When you are planning your wedding, sooner or later you will have to make decisions about your wedding ceremony. For some couples, you will have your ceremony in your church, synagogue or temple. Your ceremony will conform to what is prescribed by tradition or specific denominational requirements. If this is you, you will have the familiar ceremony you want…that has the words you love to hear and the rituals you treasure. But an increasing number of couples want to have more say about what is said and done in their ceremony. They find they do have options if they select a civil wedding officiant who works with them to create the ceremony they want. Some officiants offer very limited choices in the ceremony they conduct. Other officiants provide a broad array of ideas and options to personalize your ceremony. Look for them if you’d like wider choices and more personalization, but expect to pay more for their services. Here are some elements of your wedding ceremony that can be personalized…that can make your ceremony unique…that will make your ceremony one that without a doubt is created just for you. Procession You may think there is a standard formula for the procession. But, let me tell you…you can do a procession in so many different ways, and there are really no rules. The bride and groom can enter together as adults presenting themselves to be married. Both the bride and groom can be escorted in by their parents on either side of them, symbolically showing their support and love. The bride may chose to enter by herself…walking down the aisle to meet her groom, an independent woman making the entrance of her dreams. And don’t forget to plan on how your parents and grandparents make their entrance - it’s a special day for them too. Then there are pets and children…!
Vows
The variations on what you can say as your wedding vows are endless. Just take a look at all the sample vows on http://www.myweddingvows.com/. The bride and groom don’t have to say the same words. You can add a phrase or two that is humorous…like “I promise to pick up my socks and actually put them in the laundry bag.” You can mix and match phrases from sample vows that you like. You can write your own vows…but do it well ahead of the week of the wedding so you aren’t under last minute pressure. Just remember these are the most emotional words of the ceremony - the promises you make for a lifetime. Give it thought…lots of thought.
Rituals
There are many ways you can inject meaning into your ceremony with wedding rituals…handfasting, ring-warming, medallions for your children, dove release, sharing wine, sand, candles, or butterflies. And then there are all the beautiful and rich ethnic rituals that can be adapted to suit you. Incorporating a ritual into your ceremony can end up being something that puts your ceremony into a class by itself. You may think you want a “short and simple” ceremony…but it doesn’t take much more time to include a meaningful ritual that will make your ceremony more memorable to you and your guests. And it doesn’t have to be hokey at all.
Click here to read about our couple Jill and Alan's wedding where Julie was the Celebrant
Location
Once you decide you aren’t having your ceremony in your church, the doors are literally open up to all sorts of possibilities for the location of your ceremony. Among your options are: a park, your back yard, a roof top, a garden, your favorite restaurant, your parents’ living room by the fireplace, a cruise ship, a beach, your university library. Be mindful of weather and comfort for your family and guests.
Most of the venues (event space, catering halls, hotels) you check out for your reception will accommodate a ceremony too. Don’t be constrained by their usual ceremony routine. Think about how you could stage your ceremony in their room in a different way, ask them to take out the silk flowers you don’t like, and check out the sound and lighting systems. Don’t forget to ask about a rain plan if they suggest an outside ceremony.
You don’t have to have your wedding ceremony be just like all the others you have been to. Your ceremony can be about you. It should feel like your ceremony is an authentic reflection of your values and wishes …and especially your dreams of what that moment will be like when you say “I do.” (By the way, there’s no rule that you have to say that!)
Click here to visit Julie's blog where she mentions this one.
Best Wishes,
Julie
Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!
Web site: http://www.julielaudicina.com/
Blog: http://julielaudicina.blogspot.com/
2009 Brides Choice Award – WeddingWire.com
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