The Significance of Doves as Wedding Releases
Doves are beautiful birds that symbolize many things including love, peace, freedom, hope, purity and devotion. To see a pair of white doves flying together shows the strength and loyalty of the two. Thus, when dove releases are used as part of the wedding ceremony, many emotions and meanings are awakened in the couple and their guests. The significance of doves as wedding releases is quite great around the world.
Indeed, one of the significances of releasing doves is the journey the new couple will travel together. As the doves make their spectacular exit from their cages and fly toward the sky with the wedding march sounding in the background, so too will the couple soar to another level, a new life joined as one, leaving behind the vestiges of two separate identities. They are now husband and wife.
Further, as the birds soar higher and higher, hope for the newlywed couple is felt by all the wedding guests. There are, seemingly, no borders or boundaries when birds fly, and therefore, when paralleled with the new couple, it represents the new life that awaits the couple. A life full of wonderful things such as success, happiness, prosperity and possibly children. Doves are a way to wish the newlyweds all the best that life and the world have to offer.
White doves are particularly significant as the color represents purity and innocence, traits that historically have been associated with newly married couples. Doves also work together in a relationship. They are devoted to one another, and both will make a nest, and tend to the newborns. They are invariably mated for life. "For better or worse, till do death do us part."
Typically, two doves, one representing the bride and the other the groom, are released from a pretty cage or decorative basket. Once they are able, they join flight in the air which is perfect imagery for the couple's joining ceremony or their wedding union. Some couples prefer to release the two doves from their own hands, and watch them connect and then fly home. Others order flock releases where the first two bride and groom doves are released, then the rest of the flock is let go to follow the first two signifying family and friends.
Finally, many believe that seeing a white dove on the same day as one's wedding will ensure a happy home. Because of this, there are families that feel better when participating in dove releases at their children's weddings, guaranteeing the sight or glimpse of this beautiful and incredibly symbolic bird.