is better to memorize the text of the ransom . It’s not nice when the leader of this ceremony constantly looks at the sheet of paper with the script. In addition, the videographer will probably film the ransom.
- You should read it loud so that all participants can hear you. If necessary, the test conditions should be further explained (in your own words);
- If you are planning video and/or photography, then agree with the operator and photographer on how the presenter should stand and how to line up the guests . Everything should look beautiful on the video.
Some important tips for the groom:
- Don't forget to stock up on a sufficient number of small bills (10-50-100-200 rubles);
- Be sure to remember all the important dates associated with your couple and your acquaintance;
- Let the groom's friends buy a box of chocolates in case the cash ransom does not suit someone;
Before the main entrance:
Write words of love to the bride, Ink is the right place!
(You need to write “I love you!” on the asphalt with a spray can or chalk)
And in order to believe in you, Sing a serenade, and let your friends be musicians, and let them not forget their instruments.
(Tools - pots, basins and other utensils. You need to sing any love song)
So the bride rose and only one foot remained. There were about five girls, Masha needs to guess.
(There are footprints cut out of paper on the steps; the groom guesses his beloved’s foot and goes up the steps)
At the entrance (in front of the stairs):
Step on the steps - announce compliments.
(When stepping on the steps, the groom or his retinue should compliment his future wife)
We accidentally dropped a photo of your betrothed, it scattered down the steps, collect it quickly
(Photo of the bride cut into pieces, needs to be assembled and glued)
There are many hands in front of you, which one will the ring be on?
There are a lot of legs in front of you, where are the little legs?
(Photos of the legs of different girls, you need to guess the leg of the narrowed one)
This is the simplest thing - Choose any face. But with such a choice, which one do you want in the house?
(Photos of the bride processed in Photoshop: for example, with a bruise, with ears like a bunny, with a thick mustache or eyebrows, Rambo-style camouflage, zombie, bald, and so on)
Your order is not so accurate, There is no eye color, by the way, With height, we don’t understand everything, And the name is not clear...
(The groom gives all the collected photographs to the witness, she offers pieces of paper with different eye colors, names, etc., you need to find the correct ones or pay a ransom)
In front of the door to the apartment:
There's a key hidden in the ball, You go find it, If you didn't guess right, Then give us some money
(3 balloons with pieces of paper folded inside, only one contains a piece of paper with a picture of a key)
In front of the door to your beloved’s room:
To enter into her peace, melt this piece of ice,
(Near the bride’s room, the groom is given a piece of ice in the shape of a heart, which he and his friends must melt in their hands)
And the bride without shoes, where should she go now? Here are the boxes, be surprised, but don’t go crazy
(The boxes contain different shoes, you need to guess which of them contains the bride’s shoes (you can give 3 attempts, and more attempts can be given for cash or “sweet” ransom). At the same time, it is not necessary to put shoes in all the boxes; you can leave them empty or put any other items)
List of props
- A can of white paint (or colored crayons);
- Pan (2 pcs.), spoons (2 pcs.);
- A4 paper (5-10 sheets);
- Pencil pen
- 3 sheets of paper 60x90 mm (one with a key drawn on it);
- Photo of the bride for the puzzle;
- Scotch;
- Scissors;
- 5 photographs of the hands and feet of the bridesmaids (size 10x15);
- 5 photographs of the newlywed with different effects (processed in Photoshop, photo size 10x15);
- 3 balloons of the same color;
- 5-10 shoe boxes;
- Heart shaped ice tray;
Unexpected replenishment
A girl or woman should come out to the groom with a bundle in her hands. A baby-like doll should be wrapped in it . The girl tells the groom that she is tired of raising the child alone, hands him a package and retreats in an unknown direction. The witness begins to groan about the fact that the groom has a dowry, and then wrinkles her nose and says that the baby needs to be changed. She brings the hero of the occasion to the table, where they have already prepared:
- diaper,
- vest,
- sliders,
- diaper,
- cap
The groom's goal is to change the baby's clothes and swaddle him. His friend should help him with this. It is not surprising that young people, after several minutes of ordeal, will want to pay off.
But the witness will not want to take money from them, veiledly hinting that when children appear, no money will help in this situation, only connections will help. The groom and the witness must think to seek help from the future mother-in-law or the mother of the hero of the occasion . After the child is changed, the girl who presented this unexpected gift must appear again, take the package and loudly apologize, saying that she mixed up the apartments.
Video: ransom “For the boys”
And here’s what a video clip might look like, telling how a young groom ransomed his bride. The guys approached with taste and creativity not only the preparation of competitions, but also the filming, editing and the idea in general:
A traditional ransom can be a fun and exciting event, the key figures at which will be the groom, his retinue, the host and, of course, the bride herself. But most of the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the coordinators and the presenter. They should clearly know their roles and memorize the text in advance.
Competitions for young people
Both costumed actors, if it is a themed celebration, and the bride’s girlfriends can steal a shoe at a wedding. The loss is discovered when the host announces the dances: the bride gets up from the table and begins to limp, as she finds herself barefoot on one foot. Her husband, like a true knight, is obliged to find the shoes and return them to his beloved . They won’t just let him do ordinary searches, but will force him to undergo tests.
Photo of young girlfriends at a wedding
You can offer the following competition: place three containers in front of the newlywed. Pour water with lemon into one, salt into the second, and sugar into the third. If the groom drinks a glass of water and salt, then the toastmaster says that his life with his wife will be bitter. He invites him to buy himself off with champagne and make his choice again. If a guy opts for a glass with lemon , then the toastmaster says: “You will live with a young woman with a sour face. No good. Give me some chocolate and choose again.” When the groom chooses a container of sugar, the host says: “This is the sweet life that awaits you with your beloved. Go ahead".
Further, the purchase of the bride's shoes at the wedding can continue with the following competition: the husband is given an apple with many matches sticking out of it. One of them is shorter than the others. The hero of the occasion must find exactly the short match. To do this, he will pull out all the matches one by one. Each of his mistakes is accompanied by compliments towards his beloved. If a guy has difficulty finding the right words or says the same courtesy twice, he must pay a fine.
Photo of a competition to buy shoes at a wedding
Original tasks for the groom
To complete the next task, you need to lay a path of red and white paper flowers across the hall. The young man is obliged to go through this path: if he steps on a white flower, he must scold his wife, but if he steps on red paper, he must praise the young woman . If he refuses to swear, he will be fined. The petals are laid out so that the red pieces of paper are at a distance from each other.
Groom kisses the bride at a wedding
After this task, the toastmaster announces to the newlywed that he must ask his wife for forgiveness for not taking care of her shoes. And there is no better way than kissing. The young man should kiss his beloved in different places the number of times that corresponds to the size of her shoes. Next, the presenter must ask the groom to dance on a chair , according to his instructions.
So, ask the guy to first portray a gypsy girl, then a Lezginka, then an apple. All movements must be performed while moving around yourself
Making chamomile for ransom with your own hands
Making a daisy for a wedding competition is very easy. All you need as test elements is “daisy”. Of course, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to make the props yourself, but buy them at a wedding accessories store.
Photo of a wedding chamomile for the bride's ransom with your own hands
If you decide to make a flower yourself, you will need to prepare whatman paper, a stencil, paints, colored paper, pencils, markers and a stapler. How to proceed :
- A template of chamomile petals is made on whatman paper for the bride price.
- On paper you need to draw a circle and as many ovals as there are planned questions. To save material, you can cut them out in a separate order. But in this case, they will need to be attached to the core using a stapler or tape after decoration.
- To decorate a flower, you can take any paints, felt-tip pens, or colored pencils. Even multi-colored paper works.
- So, we draw the outlines of future petals on whatman paper with a simple pencil and cut them out. Particularly caring girlfriends can make a real masterpiece from an ordinary chamomile, which the young woman will later keep as a keepsake.
Questions are written in large letters of a contrasting shade, so that if something happens the groom can read them himself
