A website itself is an exceptional below the-line marketing tool and it can be created at a cheap price and have an instant impact on your establishment. Your franchisor or corporation probably boasts a company-wide website, which makes a lot of sense, so that the deatails and cost can be spread across the entire organisation. The website should be a two-way medium that puts you in touch with your target audience and explains in detail your offerings and how to contact your organisation. It should gather and distribute leads and should collect prospect details so that you can construct a database of potential clients.

Websites have the capability to reach world-wide audiences, which takes you out of your local area! Regardless, websites can also be tailored in such a way that if someone does a search for your products in your area, you can be found.

This is important because more people are going to the Internet first before reaching for the Yellow Pages. A professionally produced and presented website can establish the credibility of your company regardless of whether you are working out of a one-bedroom apartment or an expensive office block.

Your website can answer the same questions over and over and over again while you sleep and can extend the life of your printed material, radio and television advertisements by incorporating them on the site. You can produce forms and gather information as you want and provide your clients with valuable reports whilst collecting their details for your prospect database. The site can also be another cost-effective retail outlet for you without the cost of hard real estate.

Believe it or not, reclusive people not willing to contact you by phone or in person are able to obtain information and if they wish to pursue things, they will often email you via the contacts section of the website.

There is much written about websites and how they should be created and what they should incorporate. Suffice to say that the content you display on your website is imperative because it has the potential to become the foundation for enticing clients to your site and positioning your company as the leader in its field. By regularly updating the content on your site, you can also attract search engines and, if the content is worthy, other businesses may build inbound links to your site.

There is some conjecture as to how many pages should constitute your website ranging from one simple tellall/sell-all page to adding as much content as you like. Regardless, it’s important to know that the heading or first line of the web page is the most important and the next in line is the first paragraph. Why is this so? Well, a web page is similar to a newspaper in that people will scan for headlines before either finding something they like or moving on to the next page. Keep the reader interested with clear, concise. and confronting headlines and strong first paragraphs.

Web pages are one of the most easily tracked marketing techniques available. In fact, you can obtain an incredible amount of statistics from hits through to hot spots within a page itself. Websites are also perfect for companies that can’t find enough room on their business cards to explain their products and services!

It’s one thing to have a great website; it’s an absolutely different thing to have one that can be found.

For internet marketing Brisbane, Brisbane web design and SEO services Brisbane, contact Search Tempo today.

Artists’ oil colours are put together by stirring dry powder pigments with special refined linseed oil until the mixture reaches a stiff paste consistency and then grinding it by strong friction in steel roller mills. The consistency of the hue is fundamental. The common feel is a smooth, buttery paste, and not stringy or long or tacky. When a more flowing or mobile aspect is desired by the artist, a liquid painting medium like pure gum turpentine must be combined with the mixture. In order to accelerate drying, a siccative, or liquid drier, may be sometimes used.

First-grade brushes are manufactured in two kinds: red sable (from various members of the weasel species) and whitened hog bristles. They are made in in numbered sizes for the four regular shapes: round (pointed), flat, bright (flat but shorter and not as supple), and oval (flat but is bluntly pointed). Red sable brushes are generally utilised for a smoother, delicate type of technique. The painting knife, a declicately tempered, thin version of the art palette knife, is a convenient tool for using oil colours in a robust manner.

The usual support for an oil painting is a canvas of pure European linen of sturdy close weave. A canvas is cut to the necessary size and pulled over a frame, mostly wood, and then secured by use of tacks or, since the 20th century, with staples. If the artist wants to reduce the absorbency of the canvas and to achieve a consistent surface, a primer or ground should be applied and left to dry before painting begins. The most commonly employed primers for this are gesso, rabbit-skin glue, and lead white. If density and smoothness are preferred rather than elasticity and texture, a wooden or processed paperboard panel, sized or primed, would be used. A number of other supports, such as paper and different textiles and metals, also have been tried.

A finish of varnish is generally put on to a completed oil painting to protect it and prevent atmospheric attacks, minor abrasions, or injurious accumulation of dirt. This film of varnish paint may be removed without damage by experts with use of isopropyl alcohol and such common solvents. Varnishing also sets the surface to a uniform lustre and sets the tone depth and colour intensity virtually to the vibrancy first created by the artist in the wet paint. Some painters, especially those who do not favour deep, intense colouring, will stay with a mat, or lustreless, finish in the paintings.

Most oil paintings made previous to the 19th century were built up in layers. The first would be a blank, uniform field of thin paint known as a ground. The ground lessened the white glare of the primer and established a base of gentle colour on which to apply the oil paint. The forms and items in the painting would then be roughly blocked in using shades of white, and gray or neutral green, red, or brown. The eventuating masses of monochromatic light and dark colours were called the underpainting. Forms could be given definition using either the paint or scumbles, which are irregular, thinly applied layers of opaque pigment that creates a whole range of effects. At the last step, transparent layers of pure colour known as a glaze would then be utilised to create luminosity, depth, and brilliance to the objects, and highlights could then be defined with thick, textured patches of paint known as impastos.

Oil as a painting medium is dated as early as the 11th century. The technique of easel painting with oil colours, however, resulted directly from 15th-century tempera-painting styles. Basic improvements in how to refine linseed oil and the availability of volatile solvents from 1400 coincided with a requirement for some medium other than pure egg-yolk tempera, meeting the contemporary desires of the Renaissance (see tempera painting). At first, oil paints and varnishes had been employed to glaze tempera panels, painted from the usual linear draftsmanship. The technically brilliant, gem-like portraits from the 15th-century Flemish artist Jan van Eyck, for example, were finished in this way.

In the 16th century, oil colour became established as the fundamental painting material in Venice. By the 17th century, Venetian artists had grown proficient in utilising the basic traits of oil painting, particularly in their use of successive layers of glaze. Canvas, after a long era of growth, overcame wood panels as the common support.

One of the 17th-century masters of the oil technique was Velázquez, a Spanish artist in the Venetian tradition, whose remarkably economical but informative brushstrokes have commonly been adopted, particularly in portraiture. The Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens challenged tradition in the style in which he loaded his light colours opaquely, juxtaposing his thin, transparent darks and shadows. A third notable 17th-century master of oil painting was the Dutch painter Rembrandt. In his art, a single brushstroke would effectively depict form; cumulative strokes give great textural depth, combining the rough and the smooth, the thick and the thin. A system of loaded whites and transparent darks is further enhanced by glazed effects, blendings, and highly controlled impastos.

Other basic influences on later easel painting techniques are the smooth, thinly painted, deliberately planned, tight styles of painting. A great many admired works (e.g., those from Johannes Vermeer) were executed with smooth graduated blends of shades to cast shadowy forms and delicate colour variations.

The technical requirements of some schools of modern painting cannot be attained by traditional genres or techniques, however. Many abstract painters - including to some extent modern painters who use traditional styles - have demonstrated a desire for a wholly different plastic flow or viscosity that cannot be created in oil paint and its conventional additives. Some require a wider range of thick and/or thin applications and a more rapid rate of drying. Some mixed coarsely grained substances with colours to create textures, some of them are applying oil paints in heavier thicknesses than before, and many have begun to use acrylic paints, because they are more versatile and dry fast.

Interested in oil painting? For art supplies Brisbane, including canvas art supplies and artists supplies, visit or call the Discount Art Warehouse.

Hydrocarbons are any of a class of organic chemical compounds created solely of the elements carbon and hydrogen. The carbon atoms are linked to form the framework of the compound; the hydrogen atoms join to them in plenty of differing configurations. Hydrocarbons are the principal constituents of petroleum and natural gas. They can be fuels and lubricants as well as raw materials for the production of plastics, fibres, rubbers, solvents, explosives, and industrial chemicals.

Lots of hydrocarbons are created in nature. In addition to forming fossil fuels, such compounds may be found within trees or some plants, such as, for example, for the kind of pigments known as carotenes that are present in carrots and green leaves. A little more than 98 percent of natural crude rubber is partly hydrocarbon polymer, a chainlike molecule that is formed of several units linked up.

Hydrocarbons are insoluble in water and they are less dense than water, so they float on its surface. They are often soluble in one another, though, as well as within some organic solvents. All hydrocarbons will be fully combustible. If they are burned fully with an adequate amount of oxygen, they should produce carbon dioxide and water, releasing heat. If there isn’t enough oxygen, the combustion will mainly form carbon monoxide.

The structures and chemistry of single hydrocarbons depends for the most part on the sorts of chemical bonds that connect the atoms of their constituent molecules. A carbon atom may feature four single bonds, or it could form double or triple bonds. A hydrogen atom may have a single bond.

Hydrocarbons are divided within different classes depending on their structure. The two fundamental kinds are aliphatic and aromatic. Aliphatic hydrocarbons could be constructed of molecules in which the carbon atoms are connected in chains (called acyclic) or in rings (known as alicyclic, or carbocyclic). Aliphatic hydrocarbons also are divided into categories depending on the types of bonds between the carbon atoms. For aliphatic hydrocarbons, when all the bonds are single (known as sigma bonds), the compound is termed to be saturated. These compounds are allocated into the appropriate categories as alkanes or cycloalkanes. If more than two bonds connect any two carbon atoms, the hydrocarbon is termed unsaturated. The bonds might be double, such as the alkenes or alkadienes, or triple, like for the alkynes. Certain compounds have both types of multiple bonds in the single molecule.

The base alkanes are methane, ethane , and propane. Those compounds can exist in a single structure of each. Higher members of the series, beginning with butane, can be constructed in two different processes, based on whether the carbon chain is straight or branched. These compounds are labelled isomers; they are compounds featuring the identical molecular formula but feature different arrangements of the atoms. The result is, they often have a variety of chemical properties.

Cycloalkanes are ring structures that have two fewer hydrogen atoms within the molecule of the corresponding alkane. Lots of these feature not just one ring, but many. Six-membered rings are of note as they can be seen in many natural products, particularly the steroids. Cyclic structures can also be isomers for which two molecules are different purely in the spatial arrangement of their substituent groups.

The basic commercial sources of alkanes are known as petroleum and natural gas. Unique higher alkanes and cycloalkanes often are synthesized from reactions designed for a particular product. These saturated hydrocarbons can also be synthesized with a relative unsaturated molecules, by hydrogenation (including of hydrogen). Saturated hydrocarbons are generally inert; i.e., when at room temperature they are unaffected by common acids, alkalies, and oxidizing or reducing agents.

For hydrocarbon storage tanks and self-bundled hydrocarbon tanks, contact Logitank.com.au

Gone are the days of synthetic grass looking cheap and plastic. These days new generation synthetic lawn is lush, soft, extremely realistic and difficult to tell apart from the real thing.

Everyone adores the natural look of a lawn, but who has the time these days? With artificial grass you get all the perks of real grass with no chance of dead patches, muddy patches or the weekend maintenance ritual.

Never mow again
Imagine having your weekends available to do what you like most without ever having to find the mower again. Not only will you never be caught out by unexpected visitors and an untidy lawn, you’ll have the peace of mind of never having to listen to that mower motor pacing up and down your yard ever again!

Save your water
Only grass that grows needs water, save it for something more necessary, like drinking a nice glass of it while you are admiring your lawn.

No nasties
Don’t worry about having to use putrid fertilisers, stepping in bindis, or dealing with seasonal allergies. With synthetic grass this is all a thing of the past, you can sit on it, lie on it, roll in it and get up without being caked in mud or grass clippings.

Can be installed anywhere grass won’t grow or you don’t want to mow
Synthetic grass doesn’t need sunlight , it is quite happy in shady areas and will keep them looking lush whilst providing you with many years of usable space. Being synthetic it doesn’t mind being in constant direct sunlight or harsh conditions, this grass is made to last. Synthetic grass is also at home around the pool, good quality grasses are UV, salt and chlorine resistant.

It might look delicate but its durability will surprise you
As well as homes these grasses are used in schools and council public areas, even dog runs and kennels. Just by viewing these new generation artificial lawns you could be forgiven for thinking they are fragile, but in fact they are extremely tough. They can stand up to the stress of daily traffic, children, pets, are non-flammable and, you can expect high quality synthetic grass to last as long as high quality pavers.

It is available for DIY
For those that are handy you can install your own synthetic grass. Find a good DIY installation guide do it yourself and save some money.

Turn unusable space into your favourite place
Synthetic lawn is so attractive, you will find that areas that were never used in the past become your resting and/or play areas.

You don’t need to leave home to have a practice hit on the green.
If golf is your thing then what could be more luxurious than planting a putting green in your backyard. There are a variety of options when it comes to artificial putting greens. Everything from DIY putting kits through to PGA level greens just like those in the homes of the top golfers, these PGA level greens allow you to chip and pitch from a distance, with a realistic roll from every angle of the green.

Synthetic lawn is implemented on the fringe of the green and can expand out to truly blend the putting green into the garden landscape.

Of course synthetic putting greens have all the same low maintenance advantages as synthetic grass. So these greens will be ready for play when you are.

Perfect for Children’s play areas
Synthetic grass has always been popular in day care centres, but synthetic lawn takes it to a whole new level of softness. Synthetic grass doesn’t conceal hidden sharps the way that sand or chipped bark can, and synthetic grass can be installed to comply with soft fall standards for use where play equipment is used.

Perfect for pets
Animals love synthetic grass and it is often used in luxury dog kennels.
Urine will soak through and make its way into the ground below, unfortunately there is no way of magically making number 2’s disappear so they will need to be picked up just as you would with real grass, however neither one of these will damage your grass. Removal of waste is purely for you and your dog to avoid any inconvenience.

For dogs that are diggers there are special installation techniques that will ensure your grass lasts as long as it should so make sure you mention this when you are being quoted on installation.

Enduroturf is Australian made, available Australia-wide and recognised as being one of Australia’s largest suppliers and installers of synthetic grass. Brisbane is home to Enduroturf’s head office but you can find our synthetic grass in Melbourne, Geelong , Canberra, Sydney, Cairns, Toowoomba, , Tasmania , Alice Springs, Adelaide and we of course also provide our synthetic grass in Perth. Call us today for a free, no obligation quote or visit us at enduroturf.com.au

Sculpture is an art form in which hard or plastic materials are worked into 3D works of art. The designs may be embodied in freestanding objects, in reliefs on surfaces, or in environments varying from tableaux to contexts enveloping the spectator. An unlimited variety of material are used, including clay, wax, stone, metal, fabric, glass, wood, plaster, rubber, and random “found” objects. Materials can be carved, modeled, molded, cast, wrought, welded, sewn, assembled, or purely shaped and combined.

Sculpture is not a fixed term that is applicable to a permanently restricted category of objects or sets of activities. It is, rather, an art that grows and is changing and continually extends the range of its activities and evolving new types of objects. The definition of the term grew much wider in the second part of the 20th century than it had been merely two or three decades previously, and in the fluid state of visual art at the turn of the 21st century, one cannot predict what its future possibilities are going to become.

There are some features which in previous centuries were regarded as essential to sculpture but are now no longer present in a big part of modern sculpture and thus no longer form part of its definition. One of the most elementary points of these is representation. Previous to the 20th century, sculpture was seen to be a representational art; imitating forms in life, that were mostly of human figures but also inanimate objects, such as game, utensils, and books. At the start of the 20th century, however, sculpture has also included nonrepresentational forms. It began to be accepted that figures of such functional three-D objects as furniture, pots, and buildings can be expressive and beautiful without having to be representational. It was only during the 20th century that nonfunctional, nonrepresentational, three-dimensional artworks began to be common practice.

Previous to the 20th century, sculpture was seen as primarily an art of solid form, or mass. Though the negative elements of sculpture — the voids and hollows underneath and between its solid forms — have usually been to some kind of extent an intricate part of the design, but that role was a secondary one. In a large area of modern sculpture, however, the focus has shifted, and the spatial aspects have started to come out as dominant. Spatial sculpture is currently a commonly recognisable branch of the art form.

It was also taken for granted in sculpture in the past that its components had to be of a constant shape and size and, except for pieces such as Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s Diana (a monumental weather vane), could not move. With the contemporary development of kinetic sculpture, neither the immobility nor immutability of its elements can still be viewed as fundamental to defining the art of sculpture.

Additionally, sculpture during the 20th century has not been limited to the two traditional forming procedures of carving and modeling, or to the traditional natural materials like stone, metal, wood, ivory, bone, and clay. Because modern sculptors may use any materials and methods of manufacture that work for a purpose, the art can no longer be identified by any special kind of materials or techniques.

Throughout all these changes, there is probably only one element that stayed constant in the art of sculpture, and it exists as the central abiding concern of sculptors: the art form is a branch of the visual arts that is specially concerned with the creation of objects in 3-D.

Sculpture can be either in the round or in relief. A sculpture in the round will be a separate, detached item in its own right, leading an independent existence in reality as a human body or a chair. A sculpture in relief does not have this independant form. It is part of and projects from or is an inextricable part of an object that may serve either as a background against which it is set or a matrix from which it emerges.

The actual three-D nature of sculpture in the round limits its scope in certain respects in comparison with the scope of painting. Sculpture cannot have the illusion of space with solely optical means, or invest its shape with atmosphere and light as we might see in painting. But sculpture does have a kind of reality, a vivid physical presence that cannot be found in the pictorial arts. Different sculptures can be tangible as well as visible, and they can appeal strongly and directly to our tactile and visual sensibilities. Even the visually impaired, and those who are congenitally blind, can create and appreciate certain kinds of sculpture. It was, in fact, pushed by the 20th-century art critic Sir Herbert Read that sculpture should be considered as elementarily an art of touch and that the beginnings of sculptural work can be traced to the pleasure that one experiences in touching things.

All three-D forms are seen as possessing an expressive character as well as pure geometric properties. They come across to the observer as delicate, aggressive, flowing, taut, relaxed, dynamic, soft, and more. By exploiting the evocative qualities of form, sculptors are able to create visual imagery in which subject matter and expressiveness of form are mutually reinforcing. These images go beyond the simple presentation of fact and impress a huge range of subtle and powerful emotions.

The aesthetic raw material used in sculpture is, so to speak, the total realm of expressive 3D form. A sculpture might draw upon what we see that exists in the endless variety of natural and man-made form, or it may be an art of pure invention. It has been mastered to express a vast range of human emotions and feelings from the subtly tender and delicate to the terribly violent and ecstatic.

All human beings, intimately involved from birth with the world of 3-D form, know something of its structural and expressive aspects and will develop emotional responses to them. This combination of intellect and sensitive response, also known as a sense of form, is able to be cultivated and refined. It is to that sense of form that this art of sculpture primarily appeals.

For art supplies Brisbane, including canvas art supplies and artists supplies, visit or call the Discount Art Warehouse. Become a member for free and get 10% discount on future purchases.

In the advertising industry the effectiveness of an advert is measured by:- How many people it reaches, how many times they perceive it, do they relate to it?, do they remember what it was selling?, and crucially, will it influence them to buy?

We cannot think of any other sort of advertising that is as effective as promotional products at delivering you exposure to customers and generating goodwill that leads to sales.

Consider these examples:-

1. A low cost item like a promotional fridge magnet, custom notepad or promotional drink bottle will offer your company an abundance of repeat advertising exposure to your customer. Your logo/message (or perhaps something as basic as your telephone number) will always be at hand - they will not have to pick up the Yellow Pages to find your (and your competitors) details.

2. Being given a mid priced item like a promotional desk clock, a branded mousemat or a logo printed coffee mug will prove your existing customers that you appreciate them, they will thank you for it, which in turn will produce goodwill towards you and your business. Furthermore it will give years of daily exposure to your logo/message. The cost of pre exposure (to your message) will be miniscule.

3. Top clients and staff are integral to our business and they will be to yours too. Studies have shown that happy staff are productive staff and you will know how much business, say, your top twenty five customers provide. A $30 thank you gift will represent less than 1/1000 of most employees yearly pay!

It may be a smaller fraction of a contract you are tendering for or the annual sales volume of clients. Some of the largest companies we know are not huge payers but have a focus on staff contentment and showing them they are appreciated - they often use Corporate Gifts. Patting someone on the back and telling them they are essential is good but the act of giving is a lot more powerful.

What are Promotional Products?

Promotional Products are products that can be decorated with a clients name, logo or message on them. The industry is rapidly growing and has a value of $3.0 billion p.a. in Australia. Marketers need to brand their organisation, product, or service is the reason they use Promotion Product’s items and services.

Many other media options are available - newspaper, radio, and direct mail to name several - these however do not offer the accountability offered by Promotional Product Marketing. Promotional Products work, as not only do they communicate your message but your client will thank you for them.

Consider the benefits of Promotional Product Marketing outlined below:

Targeted - Promotional Products target the people you are appealing to. No non-prospects, no wasted circulation.

Longevity - A good quality Promotional Product will be around for years and can be used on a daily basis by your client. No other media offers as much exposure.

Versatility - There are so many applications for Promotional Products Marketing that a listing of them would look like the Sydney telephone directory.

Budget Flexible - From a few cents to hundreds of dollars Promotion Products has products to fulfill your individual communication objectives.

Obligation - Good business is based on Giving away Promotional Products to customers strengthens these relationships and creates an obligation towards doing business with you and your organisation.

Functional - The Promotional Products we offer are functional ensuring that your client will use the gift and be exposed to your message on a daily basis.

Promotion Products is a Brisbane based company that supplies promotional products such as promotional drink bottles and custom notepads and much, much more, call us on 1300 303 717 at anytime.

Some form of marriage has been found to exist in all human societies, past and present. Its importance can be seen in the ornate and complex laws and rituals surrounding it. Although these laws and rituals are as varied and copious as human social and cultural organizations, some universals do apply.

The main legal function of marriage is to ensure the rights of the partners with respect to each other and to establish the rights and define the relationships of children within a community. Marriage has historically conferred a legitimate status on the offspring, which entitled him or her to the various privileges set down by the society of that community, including the right of inheritance. In most societies marriage also allowed the permissible social interaction allowed to the offspring, including the sufficient selection of future spouses.

Until the late 20th century, marriage was almost never a matter of free choice. In Western societies love between spouses came to be associated with marriage, but even in Western society (as the novels of writers such as Henry James and Edith Wharton attest) romantic love was not the dominant basis for matrimony in most eras, and one’s marriage partner was carefully chosen.

Endogamy, the practice of marrying someone from within one’s own tribe or group, is the oldest social regulation of marriage. When the forms of communication with outside groups are restrictive, endogamous marriage is a natural consequence. Cultural influences to partner within one’s social, economic, and ethnic group are still very strongly regulated in some societies.

Exogamy, the customof marrying outside the group, is found in societies in which kinship partnerships are the most complex, thus excluding from marriage large groups who may trace their lineage to a common ancestry.

In societies in which the large, or extended, family structure remains the basic unit, marriages are usually arranged by the family. The assumption is that love between the partners comes after marriage, and much thought is given to the socioeconomic advantages given to the larger family from the match. By contrast, in societies in which the small, or nuclear, family predominates, young adults usually choose their own partners. It is assumed that love precedes (and determines) marriage, and less thought is normally given to the socioeconomic aspects of the match.

In societies with arranged marriages, the almost universal custom is that someone acts as an intermediary, or matchmaker. This person’s chiefresponsibility is to arrange a marriage that will be agreeable to the two families represented. Some form of dowry or bridewealth is usually exchanged in societies that favour arranged marriages.

In societies in which individuals choose their own mates, dating is the usual way for people to meet and become acquainted with prospective partners. Successful dating may result in courtship, which then usually leads to marriage.

Marriage rituals
The rituals and ceremonies for marriage in the majority of cultures are associated primarily with abunduncy and validate the importance of marriage for the continuation of a clan, people, or society. They also assert a familial or communal sanction of the mutual choice and a comprehension of the difficulties and sacrifices involved in making what is considered, in most cases, to be a lifelong commitment to and responsibility for the welfare of spouse and children.

Marriage ceremonies include symbolic rites, often sanctified by a religious order, which are considered to confer good fortune on the couple. Because economic considerations play an essential role in the fruition of child rearing, the offering of gifts, both real and symbolic, to the married couple are a meaningful part of the marriage ritual. Where the presentation of prevents is extensive, either from the bride’s family to the bridegroom’s or vice versa, this usually signifies that the ability to choose one’s marital partner has been limited and policed by the families of the betrothed.

Fertility rites intended to ensure a fruitful marriage exist in some form in all ceremonies. Some of the oldest rituals still to exist in contemporary ceremonies include the conspicuous display of fruits or of cereal grains that are sprinkled over the couple or on their nuptial bed, the companionship of a small child with the bride, and the smashing of an object or food to produce a successful consummation of the marriage and an easy childbirth.

The most universal ritual is one that symbolizes a sacred union. This may be proclaimed by the joining of hands, an exchange of rings or chains, or the tying of garments. However, all the elements in marriage rituals differ greatly among different societies, and components such as time, place, and the social importance of the event are established by tradition and habit.

These traditions are, to a certain extent, formed by the religious beliefs and practices found in societies throughout the world. In the Hindu tradition, for example, weddings are highly elaborate affairs, involving several prescribed rituals. Marriages are generally arranged by the parents of the couple, and the time of the ceremony is determined by careful astrological calculations. Among the majority of Buddhists marriage remains essentially a secular affair, even though the Buddha offered guidelines for the responsibilities of lay householders.

In Judaism marriage is believed to have been instituted by God and is described as making the individual complete. Marriage involves a double ceremony, which includes the formal betrothal and wedding rites (prior to the 12th century the two were separated by as much as one year). The modern ceremony starts with the groom signing the marriage contract before a group of witnesses. He is then led to the bride’s room, where he lays a veil on her. This is followed by the ceremony under the huppa (a canopy that signifies the bridal bower), which involves the reading of the marriage contract, the seven marriage benedictions, the groom’s placing a ring on the bride’s finger (in Conservative and Reform traditions the double ring ceremony has been introduced), and, in most communities, the crushing of a glass under foot. After the ceremony the couple is led into a private room for seclusion, which symbolizes the consummation of the marriage.

From its beginnings, Christianity has emphasized the spiritual nature and indissolubility of marriage. Jesus Christ spoke of marriage as being instituted by God, and the majority Christians consider it a permanent union based upon mutual consent. Some Christian churches consider marriage as one of the sacraments, and other Christians confirm the sanctity of marriage but don’t consider it as a sacrament. Since the Middle Ages, Christian weddings have taken place before a priest or minister, and the ceremony involves the exchange of vows, readings from Scripture, a blessing, and, sometimes, the eucharistic rite.

In Islam marriage is not rigidly a sacrament but is always considered as a gift from God or a kind of service to God. The basic Islamic tenets concerning marriage are laid out in the Qur’an, which states that the marital bond rests on “mutual love and mercy,” and that spouses are “each other’s garments.” Muslim men may have up to four wives at one time (though they seldom do), but the wives must all be treated equitably. Marriages are traditionally contracted by the father or guardian of the bride and her intended husband, who must offer his bride the mahr, a payment offered as a gift to guarantee her financial independence.

If you are looking for a Cairns wedding celebrant, a wedding celebrant in Cairns or a Cairns civil celebrant, contact Del at sharingandcaringcairns.com.au