Twelve Ceremony Ideas – just the beginnings
Your ceremony needs to be ‘just the way you want it’. The main legal requirements are:
- Your full legal names need to be stated at least once in the ceremony
- You each need to agree to be husband/wife
- Two witnesses must verify the signing of the licence
- A registered celebrant officiates these formalities
Otherwise, you can pretty much do what you want. The following ideas can be developed further if you like the sound of something. You may have seen something at a wedding that you liked – share that with me and we may be able find a unique twist for your wedding. Sometimes, if there is something quirky that depicts something about your relationship it can be incorporated somehow. Part of talking together from the time of contracting with me until your wedding day is to develop a ceremony that fits with who you are as a couple and that will be a significant and treasured memory for years to come.
There are endless ideas – here’s twelve to get you started…
- Have paper cones (paper dollies is one option) with confetti for each quest to be thrown as you exit at the end of the ceremony (check with your venue if this is permitted – confetti alternatives: rice; rose petals; small pompoms; lavender; glitter; bubbles; streamers; sprinkles…)
- You could have a ‘confetti bar’ and guest would be invited to make their own confetti concoction from an assortment of options. (again check with your venue first)
- If you have a hobby/sport/interest you share, reflect that in the way you set up the ceremony, e.g. both play tennis – have tennis net as backdrop for ceremony, or play chess have bridal party dress depicting chess pieces.
- In lieu of a bridal party, invite all your guest to be your attendants and give as many as you can a ‘task’ to do.
- Theme your wedding and invite guests to participate.
- Write your own vows
- Have quirky alternatives to buttonholes and bouquets – matching theme or something more practical post the wedding.
- Alternative seating options – hay bales; bean bags; deck chairs; mismatched…
- Attendants or young guest could scatter rose petals in front of the bride as she enters (or guests on edge of isle could have them to scatter).
- Utilise talents of friends and family for readings, music, songs.
- Rings are passed through the guests enabling them to see, touch and some may choose to pray or ‘bless’ the rings are they go round. They can be in a small bag or passed along a long ribbon that intertwines through the guests.
- Toast your marriage with a Wine Ceremony
If you have ideas to add to this list send them to me here.
