Ceremony Ideas

klassen86

So we are trying to come up with ideas for our ceremony and need some help. We don't really want to do the sand or unity candle. We are getting married in July 2015. Any ideas? Thanks.

Maggie0829

You don't have to do anything like that if you don't want to.  H and I had our officiant say a few words (he was a close friend so he was able to speak about our relationship over the years) and then we said our vows and exchanged our rings.  That was it.  You don't have to include anything else if you don't want to.

tortoisebride

This website is awful and has tons of really awful ideas, but it also has tons of good ideas. I used this doc file:

http://greatofficiants.com/lotsofceremonies.doc

and cut and cribbed and rearranged until I got something I'm happy with at least as a first draft. 

That doc is linked on this site: http://www.greatofficiants.com/design-your-ceremony which is where you can find such gems as "Deal or No Deal Vows" and "Elvis Ceremony."

emmyg65

We had a Quaker ceremony, which is very different from the traditional Western ceremony. It's characterized by silent reflection. The bride and groom enter and sit in silence until they feel moved to say their vows. Then they sign the Quaker marriage certificate, which is read aloud. Then everyone sits in silence. People stand to speak as they feel moved. Our guests shared the most thoughtful sentiments about us, our relationship, marriage in general, and family history. It was extraordinarily moving. The ceremony ends when the bride and groom shake hands, and guests shake hands with each other.

A Practical Wedding has tons of resources on ceremonies. Start with this and then follow the links at the bottom.

The ceremony itself is a unity ritual, so don't feel the need to add anything else like sand or a candle.