Bring Creativity to Your Ceremony
Click here to download the article as it appeared in the Nuptial News magazine.
Today's wedding ceremonies are a reflection of the couple being married. Each ceremony is very different from another, whether it takes place in a church, resort, country club, beach, yacht, art gallery, museum, garden or private home.
A civil ceremony is usually very short and focuses upon the vows. A contemporary ceremony is positive without spiritual overtones, while a spiritual ceremony will contain a foundation, readings vows, double ring ceremony, scripture and prayer.
Supported by his family, one groom spelled out “Will You Marry Me?” in shells along a favorite beach where the couple took walks. It became the wedding site, with each guest receiving a small shell that was placed in the bottom of the vessel used by the couple for the sand ceremony. Readings like the following were chosen to support the theme:
By the Seaside
As we stand beside the ocean tide, may our love always be as constant and unchanging as these never-ending waves that pour beneath our feet, flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea; your love came softly upon my heart, just as the foam comes softly upon the sand, and just as there will never be a morning without the ocean's flow, so there will never be a day without my love for you. I pledge myself to you this day. Our love will be as unchanging as dependable as the tide; as these waters nourish the earth and sustain life, may my constant devotion nourish and sustain you until the end of time.
The proposal often begins a theme that continues through the wedding day. One groom proposed to his bride at the Eiffel Tower. On their wedding day, a lighted Eiffel Tower was the center piece of each table. The vows and readings were written and selected to support the theme.
Couples are acknowledging loved ones who cannot attend the wedding, like those in the military, hospitalized or someone close to them who has passed.
Sometimes as a surprise, the couples honor their parents during the ceremony offering profound gratitude for all the ways they have provided a foundation on which they can thrive. This is done during their participation in the sand ceremony or the lighting of the Unity Candle.
Use ritual in the ceremony that is meaningful to you as a couple and your families. These are some examples:
- The Rose Ceremony
- Unity Candle
- Sand Ceremony
- Wine Ceremony
- Butterfly Release
- White Dove Release
- Tea Ceremony
- Jumping the Broom
- Handfasting
- Shell Toss in the Ocean with a one word blessing written on it
- Honoring the Parents
- Acknowledgement of Loved Ones
- Joining the Family (Second Marriages)
- Guest takes vows of support to the couple
- Breaking of the Glass
Create a ritual that relates to you as a couple. A bride and groom who loved to fish, put into their vows, “I will never go fishing without you”
Be dramatic even theatrical especially for two actors being joined in marriage .John and Mary were married in Renaissance costumes as they had a love for that period in history.
Every culture, country and religious faith has its own special wedding traditions. A custom that comes to us from Bermuda, the couple plant a tree which represents new and continuing life. As the tree grows in height, strength, and visibility, it symbolizes the maturing of their love.
Couples who are eco-friendly are bringing these elements into their wedding ceremony. They chose organic fabric, flowers, food and invitations. Vintage themed wedding s are becoming popular following through the ceremony with the traditional vows stated by their parents and grandparents.
Interfaith wedding ceremonies are popular bringing in both the minister and the rabbi ,for example, to co-participate in the ceremony. The readings and the scripture focus on the commonality of the two traditions. Each year thousands of interfaith couples create a meaningful and inclusive wedding ceremony that both respects and includes two sets of traditions and two families.
During a wedding ceremony with two different cultures, speaking two different languages, an interrupter can be brought in so both families can enjoy the ceremony.
Give thought to your interests and bring the ideas to your wedding ceremony. This is your day, and it is all about the two of you. Make it a day of cherished memories.