First wedding night: ancient customs and modern traditions

Benefits of a night wedding

Romance. The rays of the setting sun and the starry sky will be an excellent backdrop for your confessions. It is not for nothing that poets, singers and even artists sang of the night.
You will have the whole day to prepare for the celebration. This means that hairdressers and makeup artists can be invited closer to lunch, and before that time they can get some sleep.
Spa treatments, lunch and a photo shoot will be much more relaxed for both the newlyweds and guests, because the latter will not have to wait. In general, the newlyweds will have more time for themselves.

It will be convenient for guests to attend such a wedding even on a weekday, because they will not have to take time off from work.
A wedding at night is a great excuse to leave the kids at home and have fun without them.
Makeup for a night celebration can be brighter, more striking hairstyles are acceptable. We are talking about both the bride and other ladies who will be present at the celebration.
A night ceremony is a huge space for decoration. Good lighting helps create the impression that everything is happening in reality and fantasy at the same time.

First wedding night in Islam

Despite the passage of decades, Muslims strictly follow the established rules regarding the first night of marriage. Many of them take their roots from ancient times.

And here are some of the customs:

Until now, in many countries it is customary to show the groom’s relatives a sheet with the bride’s blood after the spouses have sex for the first time;
The first intercourse can occur only after the girl has transported all her dowry to the house of her new husband;
A man must be gentle with his wife; indecent proposals are not acceptable. The girl, in turn, is forbidden to push her husband away, otherwise this could lead to disastrous consequences;
If there is a Quran in the room where the first wedding night will take place, then it must be taken out of the room or at least wrapped in cloth.

The wedding night has a special place in Islam. And a number of countries have their own special rituals regarding first sex. For example, the first wedding night in India occurs only three days after the wedding. It is also customary to place a traditional udumbara stick, which symbolizes the fertility of the bride.

How to plan a night wedding?

Visit the place where you are planning to hold the banquet. This should also be done at night, because a lot depends on the time of day.

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Pay attention to the lighting. Guests should clearly see the path of the bride to the groom and the newlyweds themselves. It is also important to illuminate all paths for guests. It is not only beautiful, but also safe.

Once again, remind the photographer and videographer that the wedding is at night. This will allow them to take all the necessary equipment.

Prepare a place with bright lighting where you can capture your image in detail. If there is no daytime photo session, then the night one will certainly leave magical photos, but then you will be a little sorry that no memory of either the dress or the makeup was preserved, the selection of which took so much time and money.

To prevent candles from going out and reducing the chance of accidental fire, place them in tall glass candlesticks. If you place candles along the aisle, make it as wide as possible so that people passing by cannot drop the candles.

Try to anticipate the temperature, remember that at night it may not be the same as during the day. This means that you need to think about holiday outfits for yourself and stock up on warm blankets for guests. If the banquet is planned outdoors, it is better to maintain the temperature with gas burners, or provide fires where guests can warm up.

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Choosing decor

Lighting is one of the main decorations of a night wedding. Basically, these will be garlands with light bulbs, wrapped around trees, hung on the branches. They can be used for a wedding arch instead of flowers, and for table lighting.

Candles will make objects cast shadows, making the celebration look like a fairy tale. Their light itself makes the atmosphere warmer and more pleasant. If the celebration takes place near a pool or pond, then you can place floating candles in it; they, like lanterns with garlands, will be reflected in the water, which will create a simply wonderful sight.

Lamps and lamps may well decorate small paths and areas. These can be large round lamps made of paper, Chinese lanterns, vintage-style chandeliers, lamps on holders, candles in glass.

Large luminous letters are a good idea not only for decorating a banquet, but also for a photo shoot. Night lights, candelabra, sparklers will look great both within the celebration itself and in the photographs after it.

Ideas for a regular night wedding are quite different from ideas for a white night wedding. The most popular place for such weddings is St. Petersburg, and the most popular style is the style of the Twilight vampire saga.

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This wedding will be quite romantic. It should be decorated in white, beige, green and brown tones, but bright and provocative colors can lead to unnecessary associations. The bride's makeup and manicure should be modest and natural. A silk dress with lace and a light hairstyle are suitable as an outfit.

Wedding photo shoot at sunset

Pre-sunset photo on the Neskuchny Garden embankment.

Sunset photo on the observation deck near the Academy of Sciences.

Feedback from newlyweds about the wedding photo shoot

We would like to express our deep gratitude to Alexey for his professionalism and talent! Before concluding the contract, Alexey conducted a free trial photo session for us, we received beautiful photos, and at the same time discussed all the details and wishes.

On the wedding day it was easy and comfortable to work; Alexey managed to quickly adapt to situations, since we had a time limit and wanted to visit the planned places. I can say that not a single moment of our day passed by his lens.

As a result, we received a lot of beautiful photos, which we were extremely happy about. All relatives noted the high quality of the photos. We recommend contacting this photographer for anyone planning to provide photographic support for important events!

Published in the comments to the VKontakte post: vk.com/wall-21705462_857

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Wedding dance on the observation deck at the Academy of Sciences with a crimson sunset in the background.

Wedding photo shoot with sparklers

Firework

Winter night photo shoot after registration at the Kolomna registry office

Night photos of guests with Photoshop:

To get beautiful night photos, the following conditions must be met:

You can start a photo shoot when it becomes dark enough outside, when the twilight - “post-sunset” light has completely disappeared;
For shooting, you can use both pulsed and constant light sources. But I consider the first option, with a suitable diffuser, to be the most preferable;
Technically, night photography is quite a difficult task for a photographer (only interior photography with multiple light sources is more difficult). Therefore, it should be entrusted either to an experienced photographer who has similar photographs in his portfolio, or to his students - who have all the necessary knowledge to carry out such a shooting.

Wedding in Balashikha:

Late in the evening, after the wedding banquet, we went to take pictures with the newlyweds in the center of Moscow at night:

Feedback from Alexander and Irina about my work at the wedding:

“We were looking for a photographer for a long time, we wanted the memory to remain bright and fabulously beautiful! We didn't make a mistake. Alexey is a very pleasant and cheerful person, with whom it is a pleasure to communicate and work! His brilliant work delighted all our guests, which is especially valuable! And it brings us back again and again to that most important day for us. Now we collectively review all the wedding photos many, many times and show them to everyone, everyone, everyone. Thank you very much, Alexey, for our autumn fairy tale!”

Volkov Alexander and Irina. =)

The review was also published by the newlyweds on my VKontakte page.

Wedding outdoors at the Valuevo estate:

Winter night photo shoot

Night photography in December, on Tverskoy Boulevard near the Turandot restaurant.
A selection of photos from the three winter months: wedding photo shoot in winter

Check-in at night

Registration for a wedding in this style must be done outside. The ideal place for it is a forest or park with a lot of greenery. A classic of the genre is garlands of white flowers (preferably wisteria), which will create the effect of a tropical shower of white flowers.

The same decorations, complemented by glowing garlands, are suitable for the restaurant. White flowers can also be placed on tables. Vintage accessories such as antique candlesticks and lace napkins can add a romantic touch to the occasion.

If the gazebo is decorated with greenery and garlands, it will become a wonderful place for the newlyweds’ first dance, and then an idea for a photo. As a photo zone, you can offer guests a small table in the same style, with a lamp hanging from the branches.

Lighting on a white night will be special even without “special effects”, this will allow the newlyweds and guests to get an unforgettable experience on this important day.

First wedding night in Rus'

The existing rituals of first intercourse in Rus' differed significantly from the traditions of Europe, Africa or India of those times. And the main difference is that in Rus' the bride’s first man had to be her husband. For comparison, in the same Europe, the right of the first night was awarded to a stranger. It could have been a big man or a completely random passer-by.

The first wedding night in ancient Rus' took place directly during the wedding. And since our rare people were very pious, the date of the holiday was chosen most carefully. After all, it was forbidden to have an intimate relationship on fasting days and church holidays, so weddings were never scheduled for these days.

Preparing for the first night of the newlyweds:

The sleeping place was prepared by the guy's mother or sister, but most often this role was assigned to female bed-makers who were among the matchmakers. A lot of objects were placed on the bed without fail, which carried a ritual meaning and were aimed at removing damage and bad eyes from the newlyweds. The dowry of the newly-made wife was used as bedding.
The place for the first wedding night was chosen to be cold: in a bathhouse, in a closet, or even in a barn.
The newly-minted spouses were escorted to their sleeping place by a whole crowd. Everything was accompanied by songs, jokes and even advice. Afterwards, the witness had to hit the bed several times with a whip in order to drive out evil spirits, and pay the “bedwomen” for their work. Leaving the couple alone, a “cage guard” was left on duty near the door, whose main task was to prevent evil spirits from approaching the couple.
As soon as the couple were left alone, they needed to treat themselves to chicken and bread. It was believed that these foods would help the couple increase their fertility. Afterwards, the girl, as a sign of humility, took off the guy’s boots and asked permission to lie in the same bed with him. And only after that, intimacy took place between the spouses, which became a physical confirmation of the marriage. A very important point in Rus' was the innocence of the bride. If a girl turned out to be “dishonest,” she brought shame on her family and could be returned to her parents’ home. By the way, the parents of a “dishonest” bride could have a collar hung around their necks and served a glass of wine with a hole in the bottom.