Features of the design and the wedding in the Russian style

A modern wedding is no longer a family holiday, but a celebration akin to a real show, the preparation of which lasts several months, or even a whole year. Some of the young people prefer to hold an elegant European-style wedding ceremony, while others pay tribute to the rich traditions of their native country and organize the Russian wedding in a big way.

It is worthwhile to study the old Russian traditions before organizing a Russian-style wedding. Some ceremonies have now been forgotten, but nothing prevents them from reviving at least as part of their own celebration in the Russian folk style, thereby allowing guests to plunge into the history of their people.

Conducting a Russian wedding, even in a stylized version, implies the observance of the main canons of the Old Russian celebration. A celebration in the old Slavonic style should begin and end with a parental blessing. There is no spirits in the holiday menu, during the celebration it is not allowed to use obscene vocabulary and dancing until you drop. Inherent attributes of a Russian wedding:

• a riot of bright colors;
• matchmaking;
• bride price;
• the breaking of a loaf;

• fun festivals;
• round dances;
• comic contests;
• the game of accordion;
• generous table;
• gifts for guests.

The venue for the wedding ceremony can be:

• restaurant room, stylized Russian style;
• real log house;
• open area next to a forest or lake (typical of a noble-style wedding).

The choice of venue for the event depends on the time of year. In summer, for the wedding ceremony, you can prefer open spaces next to a pine forest or a birch grove, near a beautiful pond. Nature will become an organic background for a wedding in the Russian style and provide an invisible connection between generations. By the way, the nearby wheat field will be an ideal place for a photo zone. What could be more Russian than endless fields?

If there will be a lot of guests at the event, you can rent houses at the camp site. Then the holiday can last several days. The first day is the official events according to the scenario that will be held in the banquet hall, and the second is an informal holiday where bathing in the lake, bathhouse, barbecues, songs with a guitar and other delights of summer holidays are allowed. If you want an elegant wedding in Russian, it is recommended to choose for the celebration of a rustic wooden manor with a large park area.

Winter wedding harder to arrange outdoors because of the vagaries of the weather. Of course, in the winter wedding dresses, tea-drinking with donuts, riding on sleds look even more spectacular, but it is better to prefer closed rooms for the main part of the holiday. This may be a restaurant with a "wood" decor, a chamber, a wooden hut or a theater room. It is desirable that the interior was made in the folk style. But if such a design is not provided in the design of the room, it is easy to introduce it with the help of a hand-made decor.

The Russian wedding will not be exactly that if the invited guests will not be dressed in ancient costumes. Opponents of such thematic celebrations can use only an element of traditional dress. For example, girls can decorate a head with a wreath of wild flowers, braid braids with a satin ribbon of scarlet color, tie a beautiful kerchief, wear red shoes.The male half of the guests can use a red tie or insert a scarf with a traditional Russian pattern into the buttonhole. To make it easier for guests to prepare for a Russian-style wedding, the bride and groom can themselves rent all the necessary accessories for them.

Ideally, a bridal outfit will meet all the canons of such a wedding: a red dress, a kokoshnik, an embroidered blouse. Modern girls can replace this outfit with a simple white robe, decorated with elements of folk style: embroidery on a corset, a scarf, a belt. As a hairstyle, it is better to choose a traditional braid or braided pigtail. The longer the hair, the more beautiful hair will turn out. Decorate braids can be fresh flowers or wreaths of them, satin ribbons of scarlet color.

Bright shadows and arrows for the image of a Russian girl will not do. To create the "right" face requires rich red lipstick, blush, dark eyebrows (sable), long and voluminous eyelashes. Recommended shoes to create a national wedding image - red shoes without heels. Today, you can move away from this tendency and acquire not only shoes, but also boots with heels. Alternatively, you can use white shoes.

The basis of the bridal bouquet can be chamomile, ranunculus, cornflowers, stockrose or other meadow plants. To impart a “nationality,” it is permissible to add a branch of viburnum, apple, and wheat ears to the composition. Bouquets made entirely of lilies, phalaenopsis or roses at a traditional Russian wedding will be out of place.

When making a wedding in the Russian style, it is necessary to choose all the decorative elements correctly, since the general atmosphere of the event will depend on their competent choice and location. Required attributes at the wedding in Russian:

• Khokhloma painting;
• kokoshniki;
• beautiful towels;
• canonical outfits (sheepskin coat and felt boots for the winter celebration);

• bast shoes;
• wreaths of meadow flowers;
• dried flowers;
• berries of viburnum and mountain ash;

• team with horses;
• samovar;
• wooden spoons;
• Red caviar;

• bagels, drying, buns;
• linen tablecloths with embroidery;
• accordion or balalaika;
• Russian stove (if possible);

• rocker and bucket;
• wooden benches with carving;
• braids from onions and garlic.

The general theme in the Russian style should be reflected in the invitation. It is desirable that the dominant color in the postcards be red, paper - “antique” with a traditional pattern, the text of the invitation - in Old Slavonic dialect. You can shade the red color with ink and gold. It is possible to use white, blue, blue, ash-pink and cherry color. The menu should also be designed in the traditional Russian style. All invited guests will be able to taste well-known and very tasty dishes, as well as new interesting recipes for treats. Wedding cake is also performed in a general style, for example, under the Khokhloma.

The decoration of the hall for the holiday involves the use of wooden tableware with painting, artfully embroidered tablecloths, meadow flowers. It is better that all the décor elements that are planned to be used in the design of the room are from natural materials. Repainting some traditions in a modern way can destroy the whole atmosphere of the old Russian rite. Tables can be made in different ways. In the past, placing the tables in a long row or in the form of the letter “P” was considered the most convenient. A place for young people stood out in the middle of the table, or they were put at all at a separate table.

An important component of the wedding celebration is the design of the photo zone. Here the decor will be the same at any time of the year.All elements of the photozone are rooted deep in history and are also reflected in favorite Russian fairy tales. These attributes include:

• nesting dolls;
• sleigh rides with horses (in winter);
• felt boots;
• traditional musical instruments;
• embroidered napkins, towels;
• painted background with traditional ornament.

A wedding in Russia is a long enough action that can be divided into the following stages.

• Collusion. At this stage, the wedding is agreed upon by the parents of the young. They decide to connect the fate of their children, set a date, agree on the costs of organizing the celebration on both sides and on the dowry. It happened that young people first saw each other only on their wedding day.

• Matchmaking. The future groom, with the support of parents or friends, came to the house of his future wife for matchmaking. According to tradition, the first time the bridegroom always failed, receiving a negative response. By agreement, the parties came only for a second or third time. After that, a grand celebration began in the house of the bride with generous feasts, songs and dances.

• Hen-party. He passed on the eve of an important event. The bride with her friends locked herself in the wax bath for her future. Also, the girls sang sad melodies, spread braids to the bride and combed them, and she cried.

• Bachelor party The groom went to wash in the bath alone. After that, he went to bed and did not have to utter a single word before meeting the other half. Today, parting with unmarried and bachelor life has acquired a very different scale. Events are held in clubs or in nature, can be organized as part of a themed party.

• Buyout. According to the old Russian wedding traditions, the duties of the future spouse before the wedding included the purchase of the bride. Relatives of the girl arranged for the young man all sorts of tests to check the sharpness of his mind, kindness, strength, generosity. After paying the ransom, the tests did not end. The bridegroom had to find the bride herself, which could be hidden in the courtyards or in the neighboring house. As a guard, a young father was put in charge of his father or elder brother. Before giving the bride to the bridegroom, they could repeatedly demand a ransom from him. When all the tests were completed, the parents blessed the newly-born family and set a small table in the bride’s house.

• Wedding and registry office. The recognition of the creation of a new social unit always took place in the church, and only then at the registry office. Registration could take place either in nature, or in the premises of an official institution, or in a restaurant, where the celebration then continued.

• The triumph of Russian wedding is generous with dishes, round dances, traditional songs, dances and playing on national instruments. Among the most interesting contests held during the celebration, it is worth mentioning running in bags, tug-of-war, collecting bagels on a tree. Noisy and fun were riding on carts with horses or sled dogs. All this was complemented by funny songs, loud laughter and bells.

• The wedding night. A bed for the young was prepared very carefully. As a rule, it was arranged in a bath or closet in the groom's house. The mattress and bedding were taken from the dowry of the bride. Charms were laid out on the bed. Under the bed laid juniper, poker, pan and log.

In the morning, a sheet was hung on the screen of all the relatives, on which the young ones rested. If there were doubts about the innocence of the bride, she was sent to her parents' house. Svah around the neck wore a yoke, and his father was given a leaky mug of wine. The family was disgraced.

• Bad wedding. This event is held the day after the wedding.The main goal is the entertainment of guests. The main actors are burdened bride and groom. Together with his retinue, they walk around the village and offer vodka and food to passersby in exchange for money.

How to celebrate a wedding in the Russian style, see the following video.