How to make your ceremony unique & personal
Your wedding day is the moment you stand up in front your friends and family and declare your commitment to each other as you begin your married life. It is a big step you are taking and deserves a momentous occasion. But that doesn’t mean it has to be serious or stuffy. In fact, I believe it should be the complete opposite, your ceremony should be a celebration of your life as a couple so far and reflect your personal style.
So how do you achieve this?
When you pick a celebrant-led wedding there are so many ways you make the ceremony unique and personal to you. There are no rules about what vows you have to say or what order you have to do things in. Rip up the rule book and do what feels right for you.
I’ve broken down a traditional wedding ceremony and given some ideas for how you could put a modern twist on it to make it your own.
Procession of the wedding party or entering the ceremony
Traditionally the Groom arrives at the venue first and waits at the top of the ‘aisle’. Then the bridesmaids enter, followed by the bride and her father who is giving away his daughter’s hand in marriage. More and more people are turning away from this format in favour of something more modern. Does it feel better for you to enter the ceremony together, hand in hand? Maybe you’re having a really small wedding with no bridesmaids or the bride will be entering with her mum. Could the bridesmaids and ushers do a dance down the aisle? No doubt you want a chance for the bride to show off her spectacular wedding dress with her moment in the spotlight as she enters. But what about the groom also making a bog entrance? Honestly, it us up to you how you start your ceremony so chose what feels natural and the best way to begin your big day.
Readings & Music
Do you feel a bit like you’ve heard all the classic wedding reading before? Your choice of readings and music is a great way to inject your personality into your wedding ceremony. When it comes to your reading you don’t need even need to chose a poem or excerpt that is traditionally used in a wedding. Maybe you want to write your own. Or maybe someone can read the lyrics to your favourite song. Maybe you could ask a few guests to recite some of your favourite quotes.
Remember that scene in Love Actually where a surprise band pop up and a Gospel Choir appears? How fun would it be to recreate something like that? You can design your ceremony exactly as you want. So if you want a jazz band as you enter or a harpist as you say your vows, then let’s make it happen. Your music taste is such a personal thing so make sure your wedding ceremony reflects that. My personal choice would be having the gusts bop along to a 90’s club classic for example!
Rings & Vows
Another chance to inject your unique style and personality into your wedding ceremony is through your vows and your ring exchange. You can totally re-write the script when it comes to this part of your ceremony.
Maybe you wont be doing a ring exchange at all and instead you fancy a hand fasting ceremony? Handfasting is an ancient Celtic ritual which symbolises the binding of two lives. Some consider it the origin of the saying ‘tying the knot.’ Traditionally ribbon or cord is used to tie the couples hands together and different colour ties have different meanings. It is a beautiful element to add into a ceremony and if you are looking to reflect your individual style then this is a great option.
Personalised vows are a really great way to ensure your wedding is unique and special to you. It is so much more meaningful to make vows to each other that come from your heart not a script. Working with a celebrant means that you will have someone helping you to write your bespoke vows but you might also want to write and say your own vows on your wedding day, this is guaranteed to have your guests reaching for the tissues!
A celebrant-led wedding won’t end with the traditional ‘I now pronounce you…’ so why not think outside the box here too and close off your ceremony with all your guests taking a shot of your favourite tipple, the first toast to the happy couple?
When it comes to your celebrant-led wedding you really can go wild with your imagination. If you have a theme that you want to incorporate I have no doubt you will find an enthusiastic celebrant who would happily don a costume and get involved. Just remember that it is your special day and a your celebration so make sure you don’t feel pressured to follow tradition and carve out a ceremony that feels special to you.
I hope this blog has given you some ideas to mix up your wedding. If you have a wedding coming up and you’d like to discuss some ideas, I would love to hear from you so please do feel free to get in touch.