對這個登記程序沒經驗,就問了一下大姑子。在美國結婚登記,要先到(county)縣裏的辦公樓去搞個單身證明叫marriage license. 我們找了一天去縣辦公樓,交錢辦單身證明。他們說證明搞好了會給我們寄去,臨了還給了我們一袋東西。裏麵裝了:一本用錫箔紙和烤箱做飯的食譜,幾包咖啡粉,幾片很好看的餐巾紙,還有一些我已經不記得是什麽樣的小禮物了。餐巾紙盒上的字挺逗:"Life is messy, clean it up",在提示一些什麽呢 ? 登記處把單身證明寄來的時候,還給了一張單子,裏麵列了縣裏做主持婚禮法官的名字和電話。
婚禮的儀式和普通的西式婚禮差不多。一開始就是法官說 We are gathering here today blah blah blah... 然後就是我們分別跟著法官念這個誓言: I, (Bride/Groom), take you (Groom/Bride), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. 然後交換戒指,法官宣布: You may kiss the bride.親完了,就宣布:I now pronouce you husband and wife.
西式婚禮有一個說法,婚禮上要有這些東西:something old, something new, something borrow, something blue. 我的婚禮倒是符合這些條件。婚紗是舊的,也是借來的,鞋子是新買的,我的bride garter 是藍色的。
這幾樣東西有其深意,代表了對新人的婚姻祝福。 舊的東西代表了新娘與娘家的聯係。新的東西是對未來新事務的向往。借來的東西應該是從婚姻幸福的人手裏討來的,有借喜氣的意思。藍色是原來流行的婚紗顏色。
網上找來的英文解釋:
Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. "Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.
As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."
看來,西式婚禮和中式的傳統婚禮有不少的共通之處。 例如中式婚禮要在婚床上擺蓮子花生桂圓紅棗等,以求"連生貴子";新娘要由一個有福氣的長輩梳頭等等。都代表了對一對新人的美好祝願。