The use of the white dove as part of your special event continues a tradition that has been observed by cultures throughout the world for thousands of years.  Doves have been domesticated for eons.  According to Andrew D. Blechman in his engagingly written and meticulously researched book “Pigeons" (Grove Press 2006), doves may have been first domesticated as long as ten thousand years ago, shortly after humans first domesticated their “best friend,” the dog.  

Blechman notes that one of the earliest known mother-goddesses was the Sumerian, and later Babylonian, goddess “Ishtar," "queen of heaven and and earth and of the morning star."  She is often depicted either holding a dove or as the winged bird herself.  The Phoenician goddess of love and fertility, Astarte, was also symbolically represented as a dove, as were the Greek goddess Aphrodite and Roman goddess Venus.

As early as the eighth century, doves were used by the Greeks to transmit important messages, including the the winners of the Olympic games.  In the Song of Songs, Solomon wrote “O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.”  

In both the Jewish and Christian traditions, the dove plays the role of messenger and symbol of peace, joy and inspiration.  The Holy Spirit is traditionally represented as a dove coming down from heaven.