3Depending on your religion and preference, a wedding ceremony can be a short, official act that sanctions your union, or it can be a celebration that is rife with culture and tradition. Whether you fall to the left or right of the spectrum there are plenty of ways in which you can add personal touches to make sure that your ceremony reflects you and your spouse-to-be's personalities. Just think of a few things that really define your relationship and your feelings on marriage and begin to incorporate them into your special day.Guidelines to your ceremony siteIf you like golf, this may be the perfect ceremony location.lajolladjs.com
- Choose a ceremony site that holds special significance to you two. You can pick the place where you had your first date, where you love to spend your Saturdays or where you got engaged. You can even choose a site that is symbolic. For example, if you love hiking you could get married in a national forest, if you love snowboarding you could marry in a mountain resort, or if you love wine you could pick a winery or vineyard for your ceremony site.Think about any poems, famous quotes or special readings that hold a special meaning for you. These can be writings that you've always admired, that have a particular significance within your relationship or that you feel really sum up the way you feel about each other in a way that no other writing can. Have these items read during your ceremony by either the officiant, yourselves or someone special, such as a maid of honor or your grandfather.Consider your culture and ethnicity. Research or ask your parents or grandparents about any traditions that are really important or relevant to your background. You can start by looking up wedding traditions within your particular culture or by researching popular traditions in general. For example, in the Chinese culture a bride wears a red veil, African couples jump over a broom and Irish ceremonies usually play the Irish Wedding Song.Create a ceremony program where you can inform your guests of the order of events and give them sense of you two as a couple. Some programs are simple and just list a timeline of the events. Others explain how the couple and met or how they know the various members of the wedding party. A wedding program is also a great place to explain any traditions that may not be obvious to all guests, such as the lighting of a Unity Candle or presenting flowers to a statue of the Virgin Mary.Meet with your priest, rabbi or officiator before your wedding day to give him a sense of who you are as individuals and as a couple. By getting to know your personalities and your relationship's dynamic, your officiant will be able to incorporate more personal details about you during the ceremony. He will also feel more comfortable and, probably, more confident and enthusiastic about your union, since he's at least seen you before the ceremony started.Buck the trend of being walked down the aisle by your father if the significance or bond just isn't there for you. If it won't be a wedding-ruining move that your father will take offense to, choose the person who you're truly the closest to if it's not him. This could be your mother or a grandfather, or perhaps even your fiance. You can think about walking down the aisle hand in hand or even walking alone if that's what you're more comfortable with.Pick a processional song that you love. If you're not confined by religious rules, pick a song that you would truly be happy to hear when you walk down the aisle or when you exit as a married couple.Choose flower arrangements that really define your personalities. You can pick deep-colored, full-bodied roses if your relationship has been pure romance, or orchids if you love the beach or became engaged in Hawaii. Line the pews, aisles or walkway with these arrangements to add color and personality to the ceremony space.Incorporate your pet into the ceremony by having her act as a "flower girl." Nowadays, many pet stores and party stores carry accessories and even full-on outfits for dogs to wear on their owners' wedding day. It's harder to find items for other animals, although many Velcro black ties will do the job, as will a homemade veil.
