Wedding Guide/Windurstian Wedding Ceremony Procedures

Etiquette
A wedding is a sacred event and should be observed with the utmost respect. Thus, during our ceremonies, it is important for all involved to conduct themselves in the appropriate manner.

If the behavior of the participants and/or guests is deemed improper or disruptive, we reserve the right to cancel the ceremony. Please help us to create a joyous and memorable occasion for the bride and groom by ensuring that everyone obeys this simple etiquette:


 * Do not be late.
 * Do not move around needlessly during the ceremony.
 * Do not bring monsters to the wedding site and then release them.
 * Do not come to the wedding site on your own.
 * Please stay in the designated waiting area.
 * Do not use /shout for ANY reason while waiting.
 * Refrain from casting spells, synthesizing, or using unnecessary items until the ceremony is over.
 * Refrain from unnecessary chatting once the ceremony begins, including excessive emotes.
 * Do not engage in battle.
 * Maintain a reasonable standard of decency during the ceremony.
 * Do not engage in any other activities that might disrupt the ceremony.
 * Do not send unnecessary /tells to the groom or bride. Questions should be directed to the chaperone.
 * Do not invite more guests than your selected location allows for. The attendance limit is based on the site, and limits are in place to avoid latency.

It is the responsibility of the chaperons to inform all attendees of the above etiquette, but they are free to do so in their own words if they wish.

Rehearsal and Review Prior to the Wedding Day
The groom, bride, and chaperon are expected to be familiar with the wedding details and script when meeting with the Wedding Master. If you're not familiar with the information, the ceremony may be canceled. During the meeting, which takes place 60 minutes before the wedding, your preferences, the procedures, and script will be reviewed. However, the three of you must hold your own rehearsal sometime during the 72 hours before the wedding day, which the Wedding Master will not be involved in.

You are welcome to review the information together in any manner that you see fit. However, please make sure ALL of the following tasks are completed:


 * Chaperon


 * Inform all guests of the date, time, waiting area, and basic etiquette. You will have more time to review the rules with them on the wedding day so a simple overview is acceptable.
 * Forward the script information to the groom and bride if you have not done so yet.
 * Practice walking in a straight line. You can use ALT Z, CTRL Z or / on the numpad to toggle run and walk. If you have no keyboard, you can tilt the analog stick gently to walk.


 * Groom and Bride


 * Practice walking in a straight line as mentioned in the Chaperon's section.
 * Practice turning in place using first person view. If you have a full keyboard with a numpad, hit 5 on it to change views. When you do not see yourself, hold 4 or 6 to turn. If you don't have a numpad, you can use ALT V or CTRL V to change views, or press on the analog stick. When you do not see yourself, hold the movement stick or movement keys to the left or right to turn.
 * Wedding vows will be based on your job.
 * The bride must not wear any opaline or ceremonial gear to the meeting, regardless of whether or not a bridal set is requested.

Attire
In regards to attire and equipment, helmets, masks, visors, faceguards and heavy head items should not be worn. Hats, cloaks, circlets, eyeglasses and the like are acceptable. Female guests should not wear opaline, ceremonial, or wedding feet, leg or body items out of respect for the bride. If your wedding is indoors (Jeuno, custom locations like Heaven's Tower), please ask guests to remove their hats.

All attendees are required to remove weapons and shields in their "main" and "sub" slots. Items in "range" and "ammo" slots that do not alter appearance are acceptable. It is recommended that one dress in a manner befitting a sacred occasion. This request extends not only to the bride, groom, and chaperon, but to all those who plan to attend the ceremony. The bride, groom, and chaperon should discuss this matter beforehand in order to establish a general guideline, which in turn should be passed on to all attendees. However, the only OFFICIAL rules for attire are the ones regarding weapons, heavy headgear and opaline/ceremonial/wedding gear.

As an optional service, a complete bridal set will be provided for the bride. The dress will be given to the bride during arrangements for the ceremony. If it was not requested on the original application but you'd like to request it on the wedding day, bring the extra 50,000g fee. If the bride plans to wear opaline or ceremonial gear, she mustn't equip it on the wedding day until directed to do so by the WM.

The Groom, Bride and Chaperone are required to close their bazaars before the wedding begins, but it is not required for guests to close theirs. Linkpearls and Mentor flags are acceptable for everyone. However, in the case of the groom and bride, please use your best judgment and refrain from wearing Linkpearls and Mentor flags if they will be distracting to you during practice or the ceremony.

If the wedding is taking place outdoors, all pets, chocobos, and any other sort of summoned or charmed NPC *MUST* be called off from the commencement of the meeting with the WM up until the ceremony is completed.

Food
The Groom and Bride are required to present food items to each other. They will also need to write a statement about the item. Any food or drink item that is not labeled EX is acceptable, but items that result in negative status effects like Sleep should be avoided. Foods that have a group effect when used are not recommended, but can still be used by one- not both- marriage partner. The groom and bride are responsible for doing research on the food item that they choose.

Wedding Fees
If the wedding ceremony fees cannot be paid on the wedding date, the ceremony will be canceled. (Players will have to reapply if they wish to hold another ceremony.)

If a wedding dress set was requested in the application, please do not forget to bring the 50,000 gil fee to the ceremony.

All fees will be collected from the chaperone when meeting the WM 60 minutes beforehand. The WM will ask the chaperone to initiate a trade.

Arrangements
Information about your specific wedding site will be provided to the chaperone when the date is confirmed.

The bride, groom, and chaperone must proceed directly to the wedding site, where they will be asked to confirm some information and preferences. At this time, the chaperone must pay all wedding fees to the Sibyl Celebrant when requested. Then, the chaperone will be given the confetti crackers, which must be distributed to the guests. The wedding items (rings, optional bridal set) are EX and will be placed directly into the couple's inventories. They are not permitted to equip them until instructed.

After all of your preferences have been confirmed, the Wedding Master will describe the procession for the bride, groom, and chaperone. The WM will make sure the instructions are clear, and will ask the bride, groom, and chaperone to try it on cue. On completion, the WM will review some information about the ending for the chaperone. The chaperone will then be dispatched to the guests so that they can review the rules and distribute the crackers. The WM will review the script with the groom and the bride during this time, and will contact the chaperone with further instructions when the review has been completed.

PLEASE NOTE: On the wedding day, the three of you must be at the wedding site and ready to meet 60 minutes before the scheduled wedding start time. You should all be able to see /say chat messages, and ALL early guests must be at the waiting area. If the three of you are not at the wedding site and ready to meet by 10 after the hour (for example, 4:10PM if the meeting is scheduled for 4:00PM), the wedding will be canceled, without exception. You are encouraged to recruit some of your guests to serve as ushers to help keep the guests at the waiting area.


 * Both the bride and groom must keep at least one inventory space open to hold the wedding ring. The chaperone must reserve one inventory space to hold the crackers.


 * If a bridal set was requested in the application, the bride will need 4 additional empty inventory spaces to hold the entire set. If the set was not requested on the application but you'd like it anyway, please bring the 50,000g fee to the ceremony, and inform the WM when your preferences are confirmed. If the Bride has Opaline or Ceremonial gear, she MUST NOT equip these items until the guests are seated.

Ceremony Commencement
The chaperone will get in place with the bride after making sure that guests are seated and settled. The Wedding Master will /tell the chaperone to ensure that the wedding party is ready to begin. The groom and bride should make sure to inform the chaperone if they go AFK at all so that the wedding is not started prematurely.

Windurstian Style
When the ceremony officially begins, the Sibyl Celebrant will sound a Wedding Bell and say a bit to the guests before calling for the procession.

The Bride and Chaperone will then be asked to proceed to the altar:

Sibyl Celebrant: The stars are out shining; the night is quite clear. We ask that the lovely bride kindly draw near.

The bride must then advance towards the altar, escorted by the chaperone. From the vantage point of the procession, the bride must walk on the left side of the aisle. The chaperone must walk further on the left, and slightly behind the bride. The groom should turn to watch the procession, and both the groom and bride will face the Sibyl Celebrant after the procession. The Sibyl Celebrant will review this in detail during practice.

When the bride reaches the altar, the chaperone must move to join the first row of guests.

When the wedding procession has concluded, the Sibyl Celebrant will give a speech. Upon completion she will ask the bride and groom to face each other. Please remember to use first person view to turn in place!

Next is the Oath of Flesh and Blood, with the food items.

Sibyl Celebrant: [Groom], what shall you present to [Bride]'s breast to make your oath of blood and flesh?

Here, the groom must announce the name of the food item he has brought for the wedding. A humorous or touching anecdote is sure to entertain the guests, but please remember to maintain a standard of decency and common sense.

e.g: I have grilled a salmon that I caught in the Cheval River.

The bride will be addressed next.

Sibyl Celebrant: [Bride], what shall you present to [Groom]'s breast to make your oath of blood and flesh?

The bride must likewise present the food item she has brought.

After the food items have been announced, the Sibyl Celebrant will speak.

Sibyl Celebrant: Such precious gifts are understood. Now give unto each other your blessed food.

The bride and groom must then /trade (but not /use) the food items they have brought for each other.

Sibyl Celebrant: When stars rain from the sky in morn and when night brings its awful strife Will you protect this woman, never to be torn? Do you take her to be your sacred wife?

[Groom] must reply: I do. Our destinies are bound.

The bride will be addressed next.

Sibyl Celebrant: When the sun stays hiding e'en at midday and brings forth darkness no soul can withstand Will you protect this man, and never stray? Do you take him to be your sacred husband?

[Bride] must reply: I do. Our destinies are bound.

The SC will continue.

Sibyl Celebrant: So as you consume, two parts become whole. And now you are one with your partner's soul.

Here, [Bride] and [Groom] must /use their respective food items.

Now, the Sibyl Celebrant will lead the couple in their vows.

Sibyl Celebrant: [Groom], after me, I ask you to repeat. These vows of faith shall make you complete.

The groom must repeat after the Sibyl Celebrant, one line at a time. Thus, the vows will be said as follows (Warrior vows shown in this example):

Sibyl Celebrant: On this vow, I pledge my life, [Groom]: On this vow, I pledge my life, Sibyl Celebrant: to walk fate's path with my wife. [Groom]: to walk fate's path with my wife. Sibyl Celebrant: Even should my body break, [Groom]: Even should my body break, Sibyl Celebrant: and my fated end be near, [Groom]: and my fated end be near, Sibyl Celebrant: I shall fight with all my might for you; [Groom]: I shall fight with all my might for you; Sibyl Celebrant: no man nor beast I fear. [Groom]: no man nor beast I fear.

The bride will be addressed next and will repeat after the WM one line at a time as outlined in the Groom's section. Your specific vows will be provided to the chaperone when they confirm the date.

The Sibyl Celebrant will address the couple again.

Sibyl Celebrant: [Groom], true feeling is something that cannot be replaced. In what manner will you express your truest love's embrace?

The groom must then reply: With this ring, I pledge my love.

Sibyl Celebrant: [Bride], true feeling is something that cannot be replaced. In what manner will you express your truest love's embrace?

The bride must then reply: With this ring, I pledge my love.

Sibyl Celebrant: These rings represent the circling of the stars set in stone and never changing. Now you are destined to circle each other. Are you certain in this undertaking?

The bride and groom must then answer:

Bride & Groom: Yes, we are.

At this point, the Groom and Bride will equip the rings in to their left ring slots. (Ring 1)

Sibyl Celebrant: This pair of rings has been blessed by the Star Sibyl's grace. So take good care; like love itself, they cannot be replaced.

After the rings have been equipped, the kiss section begins

The Sibyl Celebrant will say:

Sibyl Celebrant: Now face each other; bask in the glory of this new start. There is no need to utter words that are conveyed by the heart.

At this point, the couple must face each other, and each take a step forward. They should use something along the lines of /em kisses [Bride] and /em kisses [Groom]

The Sibyl Celebrant will then bless the couple.

Sibyl Celebrant: By the Star Sibyl's power vested in me, husband and wife you are declared to be! May their bond grow as deep as the wide blue sea and their love soar as high as the Great Star Tree.

The bride and groom should turn and face away from the Sibyl Celebrant when she says:

Sibyl Celebrant: Oh, Star Sibyl, your wish has been granted. Another two seeds of hope have been planted.

When the Sibyl Celebrant says:

Sibyl Celebrant: Now step forth onto the long road which extends, And receive all the blessings of your loyal friends. Everyone, let us have a round of applause for the newlyweds!

The ceremony officially ends here.

Wedding Vows
In a Windurstian wedding, vows are based on jobs. Each vow has the same initial verse, with two verses specific to each job following. The initial verses are as follows:


 * [Groom] - On this vow, I pledge my life, to walk fate's path with my wife.
 * [Bride] - On this vow, like a rock I stand, to walk fate's path with my husband.

Below are the known vows for each job:
 * Warrior - Even should my body break, and my fated end be near, I shall fight with all my might for you; no man nor beast I fear.
 * Thief - Even if my reflexes slow, and my luck in battle dwindles, My love for you shall never flee; inside my soul it kindles.
 * Ninja - Even if my skills should wane, and my keen senses grow dull, The darkest shadows pose no risk; our love shall conquer all.

As of July 2008, there do not appear to be wedding vows available for Dancer and Scholar, as they do not appear in the list of jobs on the wedding application in the PlayOnline Viewer. However, it is possible that these jobs may have vows available and the form on PlayOnline has not been updated. If one or both of these jobs is to be chosen by one of the participants, it is recommended that you confirm this detail with the wedding organizer beforehand, just as you would selecting a custom wedding location.