Your Wedding Ceremony Ideas
What is a marriage ceremony?
When something as profound or important like marriage happens in our lives it is our custom, our tradition to mark the occasion. And how do we do this? We make a special time to celebrate with ceremony and ritual.
The ceremony is the focal point of your wedding day. Without a ceremony there is no marriage, no matter how brief, how long, how personalized, informal or how formal. You can make it a special time devoted to the sharing of your thoughts and feelings on marriage, of and to one another. You can make it a time when you articulate your hopes or wishes and promises for each other and your future together as a united couple.
Where to begin?
Welcome, I will help you to create your own personalized and truly inspirational ceremony, one that will reflect your ideals, beliefs, true feelings, your hopes and desires for your marriage, for each other and your future life together!
I have dug into my file of wedding ceremonies actually conducted with couples and have chosen 12 of my best ceremonies to assist you to create your truly unique wedding ceremony.
I have done all the hard work for you! Compiled, ready for you to choose from........
These ceremonies come complete with marriage vows, ring vows, marriage readings and poetry, wedding ceremony traditions, wedding rituals and traditions and wedding music suggestions for you to consider!
A wedding day checklist, planner - guide to ensure you have a stress free day!
I include a comprehensive wedding day checklist, planner-guide for you to ensure you have a stress free wedding ceremony and celebration! No stones left unturned. No excuses.
What can I expect to find in a marriage ceremony?
* All the (Australian) legally required parts of the ceremony ~ just delete if not required in the state or county where you live.
* Acknowledgement and or inclusion of family, children in the ceremony.
* Acknowledgement of your journey, separately and together
* Readings, poetry and music reflecting your intimate feelings and thoughts on your marriage and about each other.
* Inspirational, insightful and very personal marriage vows and ring vows
* Wedding traditions and cultural rituals involving the rings, deceased relatives or friends, ancient marriage/love traditions.
How do I go about choosing a ceremony?
When you read the ceremonies, you will know instantly what you like, what reflects your feelings and thoughts, your cultural ancestry.
Every aspect of the ceremony should reflect you (both), your thoughts, beliefs and ideals, hopes and desires for your future life together. The ceremony is therefore totally personalized to suit every aspect of your being.
This compilation of marriage ceremonies, vows, readings, rituals, traditions and music will provide the inspiration you need to decide exactly what it is you want to say to your loved one and to those people who surround you; those who support you, who are also very special to you.
Your ceremony could be....
*A traditional wedding ceremony ~ the bride being given the blessing of her father and family; includes beautiful and meaningful readings by the celebrant, a family member or guest.
*A more spiritual ceremony provided by candle/s and acknowledgement/s of family, deceased relatives, acknowledgement of country
* A more cultural ceremony enhanced by the recognition - acknowledgement of your ancestry. [Italian, Spanish, Jewish, Greek, Asian, Celtic, Polish etc]
*Large, with the bridal party and guest list that you always wished for.
*Intimate- just you, witnesses and the marriage officiant or celebrant
*Thematic ~ you may wish to have a theme flowing through your ceremony. You may also wish to dress in costumes
NB. You do not have connection to a particular cultural ancestry to include those traditions or rituals in your ceremony. Rituals can also be adapted to suit your circumstances.
12 complete ceremonies for you to consider
There are 12 complete traditional ceremonies for you to consider, to copy from and to paste, adapt to suit your personal tastes, beliefs, cultural ancestry and unique circumstances.
The ceremonies, marriage vows, ring vows, marriage readings and poetry and wedding traditions in this e-book have been designed for you to copy and paste, to add new material to or for you to adapt to suit your personal situation.
Here are the Ceremony Guidlines
Ceremonies have structure and if guidelines are followed a ceremony with interest, variation, good length and natural flow will be the end result.
1. The Introduction
2. A Reading
3. Celebrant Statement of Authorization
4. Giving Away
5. The Asking
6. The vows
7. Ring ceremony
8. A Reading
9. The Declaration / Conclusion
10. Signing of the Documents
11. Presentation of the Marriage Certificate.
12. Presentation of the Couple to guests
13. An additional Blessing or Reading
A questionnaire is also provided to assist you in compiling a more personalized introduction.
That all sounds great, how does it all come together?
1. Read and decide what you like, what suits your situation.
2. Consider your questionnaire answers. Include what you'd like to share with your guests ~ it doesn't have to be "long winded".
3. Copy material (and adapt) whichever you decide to use.
4. Include any of your own material
5. Paste it all under your headings.
6. Choose your font and print!
........and your ceremony is ready!
Here are some excerpts from the ceremonies.....
".........in doing this I will always respect you, care for you, and learn from you. I will love you for what you are and what you are not. I will not take myself too seriously but always approach making you laugh very seriously I invite you to dance to an equal music”.
"These rings are given as a token of your love for one another, as a sign that you have chosen each other to share your lives with. It signifies a unique bond, bridging time and..........".
"The instant attraction of two strangers who soon became really good friends, companions and lovers, and who criss-crossed the globe growing their love, has culminated in our being here today........."
"A Reading ~ ’La Vita Nuova’ Written by Dante Alighieri In that book which is my memory…… On the first page, that is the chapter when I first met you appear the words Here begins a new........"
"You are quietly brave. You are intelligent and mischievous. You are a gentle yet strong partner. You are full of beautiful grace. You are my wife. I love you and .........”
"For these reasons, and for so many more, today I promise to share my life with you. I promise to stand by you through all of the joys and challenges we may face. I promise to laugh with you, to appreciate you, and to grow with you. And I promise to love you...."
"They chose this beautiful location for their ceremony, as it was to these beautiful gardens that John brought Mary on her first visit here. It was here that they fell in love with the beauty and peacefulness of the garden knowing even then it would always remain a special place for.........."
"............Over time they slowly got to know one another through work and friends. Even in those early stages of their relationship they saw something in each other that was just ‘different’ and that compelled them to want to spend more time with one another to find out more......."
".......but most of all, today they feel it is important for them to show and have heard publicly their commitment and love for each other, in the presence of their most beloved family and friends, their most sincere words about what each of them means to..........".
“John, I love you more than suns, moons and stars and I will always be there for you”
"........ you make me feel like I’m someone special. No matter what’s going on around us, you always put me first, and I promise I’ll always do the same for you".
".........and it’s now almost five and half years since John and Mary met one another, having had a two-year ‘online friendship’.Of their first meeting, “It was as if we had known one another forever, everything felt so natural”, said Mary. She knew from that first trip to Sydney that she had found “someone very special...............”
"Reading from the fantasy novel ‘Owlight’ by Mercedes Lackey. Read by the brides mother “Now you will no longer fear the storm, for you find shelter in each other. Now the winter cannot harm you, for you warm each other with love. Now when strength fails, you will be the wind to each other’s wings. Now the darkness holds no danger, for you will be the light to each other’s path..........."
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About me
I'm Elizabeth Gray, a popular celebrant who gained a Diploma of Marriage Celebrancy at the International College of Celebrancy in Melbourne, Victoria in 2003.