Wedding Blog

I am a Baha’i by religion, and Mr. Tulip is from a non-practicing, vaguely Christian background. This complicates our ceremony planning because Baha’is have only a one-sentence marriage vow, and without the long set of (Christian) traditional vows, there’s a whole lot more time to fill….

So have I been working on the ceremony? Nope. But I’ve been shopping!

While doing research into items for our lantern theme, I was terribly excited to discover that there are now paper lanterns in the shape of 9-pointed stars. There were a handful of options out there, but here’s the one I purchased:

($9.95 without cord, from Paper Lantern Store. I’m hoping the red isn’t too busy in the grand scheme of things, but it looked so cute on the website…!)

Why was this exciting, you may ask? Nine-pointed stars are often used as a Baha’i symbol. The number 9 represents the numerical value of “Baha” in Arabic numerology, and is considered a symbol of perfection or completeness because it is the highest single-digit number. (And stars? Are just pretty.)

Last night I also discovered that 9 is considered lucky in Chinese culture because it sounds similar to the word “longlasting.” Considering that our engagement date was based on Chinese number superstitions, this extra meaning is extra special — a good luck token for a longlasting marriage. By hanging the star lantern in a prominent place, we can honor both my religious beliefs and Mr. T’s Taiwanese heritage on this important day. And in a darn stylish way to boot!

Will you use any special wedding decorations to honor your religious or cultural heritage?