From the beginning of time, when a man was looking for his mate, at the back of his mind was the thought, am I choosing wisely.

Today, he will get on the internet and fool himself into believing that the glamorous photograph of his lady love, is a true and honest representation. And, of course, the details of her many accomplishments and talents are in no way being exaggerated.

In matters of the heart, the likelihood of being taken in is always on the cards. Poor Henry Vlll felt very badly done by when he found that the woman he had chosen by the picture given to him, and by the stories of her beauty and excellence he'd heard from her friends and family, did not measure at all when he saw her in person. No doubt, though she was more discreet and not as vocal, his prospective bride had some second thoughts herself. He had looked a lot more virile, and no where near as Buddha-like in his picture, as he did in real life.

Some five hundred years ago, the Japanese went about the discovery of the potential brides suitability in a careful and systematic manner. In expressing his interest, even before he actually met the girl herself, the suitor would compose a romantic thirty-one syllable poem. Upon receiving it, if the girl was interested, she would compose a poem in return.

Studying the parchment with care, the suitor would then decided what sort of a person was suggested by the composition and the brush strokes. Was this a woman of accomplishment worthy of him, or was she some drop-out, barely able to differentiate between one end of the brush and the other, and had as much of an idea of what a syllable was as Scrooge Christmas cheer.

Needless to say, the girl and her family scrutinized his handwriting and versification with the same care as he did theirs, but since females always outnumbered the males, she was inclined to be less fastidious than he.

A lot of couples place their future happiness in matchmakers who get paid for bringing about a match. As to be expected, when money enters the equation, beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder. And so it was inevitable that meeting each other for the first time one or the other party and often both would be disappointed. She had to make the sale, and she couldnt be too fussy.

An apocryphal story has it, that one groom, upon meeting the matchmakers choice, complained softly that the girl was neither rich, nor beautiful as the mattchmaker had proclaimed her to be. The matchmaker, much more loudly, assured him that he didnt have to whisper. The girl was deaf as well!

Vlady Peters

Vlady Peters is an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant performing weddings, naming, renenewal of vows and commitment ceremonies both for Australian citizens and for overseas couples visiting friends and relatives in Australia.

She is the author of two traditionally published books, "The Complete Book of Australian Weddings" and "The Small Organisation Handbbook" and is in the process of releasing two ebooks dealing with weddings and honeymoons.

Her major interest is research into customs and traditions of weddings.

By going back to the roots of customs, she believes couples can more clearly differentiate between what is essential in a wedding ceremony, and what is merely a personal preference.

This allows them to choose a ceremony reflecting their own situation within the framework of legal requirements.

Vlady has a bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Government, and has studied the writing of novels and romances. She has written children picture books as well as novels.

She is a member of Queesland Civil Marriage Celebrants - the largest Civil Marriage Celebrants Association in Australia - as well as member of Celebrants' Training Association.

She is also a member of Australian Authors, as well as Romance Writers Association where for a number of years she was the Convenor of the prestigious Emma Darcy Award - Australia's leading Lady of Romance.