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A website itself is an important below the-line marketing tool and it can be put together at a cheap price and have an instant impact on your business. Your franchisor or corporation most likely boasts a company-wide website, which makes a lot of sense, so that the deatails and costs can be distributed 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 reach 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 crucial 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 want 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, shy people not willing to contact you by phone or in person are able to gather 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 made and what they should contain. Suffice to say that the content you present on your website is very important 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 will build inbound links to your site.

There is some debate 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 like 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 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 an incredible amount 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 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 made by combining dry powder pigments with particular refined linseed oil until the substance reaches a stiff paste consistency and then grinding it with strong friction in steel roller mills. The smoothness of the colour is important. The common feel is a smooth, buttery paste, not stringy or long or tacky. When a transient or mobile quality is required by the artist, a liquid painting medium such as pure gum turpentine must be mixed with it. In order to expediate drying, a siccative, or liquid drier, should be often used.

First-rate brushes are manufactured in two kinds: red sable (hair from different members of weasel) and whitened hog bristles. They both are manufactured in in numbered sizes for the four regular shapes: round (pointed), flat, bright (flat shape but is shorter and not as supple), and oval (flat but is bluntly pointed). Red sable brushes are widely used for a smoother, more delicate style of painting. The painting knife, a declicately tempered, limber version of an art palette knife, is a useful utensil for applying oil colours in a robust way.

The common support for oil painting is a canvas made of pure European linen of sturdy close weave. This canvas is cut to the required size and stretched over a frame, often a wood frame, and then secured by use of tacks or, from the 20th century, by use of staples. If the artist needs to lower the absorbency of the fabric and to achieve a glossy surface, a primer or ground should be applied and is given time to dry before painting begins. The most usually utilised primers are gesso, rabbit-skin glue, and lead white. If density and consistency are preferred rather than springiness and texture, a wooden or processed paperboard panel, sized or primed, should be employed. Lots of other supports, for example paper and different textiles and metals, have also been experimented with.

A coat of varnish is often applied to a finished oil painting to prevent any atmospheric attacks, minor abrasions, and harmful accumulation of dirt. This film of picture varnish can be taken off without damaging the painting by experts using isopropyl alcohol and other common solvents. The film varnish also sets the surface to a full lustre and brings the depth of tone and colour intensity really to the appearance originally seen by the artist in the wet paint. Some contemporary painters, in particular those who do not favour deep, intense colouring, keeping a mat, or lustreless, finish in oil paintings.

The majority of oil paintings made prior to the 19th century were built up in layers. The first layer was a blank, uniform field of thin paint called a ground. The ground lessened the gleaming white of the primer and allowed a gentle base of colour on which to apply oil paint. The forms and items in the painting were then roughly blocked in using shades of white, and gray or neutral green, red, or brown. The eventuating masses of monochromatic colours were called the underpainting. Forms were further defined with either paint or scumbles, which are irregular, thinly applied layers of opaque pigment that imparts a variety of effects. In the final point, transparent layers of pure colour known as glazes then would be utilised to display luminosity, depth, and brilliance to the figures, and highlights were effected with thick, textured patches of paint known as impastos.

Oil as a painting medium is recorded circa the 11th century. The practice of easel painting with oil colours, however, stems directly from 15th-century tempera-painting techniques. Simple improvements in how to refine linseed oil and the availability of volatile solvents post 1400 coincided with a desire for some other medium than pure egg-yolk tempera, meeting the contemporary desires of the Renaissance (see tempera painting). Initially, oil paints and varnishes had been utilised to glaze tempera panels that were painted from the usual linear draftsmanship. The technically gleaming, gem-like portraits of the 15th-century Flemish painter Jan van Eyck, for example, were perfected in this new style.

Throughout the 16th century, oil paint flourished as the fundamental painting material in Venice. By the end of the century, Venetian artists were proficient in exploiting the fundamental aspects of oil painting, notably in applying successive layers of glazes. Canvas, after a long time of development, topped wood panels as the preferred support.

One 17th-century master of the oil technique was Velázquez, a Spanish painter in the Venetian tradition, whose highly economical but certain brushstrokes have commonly been emulated, especially in portraiture. The Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens challenged tradition in the way in which he loaded the light colours opaquely, juxtaposing the thin, transparent darks and shadows. Another remarkable 17th-century master of oil painting was the Dutch painter Rembrandt. In his work, a single brushstroke could effectively depict form; cumulative strokes created great textural depth, by combining the rough and the smooth, the thick and the thin. A field of loaded whites and transparent darks would be further enhanced by glaze, blendings, and highly controlled impastos.

Other particular influences on the techniques of later easel painting are the smooth, thinly painted, deliberately planned, tight styles. A great many admired works (e.g., from Johannes Vermeer) were formed 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 use of traditional genres or techniques, however. Some abstract painters - including to some extent contemporary painters who use traditional styles - have shown a desire for a different plastic flow or viscosity that cannot be created with oil paint and its conventional additives. Some desire a wider range of thick and thin applications and a more expedient rate of drying. Some artists mixed coarsely grained materials with the colours to create texture, some of them have used oil paints in heavier volume than before, and a large part have started to use acrylic paints, because they 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 any of a class of organic chemical compounds formed solely of the elements carbon and hydrogen. The carbon atoms are combined to form the framework of the compound; the hydrogen atoms connect to them in lots of different configurations. Hydrocarbons are the elementary constituents of petroleum and natural gas. They can serve as fuels and lubricants as well as raw materials for the formation of plastics, fibres, rubbers, solvents, explosives, and industrial chemicals.

A large part of hydrocarbons are formed in nature. While making up fossil fuels, such compounds will be found within trees or some plants, as, for example, with the type of pigments called carotenes that present in carrots and green leaves. A little more than 98 percent of natural crude rubber is part hydrocarbon polymer, a chainlike molecule that is formed of many units connected.

Hydrocarbons will not dissolve in water and are also less dense than water, so they should float on it. They will usually be soluble of one another, however, as well as within some organic solvents. All hydrocarbons will be combustible. If burned wholly with sufficient oxygen, they should produce carbon dioxide and water, releasing heat. If the amount of oxygen is inadequate, the combustion will mainly form carbon monoxide.

The structures and chemistry of singular hydrocarbons depend in large part on the type of chemical bonds that connect the atoms of their constituent molecules. A carbon atom may form four single bonds, or it can possess double or triple bonds. A hydrogen atom will have only a single bond.

Hydrocarbons are categorized into several classes according to their structure. The two essential types are aliphatic and aromatic. Aliphatic hydrocarbons could be composed of molecules in which the carbon atoms are connected in chains (called acyclic) or in rings (called alicyclic, or carbocyclic). Aliphatic hydrocarbons also will be allocated into categories as per the types of bonds between the carbon atoms. For aliphatic hydrocarbons, if the bonds are single (known as sigma bonds), the compound is known as saturated. Such compounds are classified as alkanes or cycloalkanes. If two bonds or more bonds draw together any two carbon atoms, the hydrocarbon is called unsaturated. The bonds may be double, such as the alkenes or alkadienes, or triple, like the alkynes. A few compounds feature both sorts of multiple bonds for the singular molecule.

The simple alkanes are methane, ethane , and propane. These three compounds can exist in an individual structure in each. Higher compounds of the series, starting with butane, might be formed in two varied ways, depending on whether the carbon chain is straight or branched. Such compounds are labelled isomers; such are compounds that feature a matching molecular formula but then have differing arrangements of the included atoms. Ultimately, they usually possess different chemical properties.

Cycloalkanes are ring structures featuring two fewer hydrogen atoms within the molecule of the corresponding alkane. Many of these possess not one ring, but several. Six-membered rings are of notable interest because of the fact that they are seen in many natural products, particularly the steroids. Cyclic structures might also be isomers in the case that two molecules vary only in the spatial arrangement of their substituent groups.

The key commercial sources of alkanes are known to be petroleum and natural gas. Particular higher alkanes and cycloalkanes generally are synthesized with reactions designed for a specific product. These saturated hydrocarbons may also be synthesized by relating unsaturated molecules, from hydrogenation (inclusion of hydrogen). Saturated hydrocarbons are largely inert; i.e., 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 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 perks 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 start up the mower again. Not only will you never be caught out by unexpected visitors and an untidy lawn, you’ll have the serenity of never having to hear that mower motor pacing up and down your yard ever again!

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

No nasties
Don’t worry about having to use disgusting fertilisers, stepping in bindis, or dealing with seasonal hayfever. With synthetic grass this is all in 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 quite happy in shady areas and will keep them looking lush whilst providing you with many years of usable space. Being synthetic it is unaffected by 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
Apart from 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 would be forgiven for thinking they are fragile, but in fact they are extremely sturdy. 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 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 do it yourself and save some money.

Turn unusable space into your favourite place
Synthetic lawn is so inviting, you will find that areas that were never used in the past become favourite 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 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 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 placed on the fringe of the green and can flow out to truly blend the putting green into the garden landscape.

Of course synthetic putting greens have all the same low maintenance advantages 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 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 adore 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 are diggers 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, 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 artistic form in which hard or plastic materials are shaped into three-dimensional works. The designs may be embodied in freestanding objects, in reliefs on surfaces, or in environments that can vary from tableaux to contexts enveloping the spectator. A variety of material can be used, including clay, wax, stone, metal, fabric, glass, wood, plaster, rubber, and random “found” objects. Materials may be carved, modeled, molded, cast, wrought, welded, sewn, assembled, or simply shaped and combined.

Sculpture is not a fixed branding that can be applied to a permanently standing category of objects or range of activities. It is, rather, the name given to art that grows and is changing and is continually extending the range of forms and evolving new designs of objects. The breadth of the term became much wider in the later half of the 20th century than it had been only two or three decades before, and in the evolving state of the visual arts at the dawn of the 21st century, no one can predict what its future possibilities are likely to see.

Some features which in previous centuries were considered essential to the sculpturing art but are now no longer present in a majority of modern sculpture and thus no longer form part of its definition. One of the most elementary points of these is representation. Before the 20th century, sculpture was considered to be a representational art; an imitation of forms in life, most often 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 became accepted that figures of such functional three-D objects as furniture, pots, and buildings could be expressive and beautiful without having to be in any way representational. It was only from the 20th century that nonfunctional, nonrepresentational, 3D art began to be an art form in and of themselves.

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 forms — have always been to some kind of degree an inextricable part of the design, but their role was blatantly secondary. In a large part of modern sculpture, however, the focus of attention has widened, and the spatial aspects have come to be dominant. Spatial sculpture is today a generally acceptable field of the art form.

It was also taken for granted in the sculpture of the past that its components were of a constant shape and size and, with the exception of pieces such as Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s Diana (a monumental weather vane), could not move. With recent developements of kinetic sculpture, neither the immobility nor immutability of its elements can remain to be considered fundamental to the art.

Additionally, sculpture in the 20th century has not been restricted to the two traditional forming procedures of carving and modeling, or to any traditional natural materials like stone, metal, wood, ivory, bone, and clay. As today’s sculptors can use any materials and methods of manufacture that will serve their purposes, sculpture can no longer be identified with any special materials or techniques.

Through all these changes, there is probably only one aspect that remains constant in the art of sculpture, and it exists as the key abiding concern of sculptors: the art form is a branch of the visual arts that is especially concerned with the creation of form in three-D.

Sculpture can be either in the round or in relief. A sculpture in the round is a separate, detached piece 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 reality. It is part of and projects from or is an integral part of some object that can serve either as a background for it or a matrix from which it projects.

The actual 3D nature of sculpture in the round limits its scope in certain respects in comparison with the scope of painting. Sculpture does not cast the illusion of space by simple optical means, or invest its shape with atmosphere and light as a painting might. However, sculpture does have a reality, a vivid physical presence that is denied to the pictorial arts. Different sculptures are tangible as well as visible, and appeal strongly and directly to both tactile and visual sense. Even the visually impaired, even those who are congenitally blind, can create and appreciate different kinds of sculpture. It was, in fact, pressed by the 20th-century art critic Sir Herbert Read that sculpture should be seen as elementarily an art of touch and that the origins of sculptural forms can be tracked to the pleasure we experience in touch.

All 3-D forms are seen as having an expressive character along with purely geometric properties. They come across to the observer as delicate, aggressive, flowing, taut, relaxed, dynamic, soft, and more. By exploiting the emotive qualities of form, a sculptor is able to create visual imagery in which subject matter and expressiveness of form are mutually reinforcing. Visual imagery can go beyond the mere presentation of fact and evoke a vast range of subtle and powerful reactions.

The aesthetic raw material used in sculpture is, so to speak, the entire realm of expressive 3D form. A sculpture may draw upon what we know exists in the endless worlds of natural and man-made form, or it may be an art of simple invention. It has been utilised to express a deep 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, realise something of its structural and expressive elements and will develop emotional reactions to them. This combination of intellectual understanding and sensitivity, known as a sense of form, is able to 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 strength of an advert is measured by:- How many people it contacts, how many times they view it, do they relate to it?, do they remember what it was selling?, and most essentially, will it make them buy?

We cannot think of any other sort of advertising that is as persuasive as promotional products at delivering you exposure to customers and creating 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 give your company an abundance of repeat advertising exposure to your customer. Your logo/message (or perhaps 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 create goodwill towards you and your business. Furthermore it will offer 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 hugely important 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 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 place importance 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 liking to brand their organisation, product, or service is why they use Promotion Product’s items and services.

Many other media options are available - newspaper, radio, and direct mail to name a few - these however do not offer the accountability offered by Promotional Product Marketing. Promotional Products are successful, as not only do they advertise 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 can use 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 - productive business is based on good relationships 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.

A form of marriage has been discovered to exist in all human societies, past and present. Its importance can be seen in the ornate and complicated laws and rituals surrounding it. Although these laws and rituals are as varied and plentiful 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 empowered him or her to the various privileges established by the traditions of that community, including the right of inheritance. In most societies marriage also allowed the permissible social interaction allowed to the offspring, including the adequate selection of future spouses.

Until the late 20th century, marriage was rarely 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 capital cause for matrimony in the majority of eras, and one’s marriage partner was carefully considered.

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 restrictive, endogamous marriage is a natural result. Cultural pressures 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 remains the basic unit, marriages are usually arranged by the family. The assumption is that love between the partners comes after marriage, and much consideration 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 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 primaryresponsibility is to arrange a marriage that will be satisfactory to the two families represented. A 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 most cultures are associated primarily with fertility and confirm the distinction of marriage for the continuation of a clan, people, or society. They also assert a familial or communal sanction of the mutual decision 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 considered to confer good fortune on the couple. Because economic considerations play a crucial role in the success of child rearing, the presentation of gifts, both real and symbolic, to the married couple are a significant part of the marriage ritual. Where the exchange of goods is extensive, either from the bride’s family to the bridegroom’s or vice versa, this usually indicates that the freedom to choose one’s marital partner has been restricted and announced by the families of the betrothed.

Fertility rites with the intention 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 prominent display of fruits or of cereal grains that are sprinkled over the couple or on their nuptial bed, the accompaniment of a small child with the bride, and the breaking 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 vary greatly among different societies, and components such as time, place, and the social importance of the event are established by tradition and habit.

These rituals are, to a certain extent, shaped 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 time 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 thought to have been established 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 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 instituted by God, and the majority 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 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 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