10 Creative Ceremony Ideas
Every couple wants their wedding ceremony to be a true reflection of them, right?
Let’s do a ceremony that’s YOU!
And every couple is different. Some couples love all the traditions, some love a little and some are more non-traditional. Luckily in our day and age, we’re fortunate to be able to make choices that suit our style and preferences – and that’s the beauty of having a civil wedding ceremony. The best ceremony is always the one that represents you as a couple and how you chose to celebrate your love for each other. So I wanted to share a few pointers and ideas on how to make your wedding celebration stand out from tradition:
Creative Ceremony Ideas
THE Entrance
Walk down the aisle with both parents or just your mum, or someone else extra special.
Walk down the aisle together as a couple, and if you have children and/or fur children they can walk with you too.
WEDDING Party
Have groomswomen as well as groomsmen; or bridesmen and bridesmaids; or a mix of both.
Have a collective wedding party who wear matching attire and that form a semi-circle behind the couple throughout the ceremony – large or small group, however many guests you’d like.
Guest Seating/Standing
Instead of the traditional theatre-style set up, have your guests seated or standing in one U-shape, U-shape rows, a full circle or full square around the couple.
Giving Away of the Couple
Have your celebrant include an acknowledgement both sets of parents, step-parents, children, siblings, grandparents, and anyone else who you feel worthy of an acknowledgement.
Leave out the ‘giving away of the bride’ tradition altogether.
Your Story
A good celebrant is in fact a storyteller who tells the tale of you, as a couple, in a tone that suits your style and personality, instead of reading out a generic wedding ceremony script.
You might like to invite a few of your closest family and/or friends to say a few words about you during the ceremony, and reduce the speeches during the reception.
If you have any musician friends/family members, they could conduct the ceremony music and sing/play a song written just for you.
If you're a musician yourself, include a section in the ceremony where you perform.
Saying I Do
There are a few mandatory legal words that must be said in your vows but saying 'I do' is actually not a legal requirement.
You could swap it for something else, like ‘absolutely’, ‘Yes yes yes’, ‘I do but on one condition, you bring me coffee in bed every sunrise (or something quirky that’s you)’.
You might like to say ‘We do’ together or just remove this question altogether and focus on your vows.
Vows
Besides your mandatory vows one-liner that you must legally say, be creative and write your own meaningful vows.
Your vows don’t need to be long, a paragraph is a nice length; maybe write it as a love letter, a poem or sing it out loud on the day.
Exchange of Rings
Instead of rings, why not exchange something else, here’s a few ideas…necklace, watch, bracelet, headpiece, wrapped gifts to open in front of your guests, or make a toast to each other with a favourite drink or shot.
Signing the Legal Certificates
Instead of the usual signing table and chairs, use a wine barrel and stand during the signing; or set up a picnic rug with cushions and little table; or just wooden or milk crates.
Refreshments
Start the celebrations by serving drinks on guest’s arrival, it makes for a more relaxed, casual and cheery occasion.
Have waiters serve a favourite tipple to guests in the later stages of the ceremony and make a special toast to the newlyweds (or to someone special who is no longer with us).
Have a glass of bubbles for the newlyweds ready and waiting for them during the signing of the legal paperwork.
Have a drinks station set up for guests to enjoy immediately after the ceremony has ended; maybe add some canapés as well.
Anyway this is just sample of what you can do to break tradition. There’s many more ways to make your ceremony more modern and more ‘you’.
Just get in touch, I’d love to talk more about ceremony ideas for you 🙂