Planning Your Wedding Ceremony: What To Include?
As a wedding and elopement photographer, I've witnessed so many beautiful ceremonies. Each one different than the last, with it's own personal touch and elements that represent the couple and their love story. Your ceremony is by far the most meaningful and important part of your day. It’s the moment you finally say I do and seal it with a kiss! As important as it is, it can truly be whatever you want it to be.
A common question asked by my couples is "What should we include in our ceremony? What's normal and what do people usually do?" My response is that there is no right answer! Your ceremony can be as short, long, silly, sentimental, traditional, or non-traditional as you want it to be. At the end of the day, the most memorable weddings are the ones that are the most personal. Your friends and family are there to celebrate you and your day should feel just like that, YOU!
To help give you a place to start, I've put together a few of my best tips for planning your wedding ceremony and what to include.
1. Hire an officiant and ask them to add in personal stories about your relationship, who you are as a couple and where you envision your life going together.
See if they offer a vow writing workshop, too. My husband and I did one with our officiant, Rooted & Wild, and she not only helped us write vows that felt both personal and true to us, but it also made us excited to read them in front of our family and friends at our wedding!
2. Play rock, paper, scissors to decide who reads their vows first!
Really y'all, that's exactly what Hannah and Justin did during their elopement in Joshua Tree! If lightening the mood is your thing and you both love a little humor, add in your inside jokes or quirks to the ceremony.
3. Keep it meaningful.
Choose a few passages/quotes to read from your favorite books, or recite a favorite poem. Something with sentimental value or even better, something written by one or both of you!
3. Sometimes everyone can’t be there for your big day.
If family or a close friend isn't present, consider asking them to write a letter to read during your ceremony. It’ll be extra special for both you and them to make them a part of the day no matter where they are.
4. Add tidbits of insight to how it all started!
Take the time to re-tell your story, and reminisce on how you met, when you first started dating, when you got engaged, and what the week leading up to this day was like.
4. Soak it in, be present and take your time!
When planning your wedding ceremony, make sure to build in intentional moments of silence to think about loved ones who aren't with you, or take mindful pauses to look around and be present. You don't need to rush, so take your time and soak it all in!
5. Choose something that feels ceremonial to mark the occasion!
I've seen flower-giving ceremonies, tea ceremonies, tree-planting ceremonies, traditional hand-fasting, jumping the broom, communion, sharing whiskey from a special flask, and so much more.
