Business Podcasting Blog

A website itself is an essential below the-line marketing tool and it can be built at a low price and have an immediate impact on your organization. Your franchisor or corporation most likely boasts a company-wide website, which makes a lot of sense, so that the deatails and cost can be divided across the entire organisation. The website should be a two-way medium that puts you in touch with your target customers 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 build 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 constructed 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 and 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 whilst you sleep and can extend the life of your printed material, radio and television advertisements by incorporating them on the site. You can introduce forms and gather information as you need and provide your clients with valuable reports whilst collecting their details for your prospect database. The site can also be another inexpensive retail outlet for you without the cost of hard real estate.

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

There is a lot written about websites and how they should be constructed and what they should incorporate. Suffice to say that the content you display on your website is very important because it has the potential to become the foundation for attracting clients to your site and establishing your company as an expert 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 will build inbound links to your site.

There is some argument 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 crucial 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 and people will scan for headlines before either selecting something they like or moving on to the next page. Keep the reader engaged 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 a myriad of statistics from hits through to hot spots within a page. 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 fantastic 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 selected refined linseed oil until the substance reaches a stiff paste texture then grinding it under powerful friction in steel roller mills. The consistency of the colour is fundamental. The standard is a smooth, buttery paste, as opposed to stringy or long or tacky. When a more flowing or mobile element is needed by the artist, a liquid painting medium such as pure gum turpentine must be stirred in with it. If the artist needs to expediate drying, a siccative, or liquid drier, can be commonly used.

Top-class brushes are made in two kinds: red sable (using varying members of the weasel species) and whitened hog bristles. Both come in numbered sizes for each of four regular shapes: round (pointed), flat, bright (flat shape but shorter and not as supple), and oval (flat but bluntly pointed). Red sable brushes are usually chosen for the smoother, more delicate style of brushstroking. The painting knife, a thinly tempered, thin version of the art palette knife, is a common item for applying oil colours in a robust style.

The usual support for oil painting is a canvas manufactured of pure European linen of strong close weave. A canvas is cut to the necessary size and stretched over a frame, commonly made of wood, to which it is then secured with tacks or, from the 20th century, by staples. In order to lower the absorbency of the canvas and to create a smooth surface, a primer or ground can be applied and allowed to dry prior to painting. The most typically seen primers for this have been gesso, rabbit-skin glue, and lead white. If rigidity and smoothness are preferred over springiness and texture, a wooden or processed paperboard panel, sized or primed, might be utilised. Lots of other supports, like paper and certain textiles and metals, have been tested.

A polish of painting varnish is generally applied to a finished oil painting to protect it and prevent atmospheric attacks, minor abrasions, and an harmful accumulation of dirt. This film of picture varnish may be taken off without damage by experts with isopropyl alcohol and other household solvents. The varnish film also takes the surface to a full lustre and takes the tone depth and colour intensity really to the levels originally seen by the artist in the paint. Some modern painters, particularly those who don’t favour deep, intense colouring, will stick with a mat, or lustreless, finish in the paintings.

The majority of oil paintings made before the 19th century were built in layers. The first would be a blank, uniform field of thin paint called a ground. The ground graduated the white gleam of the primer and established a base of gentle colour on which to apply oil paint. The forms and items in the painting were roughly blocked in by using shades of white, and gray or neutral green, red, or brown. The resulting mass of monochromatic light and dark colours were termed the underpainting. Forms could then be given definition using either the paint or scumbles, which are irregular, thinly applied layers of opaque pigment that displaying a range of pictorial effects. In the last stage, transparent layers of pure colour called glazes could then be used to display luminosity, depth, and brilliance to the shapes, and highlights could then be created with thick, textured patches of paint known as impastos.

Oil as a medium of painting is recorded as early as the 11th century. The method of easel painting with oil colours, however, resulted directly from 15th-century tempera-painting methods. Basic improvements in the process of refining linseed oil and the availability of volatile solvents post 1400 coincided with a requirement for some other medium than pure egg-yolk tempera, to meet the contemporary desires of the Renaissance (see tempera painting). At first, oil paints and varnishes would be utilised to glaze tempera panels that had been painted from a traditional linear draftsmanship. The technically gleaming, jewel-like portraits by the 15th-century Flemish artist Jan van Eyck, for example, were finished with this new technique.

In the 16th century, oils flourished as the ultimate painting material in Venice. At the beginning of the 17th century, Venetian artists had become proficient in the use of the fundamental characteristics of oil painting, especially in using a number of layers of glaze. Canvas, after a long period of development, topped wood panels as the common support.

One 17th-century master of the oil technique was Velázquez, a Spanish artist in the Venetian tradition, whose supremely economical but sure brushstrokes have frequently been copied, notably in portraiture. The Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens influenced later painters in the style in which he loaded the light colours opaquely, in juxtaposition to thin, transparent darks and shadows. The third remarkable 17th-century master of oil painting was the Dutch painter Rembrandt. In his pieces, a single brushstroke would effectively depict form; cumulative strokes gave great textural depth, combining the rough and the smooth, the thick and the thin. A system of loaded whites and transparent darks was then enhanced by glaze, blendings, and highly controlled impastos.

Other particular influences on easel painting are the smooth, thinly painted, deliberately planned, tight appearances. A great many admired works (e.g., such as those of Johannes Vermeer) were created with smooth gradations and blends of tones to create subtle forms and delicate colour variations.

The technical requirements of some schools of modern painting cannot be attained by traditional genres or techniques, however. Some abstract painters - as well as some contemporary painters who use these traditional styles - have shown a desire for a totally different plastic flow or viscosity that cannot be had from oil paint and its conventional additives. Some need a greater variety of thick and thin applications and a speedier rate of drying. Some have mixed coarsely grained substances with the colours to create texture, some of them have applied oil paints in much heavier volume than usual, and a large part have started using acrylic paints, which are more versatile and dry faster.

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

Hydrocarbons are those in the class of organic chemical compounds composed solely of the elements carbon and hydrogen. The carbon atoms are combined to produce the framework of the compound; the hydrogen atoms connect to them in a number of different configurations. Hydrocarbons are the principal constituents of petroleum and natural gas. They serve as fuels and lubricants as well as raw materials for the creation of plastics, fibres, rubbers, solvents, explosives, and industrial chemicals.

Many hydrocarbons are formed in nature. In addition to making up fossil fuels, such compounds could be located in trees and plants, like, for example, for the kind of pigments known as carotenes that are present in carrots and green leaves. A little over 98 percent of natural crude rubber is part hydrocarbon polymer, a chainlike molecule that consists of numerous units linked together.

Hydrocarbons aren’t soluble in water and also are less dense than water, so they should float on the surface. They are usually soluble of one another, however, as well as with certain organic solvents. All hydrocarbons will be combustible. If ignited fully with a sufficient amount of oxygen, they will produce carbon dioxide and water, releasing heat. If the oxygen is insufficient, the combustion will form mainly carbon monoxide.

The structures and chemistry of particular hydrocarbons depend in large part on the kinds of chemical bonds that combine the atoms of the constituent molecules. A carbon atom could feature four single bonds, or it could possess double or triple bonds. A hydrogen atom can feature one single bond.

Hydrocarbons are categorized into several classes depending on their structure. The two essential categories are aliphatic and aromatic. Aliphatic hydrocarbons could be constructed of molecules in which the carbon atoms are linked in chains (known as acyclic) or in rings (called alicyclic, or carbocyclic). Aliphatic hydrocarbons also are divided according to the type of bonds between the carbon atoms. If the bonds are all single (known as sigma bonds), the compound is called saturated. Those compounds are categorized as alkanes or cycloalkanes. If at least two bonds link any two carbon atoms, the hydrocarbon is known as unsaturated. The bonds can be double, like the alkenes or alkadienes, or triple, like for the alkynes. A few compounds feature both classes of multiple bonds within the single molecule.

The basic alkanes are methane, ethane , and propane. Those compounds exist in just an individual structure for each. Higher compounds of the series, like butane, might be compounded in two different procedures, from whether the carbon chain is straight or branched. They compounds are called isomers; such are compounds featuring an identical molecular formula but feature differing arrangements of their atoms. Due to this, they often possess differing chemical properties.

Cycloalkanes are ring structures that have two fewer hydrogen atoms within the molecule of the corresponding alkane. Lots possess not just one ring, but more. Six-membered rings are of note as they happen in lots of natural products, especially the steroids. Cyclic structures might also be isomers in the case for which two molecules differ solely in the spatial arrangement of the substituent groups.

The main commercial sources of alkanes include petroleum and natural gas. Unique higher alkanes and cycloalkanes often are synthesized by reactions designed for a particular product. These saturated hydrocarbons could also be synthesized with relating unsaturated molecules, with hydrogenation (addition of hydrogen). Saturated hydrocarbons are relatively inert; i.e., when in room temperature they are not affected by normal 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 phony 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 benefits of real grass without ever any chance of dead patches, muddy patches or the weekend maintenance ritual.

Never mow again
Imagine having your weekends available to do what you love most without ever having to rev up the mower again. Not only will you never be caught out by unexpected visitors and an untidy lawn, you’ll have the tranquility 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 cool glass of it while you are admiring your lawn.

No nasties
Don’t worry about having to use smelly fertilisers, stepping in something sharp, or dealing with seasonal grass 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 covered 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 fine 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 right 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 heavy daily traffic, children, pets, are non-flammable and, you can expect high quality synthetic grass to last as long as good 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 to 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 many 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 professional 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 placed 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 benefits of 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 hazards 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
Pets love synthetic grass and it is often used in luxury dog kennels.
Urine will soak through and make its way into the earth 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 like to dig there are special installation techniques that will ensure your grass remains as long as it should so make sure you mention this when you are being quoted on installation.

Enduroturf is Australian made, is 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 in which hard or plastic materials are molded into 3D items. The designs may be embodied in freestanding objects, in reliefs on surfaces, or in environments that can vary from tableaux to contexts that envelop the spectator. A massive variety of material may be used, including clay, wax, stone, metal, fabric, glass, wood, plaster, rubber, and random “found” objects. Materials are carved, modeled, molded, cast, wrought, welded, sewn, assembled, or purely shaped and combined.

Sculpture is not a fixed name that applies to a permanently restricted category of objects or set of activities. It is, rather, an art that is growing and is changing and continually extends the range of its activities and evolving new designs of objects. The scope of the term became much wider in the latter part of the 20th century than as it had been only two or three decades previously, and in the evolving state of art at the start of the 21st century, one cannot predict what its future possibilities are likely to become.

A few features which in previous centuries were considered essential to the art of sculpture but are not present in a large part of modern sculpture and so no longer form part of a definition. One of the most important of these is representation. Prior to the 20th century, sculpture was considered a representational art; one that imitated forms in life, most often human figures but also inanimate objects, including game, utensils, and books. From the beginning of the 20th century, however, sculpture has also included nonrepresentational forms. It has long been accepted that figures of such functional 3D 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, 3D art began to be produced.

Prior to the 20th century, sculpture was seen as primarily an art of solid form, or mass. It is true that the negative elements of sculpture — the voids and hollows underneath and between its solid areas — have generally been to some degree an integral part of any design, but this role was purely secondary. In a large field of modern sculpture, however, the focus has shifted, and the spatial aspects have come to be dominant. Spatial sculpture is now a generally acknowledged area of the art form.

It was also taken for granted in sculpture in the past that its components were of a constant shape and size and, with the exception of works such as Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s Diana (a monumental weather vane), would not move. With modern developments of kinetic sculpture, neither the immobility nor immutability of its form can any longer be considered to be inherent to defining sculpture.

Additionally, sculpture during the 20th century has not been restricted to the two traditional forming procedures of carving and modeling, or to such traditional natural materials like stone, metal, wood, ivory, bone, and clay. Now that today’s sculptors might use any materials and methods of manufacture that serve their purpose, the art form can no longer be identified for the use of any particular kind of materials or techniques.

After all this evolution, there is probably only one aspect that remained constant in sculpture, and it emerges as the key abiding concern of sculptors: the art of sculpture is a part of the visual arts that is especially concerned with the creation of items in 3D.

Sculpture can be either in the round or in relief. A sculpture in the round consists of a separate, detached item in its own right, leading an independent existence in the world as a human body or a chair. A sculpture in relief does not exist in this reality. It projects from and is attached to or is an integral part of an object that might serve either as a background for it or a matrix from whence it projects.

The actual three-D nature of sculpture in the round puts restrictions on its scope in certain respects in comparison with the scope of painting. Sculpture does not cast the illusion of space by purely optical means, or invest its structure with atmosphere and light as we can see in painting. However, it does possess a realistic experience, a vivid physical presence that is denied to the pictorial arts. Sculptures can be tangible as well as visible, and they may appeal strongly and directly to our tactile and visual sense. Even the visually impaired, and those who are congenitally blind, can create and appreciate different kinds of sculpture. It was, in fact, stated by the 20th-century art critic Sir Herbert Read that sculpture should be regarded as elementarily an art of touch and that the beginnings of sculptural forms can be traced to the pleasure that one experiences in doing so.

All 3D forms are considered as having an expressive character as well as pure geometric properties. They come across to the observer as delicate, aggressive, flowing, taut, relaxed, dynamic, soft, and so on. By exploiting the evocative qualities of form, sculptors are able to create visual images in which subject matter and expressiveness mutually reinforce the form. This imagery can go beyond the mere presentation of fact and communicate a huge range of subtle and powerful feelings.

The aesthetic raw material in sculpture is, so to speak, the whole realm of expressive three-D form. A sculpture can draw upon what we know already exists in the endless worlds of natural and man-made form, or it may be an art of pure invention. It has been used to express a huge range of human emotions and feelings from the gently tender and delicate to the most violent and ecstatic.

All human beings, intimately involved from birth with the world of 3-D form, learn something of its structural and expressive elements and develop emotional responses to them. This combination of intellect and sensitive reaction, also known as a sense of form, may be cultivated and refined. It is to the 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 performance of an advert is measured by:- How many people it targets, how many times they see it, do they relate to it?, do they remember what it was selling?, and most importantly, will it influence them to buy?

We cannot think of any other sort of advertising that is as persuasive as promotional products at delivering you exposure to customers and achieving 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 a lot of repeat advertising exposure to your customer. Your logo/message (or even something as subtle 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 present to 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 produce 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. Reseach has 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 perhaps be a smaller fraction of a contract you are tendering for or the annual sales volume of clients. Some of the most successful companies we know are not huge payers but focus their attention to on staff contentment and showing them they are appreciated - they often use Corporate Gifts. Simply acknowledging someone and telling them they are great is good but the act of giving is a lot more powerful.

What are Promotional Products?

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

An abundance of other media options are available - newspaper, radio, and direct mail to name a couple - however these do not offer the accountability offered by Promotional Product Marketing. Promotional Products are successful, as not only do they present your message but your client will thank you for them.

Consider the benefits of Promotional Product Marketing outlined below:

Targeted - Promotional Products are targeted conveying your message only to the people you are appealing to. No non-prospects, no wasted circulation.

Longevity - A good quality Promotional Product will last for years and is 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 particular communication objectives.

Obligation - productive 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 useful 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 discovered to exist in all human societies, past and present. Its importance can be seen in the elaborate and complicated laws and rituals surrounding it. Although these laws and rituals are as different and abundant as human social and cultural organizations, some universals do apply.

The crucial legal function of marriage is to ensure the rights of the partners with respect to each other and to assure the rights and define the relationships of children within a community. Marriage has historically conferred a legal status on the offspring, which entitled him or her to the various privileges assured by the society of that community, including the right of inheritance. In most societies marriage also allowed the permissible social relations allowed to the offspring, including the acceptable 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 cultures (as the novels of writers such as Henry James and Edith Wharton attest) romantic love was not the chief cause for matrimony in the majority of eras, and one’s marriage partner was carefully chosen.

Endogamy, the process 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 limited, endogamous marriage is a natural consequence. Cultural influences to partner within one’s social, economic, and ethnic group are still very strongly policed in some societies.

Exogamy, the processof marrying outside the group, is prevalent in societies in which kinship relations are the most complex, thus barring from marriage large groups who may trace their lineage to a common ancestor.

In societies in which the large, or extended, family remains the basic unit, marriages are usually arranged by the family. The assumption is that love between the partners occurs after marriage, and much thought is given to the socioeconomic advantages accruing 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 mates. 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 overwhelming custom is that a person acts as an intermediary, or matchmaker. This person’s dominantresponsibility is to arrange a marriage that will be satisfactory to the two families represented. A form of dowry or bridewealth is almost always exchanged in societies that favour arranged marriages.

In societies in which individuals choose their own mates, dating is the most typical 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 distinction of marriage for the continuation of a clan, people, or society. They also assert a familial or communal sanction of the mutual choice and an understanding 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 thought to confer good fortune on the couple. Because economic considerations play an essential role in the success of child rearing, the offering of gifts, both real and symbolic, to the married couple are a important part of the marriage ritual. When the exchange of gifts is extensive, either from the bride’s family to the bridegroom’s or vice versa, this usually indicates that the ability to choose one’s marital partner has been restricted and determined 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 be found in contemporary ceremonies include the conspicuous display of fruits or of cereal grains that may be 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 cultivate a successful consummation of the marriage and an easy childbirth.

The most universal ritual is one that symbolizes a sacred union. This may be asserted by the joining of hands, an exchange of rings or chains, or the tying of garments. However, all the elements in marriage rituals vary greatly among different societies, and components such as time, place, and the social importance of the event are fixed 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 usually arranged by the parents of the couple, and the date of the ceremony is determined by careful astrological calculations. Among the majority of Buddhists marriage remains chiefly 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 begins with the groom signing the marriage contract before a group of witnesses. He is then led to the bride’s room, where he places a veil on her. This is followed by the ceremony under the huppa (a canopy that symbolizes the bridal bower), which includes 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 origins, Christianity has emphasized the spiritual nature and indissolubility of marriage. Jesus Christ spoke of marriage as instituted by God, and most Christians consider it a permanent union based upon mutual consent. Some Christian churches count marriage as one of the sacraments, and other Christians confirm the sanctity of marriage but do not 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 strictly 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 written 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 are allowed to 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