10 Beautiful Ideas for Your Wedding Ceremony

Legal & Ceremony

If you’re looking to make your wedding ceremony meaningful and special, there are some beautiful ways to go about it. From honouring lost loved ones to sweet signs, we’ve rounded up 10 gorgeous ways to make your ceremony even more memorable and personal…

1. Honour lost loved ones

A wedding is a happy occasion but it can be tinged with sadness if you’re missing someone special from your day whether it’s a beloved parent, grandparent or friend. There are lots of lovely ways to remember those who are not there while still keeping that happy and upbeat tone – you can light a candle in honour of each lost loved one, create a sign in their honour or leave a seat vacant as a touching tribute. Another gorgeous idea we spotted in one of our real weddings (Sharon & Donal) was a memorial tree with a heart for each lost loved one hanging from it – check out the beautiful results above.

Image from Sharon & Donal’s real wedding by Couple Photography

2. Personalise your candles

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Candles tend to be a big part of wedding ceremonies with lots of couples opting for a candle lighting ceremony. One way to make the ceremony extra meaningful is by having your candles personalised. Lightworker Candles is an Irish company that offers personalised wedding candles with a difference – their handmade candle lanterns (also known as forever candles) are made from hardened wax but because there is no wick (a simple tea light is popped inside and lit instead) they can be cherished and enjoyed again and again. You can have your own names personalised on them or you can get candles made up to remember lost loved ones, like this beautiful matching set above. For more information on Lightworker Candles, click here.

3. Beautiful ceremony styles

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While a traditional candle ceremony is hugely popular, there are some other beautiful ceremony ideas out there if you’re having a civil or humanist ceremony from hand-tying to sand or wine ceremonies. A hand-tying (or handfasting) ceremony is a Celtic tradition where several pieces of ribbon are draped over the couples hand and tied to symbolize their new commitment. A sand ceremony allows you to pour two (or more if you want to include other family members) different colour sands together, again to symbolize the new union. And if you’re curious about a wine ceremony, check out our real wedding couple Magdalena & Colm‘s wedding – they had a wine ceremony at their humanist ceremony where they shared a glass of wine, the idea being a good wine like marriage is the result of many years of hard work.

Photo from Nicola and Maurice’s real wedding by Konrad Kubic Photography

4. Get guests involved

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A ‘Ring Warming’ ceremony is a sweet way to get guests involved in your ceremony – the idea is your rings are passed around to your guests (so probably suited to smaller crowds) so that they can make a silent wish or prayer for you as you start this amazing new chapter together. Keep the rings safe by tying them together with a piece of ribbon or string or by popping them in a little dish, box or pouch and leaving them at the back of the ceremony for guests to warm (with someone keeping a careful eye on them obvs.)! Alternatively, you can pass them around when everyone is seated.

Photo via The Broke-Ass Bride

5. Meaningful readings & songs

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Most couples rate the ceremony as one of the best parts of their day and like to make it as personal and meaningful as they can. One way to do this is by getting family and friends involved – get your mums to walk up the aisle together before the bridesmaids (if they’re not already walking you up the aisle), have friends and family bring up gifts if you’re having a Catholic ceremony, ask close friends to get involved in readings, blessings or Prayers of the Faithful and if you’ve anyone that is musically gifted, get them to take part as well. Your song choices are another way to make the ceremony personal  – choose songs you both love or that mean something to you, check out some gorgeous song options here.

Photo by Brenda McGuire Photography

6. We’re all family now 

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Traditionally the bride/groom’s guests stuck to their own sides but weddings are changing and so too are the seating arrangements. Modern couples love the idea of their guests mingling and are using cute signs like the one above to encourage guests to sit wherever they like and other cute wording like ‘We’re All Family Now, Pick a Seat Not a Side’.

Photo from Tara & Fionan’s real wedding by DKPHOTO

7. Leave out ‘Tears of Joy’ hankies

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Weddings are emotional events and you can be sure you’ll see the odd guest rummaging around in the handbag/pocket for a tissue at some point during the ceremony. Make it easy for everyone to shed a few happy tears by leaving ‘Tears of Joy’ hankies at the back of the ceremony or on each pew.

Photo from Maeve & Dylan’s real wedding by Tomasz Kornas Photography

8. Announce the Bride’s arrival with a cute sign

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We’re mad about wedding signs here in WOL HQ and there’s nothing cuter than a little flower girl or page boy making their way up the aisle with one in hand announcing the bride’s big moment. For ready to go wedding signs, pop over to WeddingCandles.ie who have some gorgeous options including a ‘Daddy Here Comes Mammy’ sign and a heart shaped ‘Here Comes the Bride’ sign or Kerry Signature Furniture who specialise in beautiful hand crafted wooden styles.

Photo from Eoin & Suzie’s real wedding by Tomasz Kornas Photography

9. Keep your rings safe in a pretty ring dish

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The rings play a big part in the ceremony so make sure they arrive safely by picking up a pretty box or pillow for them. Get one you love and you’ll be able to use it again afterwards by your bedside locker as a gorgeous keepsake for your jewellery.

Photo from Ciara & Eoghan’s real wedding by McMahon Studios

10. Include a ‘Love Letter Time Capsule’

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We love the idea of having something leftover from your Big Day to look forward to which is why a love letter time capsule is a gorgeous idea for your ceremony. The idea is that you each write a letter about how you feel on this crazy exciting occasion and place it in a personalised box (bottle of your favourite wine optional) so you can open it up on your anniversary and relive how you felt all over again. If you’re looking for a Love Letter Ceremony Set that’s ready to go, pop over to our weddingsonline shop where we stock beautiful personalised sets.

Photo by Hollydaze Photos