The Bride is Always Late: Irish Wedding Blog from WeddingDates.ie » Finland

Finnish way to tie the knot

Outi — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 09:35:38 +0000

Inspired by the Finnish Culture Day (which was yesterday) I’ve been thinking of traditional ways to celebrate weddings in Finland, and especially in the middle of the country where I’m from. I think there’s not too many differences in the ceremony between Finland and Ireland, though I’ve never really been in Irish weddings.. Before weddings it’s normal to have crazy hen and stag parties. It’s more common to get married in church than have a civil ceremony, summer is the most popular time for weddings and bride wears white gown and groom black suit or tux. It’s traditional that father of the bride hands the bride over to groom and when leaving from the church guests throws rice over the happy couple.

This is the point when the different customs comes in the picture.. Usually the wedding venue is a big country house, church property or a banqueting hall.. It depends on the part of Finland, but in the middle of the country weddings are often held close to lakes and many wedding venues have saunas near to water.. And just to clarify why events are held near to water, there are more than thousand lakes in Finland. It’s not common to get married in hotels and we don’t have too many castles in the whole country!

In Finnish weddings it’s important to have a great deal of food and drinks.. Though I’d guess that’s the case in Irish weddings too! Food is usually served from buffet table, and there is salads and main course, which is often fish or meat, potatoes, vegetables, pasta and bread. On top of these there is wedding cake and all sort of delicacies. Wine is served with food and usually the couple offers beer and ciders or punch from open bar – it depends on the budget!

Activities in weddings are pretty interesting. Usually bridesmaids and bestman organizes little games and entertainment at the wedding, one of the most traditional ones is robbing the bride. In some point of the party someone comes and steals the bride. It totally depends on the party who comes and steals her, it may be group of masked men, her friends, mother-in-law etc.. Then the groom needs to do something to get her back. I’ve been in a wedding where the groom decorated a cake and made a poem for his new wife. If the groom is musical, he may sing or play something or he need to dance.. you get the point! Saunas are big part of our culture, so in some point of the evening there will be heated sauna by the lake. Weddings always turns out to be great craic, but I’m sure that’s global phenomenon!

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Wife Carrying Teaser: Ruaidhri

Ciara Crossan — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 08:40:36 +0000

Ruaidhri talks about his vision of the Wife Carrying Trip – this is the guy who plans to find a wife to carry as we cross Europe!!

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Official Rules of Wife Carrying

Ciara Crossan — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:00:37 +0000

Set by the International Wife Carrying Competition Rules Commitee, here are the Rules of Wife Carrying. My favourite is #5 – all participants must have fun!

The Rules of Wife Carrying

The length of the official track is 253.5 meters, and the surface of the track is partially sand, partially grass and partially gravel.
The track has two dry obstacles and a water obstacle, about one meter deep.
The wife to be carried may be your own, the neighbour’s or you may have found her farther afield; she must, however, be over 17 years of age.
The minimum weight of the wife to be carried is 49 kilos. If it is less than 49 kilos, the wife will be burdened with such a heavy rucksack that the total weight to be carried is 49 kilos.
All the participants must have fun.
If a contestant drops his wife, he has to relift her on to his back or in his arms and continue carrying.
The only equipment allowed is a belt worn by the carrier.
The contestants run the race two at a time, so each heat is a contest in itself.
Each contestant takes care of his/her safety and, if deemed necessary, insurance.
There is only one category in the World Championships and the winner is the couple who completes the course in the shortest time.
Also the most entertaining couple, the best costume and the strongest carrier will be awarded a special prize.

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Getting Carried Away in Finland!

Ciara Crossan — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:26:52 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

16 June, 2010

CONTACT:

Ciara Crossan

WeddingDates.ie

T: 021-4928993

M: 087-9577733

Email: ciara@weddingdates.ie

GETTING CARRIED AWAY IN FINLAND!

Irish Team travels to Wife Carrying World Championships

Cork, Ireland – Teams from around the world are travelling to Finland next week to represent their countries in one of the most unusual competitions in the land known as Wife Carrying. A small town in Finland, called Sonkajärvi is the home of the competition and this will be its 15th year.

After scooping 3rd place in the Relay Event and “Most Entertaining Couple” in the main race last year, Ciara Crossan and James Kennedy from Cork and Dublin respectively are heading back to Finland to defend their titles.

“We had such great fun in Finland last year at the Wife Carrying World Championships, we just had to go back this year” said Crossan, founder of WeddingDates.ie a website that allows couples to search for Irish wedding venues and suppliers based on their preferred wedding date.

This year, the couple are making the trip to Finland bigger and better, travelling overland in a campervan which has been given to them by Irish campervan rental company Celtic Campervans. “We are crossing 7 countries in 7 days, to get to Finland in time for the Wife Carrying” Crossan said, “our plan is to film the journey so the Irish public can follow the adventure and really get behind the Irish Wife Carriers!”

Apart from Finland and Ireland, teams from 10 other countries will be participating in the world championships including USA, Australia, France, Germany, Russia and Estonia.

“Ireland have missed out on the World Cup in South Africa, but we want to give the Irish public something to cheer about!” said Kennedy who is in training to make sure he crosses the “Finnish Line” in good time while carrying Ciara.

Rowing in to sponsor the Wife Carrying Team are the Carlton Hotel group, who are running a special offer for anyone who books into any of the 10 hotels nationwide, their wife/girlfriend/partner goes free if they carry them over the threshold! Check out http://www.carlton.ie/wifecarrying for more details.

Official Rules of Wife Carrying

The length of the official track is 253.5 meters, and the surface of the track is partially sand, partially grass and partially gravel.
The track has two dry obstacles and a water obstacle, about one meter deep.
The wife to be carried may be your own, the neighbour’s or you may have found her farther afield; she must, however, be over 17 years of age.
The minimum weight of the wife to be carried is 49 kilos. If it is less than 49 kilos, the wife will be burdened with such a heavy rucksack that the total weight to be carried is 49 kilos.
All the participants must have fun.
If a contestant drops his wife, he has to relift her on to his back or in his arms and continue carrying.

# # #

Note to Editors: The Irish Wife Carrying Team will be filming their journey across Europe to Finland and uploading these videos daily. The team will be available for radio/press interviews en route and in Finland. WeddingDates will be live tweeting the event [@WeddingDates] with the hashtag #wifecarrying

www.YouTube.com/WeddingDates

www.Facebook.com/WeddingDates

www.Twitter.com/WeddingDates

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How to Become a Master in Wife Carrying

Ciara Crossan — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:30:34 +0000

Straight from the official Wife Carrying Website, here are the expert tips on how wife carrying is good for your relationship! You’ll find the wife carrying enthusiasts all over the world – They are strong men and tenacious women. Most of these easy-going people seem to be characterised by placidity and happiness. Of course, with a few more serious looking devotees among them.

Attitude

The wife carrying is composed of humour and hard sport on a fifty-fifty basis. Everybody may choose what attitude to take towards the competition. The course is open for all to participate.

Postures

There are four customary styles to carry the wife: the traditional piggyback, the wife dangling upside down on the carrier’s back, thrown over on the shoulder and crosswise on the carrier’s shoulders. The style is free. You may also create a new personal style of your own.

Outfit

It is preferable to wear clothes which won’t be stripped off in full speed running and which are easy to hold on to. The carrier’s belt is the only equipment allowed to help in keeping one’s grasp. Some other tools known to be beneficial are a bunch of birch switches, swimming glasses and swimming slippers.

Life

The wife carrying is an attitude towards life. The wives and the wife carriers are not afraid of challenges or burdens. They push their way persistently forward, holding tightly, generally with a twinkle in the eyes.

Eroticism

You can sense the excitement in the air during the wife carrying competition. The core of the race is made of a woman, a man and their relationship. The wife carrying and eroticism have a lot in common. Intuitive understanding of the signals sent by the partner and becoming one with the partner are essential in both of them – sometimes also whipping.

Wife

According to the rules the minimum weight of the wife is 49 kilos. If it is less, the wife will be burdened with such a heavy rucksack that the total weight is 49 kilos. Generally the best wife is the wife of one’s own, all the more if she is harmonious, gentle and able to keep her balance while riding on the shoulders of her man.

Track

The traditional track for the wife carrying consists of sand, forested terrain, a water obstacle and two log hurdles. If your style is “the wife dangling upside down”, you have better to remember that in the water pool the wife’s head is likely to go under the water.

Rhythm

It is of great importance to find a mutual rhythm. I the wife on the man’s back is rocking out of time, the speed slows down. When the rhythm is good, the wife and the carrier become one accompanying the motions of each other. It is advisable to practise in order to find the mutual rhythm before the competition.

Training

It is possible to train for the wife carrying competition everywhere in the middle of the daily routines: in the bath, in the super market, in the playground or in the body building centre. The wife carrying is good for your relationship.

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Ireland to compete in the World Cup?!

Ciara Crossan — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:38:49 +0000

YES!! It’s true! Ireland will be competing in the World Cup this summer! Well, not exactly. The World Cup in South Africa won’t be seeing any Irish team, but the World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland sure will!!

We participated last year and won 3rd place in the relay race and “Most Entertaining Couple” in the main event, so naturally we are going back again this year to defend our titles!!

We are looking for sponsors to make this voyage to Finland to represent our country in the prestigious sport of “Wife Carrying”!

If you are interested in sponsoring the Irish Wife Carrying Team, then please drop me an email ciara[at]weddingdates[dot]ie or via our Facebook page.

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Wife Carrying 2010 – Irish Heats

Ciara Crossan — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:00:22 +0000

The Irish heats for the 2010 Wife Carrying Championships in Finland were held last weekend in Sneem, Co. Kerry as part of the Sneem Family Festival

Naturally, the weddingdates.ie team were out in force and James and Ciara managed to improve their time to 1 minute 38 seconds!! Not bad for the couple who came 35th out of 35 in Finland! Paul and Claire came in a time of 1 min 52 secs but it was last years 2nd prize winner Kate Whelan (carried this year by Fintan Lawton from Kinsale) who made the podium to collect flowers, champage and a very respectable 3rd place with a time of 1 minute 17seconds. Unfortunatly they weren’t allowed wear their weddingdates.ie T-shirts on stage though as the event was sponsored by Paddy Power.

A publicity photo was taken for d’paper and I was delighted to see myself and James in both the Irish Times AND the Independant yesterday (even if it wasn’t the most flattering pic in the world!)

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WeddingDates Team take the Plunge!

Ciara Crossan — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:00:29 +0000

I don’t really think the photos do justice to the hilarity that was the wife-carrying championships in Finland, so we have put together a little YouTube Vid to try to capture the atmosphere.

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Some photos of the Wife Carrying

Ciara Crossan — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:10:40 +0000

You can view all of the photos from the trip on our facebook page and why not become a fan while your at it for special news, events and updates!

WeddingDates team, Ciara & James take the plunge!

I think James’ swan-dive into the water might have been what helped us to secure the prize for the “Most Entertaining Couple” at the event!

Trash the Dress - the bride was absolutely SOAKED!

The team event was no less challenging which saw our very own Ciara, being passed like a ‘baton’ among the 3 men who completed the relay with her on their back.

Over the hurdle in the team event

Drinking the special"Wife Carrying Brew"

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World Wife Carrying Champions!

Ciara Crossan — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:22:19 +0000

Well, we’re back in one piece today after the craziness of Finland and happy to report, loaded down with prizes!! James and I scooped “Most Entertaining Couple” in the main race despite coming 35th out of 35 with a time of 2:22. We also made up half of the Team who are now ranked #3 in the world for the Wife Carrying Relay Race – I was the baton! I was ably carried by Gerard O’Shea (Caherdaniel, Kerry), Vincent O’SUllivan (Waterville, Co, Kerry) and James Kennedy (Blackrock, Cork)

Roll on next year – back to Sonkajarvi, Finland to defend our titles!

** PRESS RELEASE **

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6 July, 2009

CONTACT:
Ciara Crossan
WeddingDates.ie
T: 021-4928993
M: 087-9577733
Email: ciara@weddingdates.ie

SHE AIN’T HEAVY, SHE’S MY WIFE!
Irish Team Storms World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland

Ireland have swept the board at the World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland this weekend, winning prizes in 2 out of the 3 races.

Part of the Irish contingent consisted of Ciara Crossan and James Kennedy who won “Most Entertaining Couple” for their hilarious race around the track which saw James swan-dive into the 1 meter deep water obstacle and a cheeky shortcut to the Finish Line. Which had the crows in rapturous applause, chanting “Ole, ole, ole!”

Crossan, who runs Irish website www.weddingdates.ie was delighted to be in Finland for the event saying, “The Finns have a great sense of humour and really know how to entertain the international audience. The ethos of www.WeddingDates.ie is all about enjoying your wedding and not letting the planning stress you out and what better way to do that than to take part in a bit of wife-carrying?!”

Her partner James Kennedy was impressed by the hospitality of the Finnish saying “ I have never felt more welcome in a place before – we will definitely be back next year to defend our title and enjoy more of the Finnish warmth.”

Ciara and James were also part of the relay team who are now ranked # 3 in the World with their team-mates Vincent O’Sullivan (Waterville, Co. Kerry) and Gerard O’Shea (Caherdaniel, Co, Kerry). The relay was run on the same course as the main event (250 meter course, 2 dry hurdle obstacles and 1 water obstacle) but required the “wife” to be the baton, being passed between the three “husbands”. During the handover the runners had to down a bottle of special “wife carrying brew”. Gerard O’Shea, commented after the race: “It was the Irish drinking culture that swung it for us in the end – we had no problem in downing that drink!”

Last years Irish Champions at the First Annual Irish Wife Carrying Competition held at the Sneem Festival, won an all expenses paid trip to Finland and the Irish duo came in a very respectable 8th place with a time of 1 minute 13 seconds (8/35). The Kerry couple would have been in the top spots, but lost out due to a stumble right at the finish line which added a 5 second penalty. Aoife Desmond and John O’Shea from Caherdaniel, Co. Kerry commented “now we know the track and the level of the competition we’ll be better prepared next year.” The top prize of the Wife’s Weight in Beer was won by a Finnish couple who have been vying for the title for 12 years. Their time was an impressive 1 minute 2 seconds.
All 6 of the Irish competitors are determined to return next year to defend their title. Sneem Co. Kerry is the home of Irish Wife Carrying and anyone interested in taking part in what has to be one of the most unusual world-sporting events can try their luck against the Irish champs at the Sneem Family Festival on July 25th. Check out www.sneemfestival.com for more details.
# # #

Note to Editors: WeddingDates.ie [ http://www.weddingdates.ie ] is an Irish website that helps engaged couples search for wedding reception venues available on their chosen wedding date. WeddingDates.ie proudly supported the Irish Wife Carrying Team in Finland.

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