In the latest episode of Wedding Wednesdays, we are talking about wedding ceremonies and how to personalise yours! Your wedding ceremony is where you get to make your commitments to one another and celebrate your love with your friends and family in attendance. There are so many ways you can inject a little personality and show off the things that are meaningful to you. In fact, we got our guest expert, Olivia Romeo to share how you can do just that with your ceremony music!
Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts!
Episode breakdown
Ditch the traditions
One way to personalise your wedding ceremony is to pick the traditions that work for you and then ditch the rest. You don’t have to wear a white dress or have your dad walk you down the aisle, for example. Do what feels right to you!
Welcome drinks
Make a good first impression!
Welcome your guests with a cocktail as they arrive for your wedding ceremony! If it’s a morning ceremony, consider serving coffee instead.
Write your own vows
One of the most obvious ways to personalise your wedding ceremony is to write your own vows! This is where you can declare your love for your partner using your own words.
If you are going to write your own vows, here are some things you can consider:
- Do you want the tone to be lighthearted and funny, serious and sentimental, traditional or modern?
- Remember that your vows are the promises you’ll make to your partner, so have a mix of serious ones (like standing by their side through thick and thin) and some lighthearted ones too (like putting up with their obsession with video games).
- Practice your vows, but don’t memorise them. Write them down and if you’ve rehearsed enough you should be able to read most of your vows while looking at your partner and not at your notes.
Get your friends involved
When appropriate, ask your friends to be involved.
In case this needs to be said, we’re not suggesting that you ask friends to take on tasks so that you don’t have to pay a professional. Rather, include friends in a meaningful way that will personalise your wedding ceremony.
You could give them readings, ask them to be ushers or display photos of those who can’t be there!
Change the ceremony structure
Feel free to change the ceremony structure and layout. You could weave your way through your guests as you walk down the aisle. Or perhaps you’d like to create a seating plan that works for you, depending on how many guests you’ve invited.
Get creative with your ceremony music
One really fun way you can personalise your wedding ceremony is with music! There are so many really great ways to do that, so I asked the award-winning Olivia Romeo to share some creative ideas with us. She suggested that you pick your favourite music, because this enhances the ceremony. In fact, why not consider a mashup of all your favourite songs, no matter how obscure they may be? Another fabulous idea is to use a song from a loved one’s ceremony as your Something Old.
Page boy and flower girl
If you are having a page boy and flower girl, give them something cute and personalised to wear or hold! A simple balloon, a funny sign or a unique outfit that suits your wedding theme. While we’re at it, why not include your furry friends too!
Meaningful details
We love the idea of having hidden, meaningful details! Things like a bouquet charm with your wedding date or a photo of a loved one are special little details you could include. Or how about an aisle runner with special words on it!
Unity ceremony
A unity ceremony is a beautiful way to symbolise two lives becoming one. Here are some ideas:
- Light a candle
- Handfasting ceremony
- Plant a tree
- Seal a box filled with letters to each other and a bottle of wine, open in 10 years
- Sand ceremony
- Religious moment, like washing each other’s feet
A special shoutout to this week’s wedding planning expert, the award-winning Olivia Romeo. You don’t want to miss next week’s episode because we’re talking about mistakes couples make while planning their wedding, and how you can avoid them!
We’d love to hear from you, so if you’ve got any wedding planning questions you want us to answer, or if you want to check out our website for more wedding planning tips, advice, checklists and more, please email [email protected]
