marriage

Britain has fewer public holidays than most European countries, but it has laws that allow the government to declare holidays to celebrate special occasions. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's wedding in 1981 was a public holiday.

Sites such as Seekingmillionaire.com, where men sign up for $25,000 and women pay nothing, are at one end the spectrum. At the other end, there's Seventy Thirty, an exclusive matchmaking service for the rich in London's Knightsbridge district.

White did not become a popular colour for wedding dresses until 1840, after the marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert of Saxe-Coburg. The official wedding portrait was widely published, and brides began to wear white, inspired by Victoria's choice.

"I've been doing weddings in Reno for 20 years. To me, there is magic in every ceremony. I watch my couples, always looking for the right words that will touch them, something that they will remember."