Unique Ideas to Make Your Wedding Special – Part I – The Ceremony
When planning your wedding the couple should decide if there are any unique ideas that they would like to incorporate in their wedding to make it special.
Are there any family traditions or special items that you would like to have incorporated in the ceremony? Some of these items may include:
Symbols of Remembrance
A remembrance for family members who could not attend the wedding (i.e. deceased parents or grandparents.) You may wish to include a candle or pictures of them in the location where there ceremony will be held. Another option may be for the bride to carry a locket with the pictures of those who are remembered on her bouquet.
Another great option is to include music that has sentimental meaning to the family. For example the “Ave Maria” may be a lovely choice for before the ceremony if your grandmother loves that song.
Symbols of Unity
Unity Candle Ceremony uses two taper candles with a large pillar candle (the unity candle) in the center. At the beginning of the ceremony a representative from both the bride and grooms family light the two taper candles. Later in the ceremony (usually after the vows and ring are exchanged) the bride and groom will use the two taper candles to light the large pillar candle to create on flame on the “unity candle”. Brides and grooms can have the Unity candle decorated with their wedding date, picture or another inscription.
Unity Sand Ceremony is an elegant alternative to the Unity Candle Ceremony, Using different color sands the bride and groom alternately take turns filling a Unity Vase. After the ceremony the bride and grooms can take the case can be taken to the couple’s home as a decoration and a lasting reminder of that special day.
Wine Ceremony another alternative to the Unity Candle Ceremony. After the exchanging of rings the celebrant pours wine into a goblet. The celebrant may then say “This “Cup of Life” is symbolic of the pledges you have made to one another to share together the fullness of life. As you drink from this cup, you acknowledge to one another that your lives, until this moment separate, have become one. Drink now, may the cup of your life be sweet and full to running over." The celebrant will then hand the glass of wine to the groom who will drink from it, then pass it to the bride who will drink and pass it back to the celebrant. The celebrant will then say “As you have shared this cup of wine, so may you share your lives. May all the sweetness that it holds for you be the sweeter because you taste it together. May you find life’s joys heightened, its bitterness sweetened, and all of life enriched by God’s blessings upon you.” Couples may also want to personalize what the celebrant says instead of using the verbiage listed above.
Arras ceremony (Coin Exchange) which is popular in Latin American weddings. During this ceremony the Godparents or sponsors of the couple will place pillows on the floor for the couple to kneel on, hand the couple a bible and coins in a treasure box. A cord, called el lazo, is placed around the couple to signify they are bound together for life. The groom gives the bride 13 coins Arras) as a symbol of sharing his prosperity with her.
Rose Ceremony is held toward the end of the ceremony. Bride and Groom exchange their first gift to each (a rose) other after being announced husband and wife. A nice touch is for the couple to present their mothers with the roses during the recessional out of the ceremony.
Other unique ideas
Face your friends and family for your ceremony instead of having your back to them.
Have close family or friends read the poems or readings at your ceremony.
Include your children in the wedding ceremony. Include them in an event such as the Unity Sand Ceremony, Rose Ceremony or exchange a piece of jewelry with them such as a necklace or ring.
For non church weddings have some fun!!! Give your wedding party score cards and let them score your first kiss (you could also use this at your reception with your kisses at the reception or your first dance)
Above all else make the wedding ceremony as much about you as a couple as possible. The music, the ceremonies and the people who take part in the ceremony should all be a reflection of you as a couple. Enjoy the process of selecting all these details, not only will you enjoy the day more. But, your guests will also appreciate sharing this special day with you too!
Submitted by Jamie Lynn Shurtleff, weddingsbyjamilynn.vpweb.com
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