A List of Wedding-Related Terms

PANTS FIRE: The bridal couple is on a field. The procession consists for example of monks who sing to themselves softly. The procession is led by a woman who does not know the groom very well. The monks form a circle around the bride and groom and the woman who is in charge can take off the groom's pants. The trousers are now solemnly burned and, as of that day only, may the bride touch the groom. To spare any trouble (because of the good wedding pants), the groom may change his pants with old ones (in the dark).

BEER MAT GAME: Coasters are spread on the floor of the room. Then the couples are determined to play against each other. Each pair will take a sufficient distance from the other pairs. During the game, each pair must take a beer mat and place it where the match officials say. All previously placed coasters have to remain where they are. Here is an example of the commands of the director: “The men are now taking a beer mat. Wait until everyone is ready. The lid is now being stowed under a lady’s shoulder. Now the ladies take a beer mat and put between in the man’s buttocks. The couples can be tied in this game and, in that case, anyone who falls off is eliminated.

BROOM DANCE: There are twelve volunteer couples. Then, you play music and the couples have to dance with a broom handle. When the music stops, the couple separates. Of course, no pair can refuse the item or they are thrown to the ground. The outgoing couple comes to the bridal couple holding twelve cards with the months of the year in their hand (January - December). The couple can choose a month. An activity is written on the back and the just-retired couple must do it. For example, you can have wine tasting in September or kiting (a seasonal activity and for the couple to be free, they are invited by the retired couple). This cycle is repeated until all the cards are gone (and, logically, all twelve pairs). This ensures that the couple is invited to a fun activity every month for one year.

GUESTBOOK: Some wedding guests even make a guestbook. You can have little pieces of paper with the names of prominent people or characters from history and they can draw comics and so on, (e.g. Huey, Dewey and Louie or Winnetou and Old Shatterhand and so on). The guests who draw these characters and taken to a side room and then covered with a few props. Then, they are brought “on stage”. They are then photographed and there is album signing (pen name and real name) after gluing the photos in the album. This is how you can hold on to all the nice memories during the wedding at a hotel like Edinburgh Balmoral.

JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM: One seeks voluntary (or involuntary) wedding guests and then sets chairs in the middle of the dance floor. For example, you have twelve guests. Then, you take eleven chairs. You play music while the guests walk around the chairs. If the music is over, an object is named (e.g. a shoe, an identity card, clean plates, a wedding ring, fruit, toilet paper, aspirin, etc.) and the players have to find such an object (it cannot be their own – it must belong to other wedding guests). You have to make sure that the players return in the heat of battle after each round. You can prepare cards and the one who is out draws one. They may also have tasks on them. For instance, the player must bring a bouquet of flowers on the first weekend of the following month and so on. 

HOUSEHOLD RAFFLE: A few items are secretly taken from the home of the couple (e.g. a picture or a souvenir, the hamster cage, the favorite shoes...). Then, a quiz is held with questions that are so difficult that they cannot answer – questions which are prepared by wedding guests. They receive one of the stolen items as a prize for each question answered (Of course, the guests must be clear that they must return the items afterwards).