Hello,
My Step Dad is our Officiant and he has never done a wedding before. We're all trying to learn together on what the steps are. My Fiance and I had basically created a ceremony outline, which is as follows:
-The Giving in Marriage
-Opening Reading (mother of the bride)
-Definition of Marriage
-Wedding Vows (we wrote our own)
-Exchanging of Rings
-Wine Unity Ceremony
-Closing
-Declaration of Marriage
I feel like the wedding vows, exchanging of rings, and wine unity ceremony are kind of confusing me. What's the real difference between these three things? Are they plotted out right as far as order would go? My Fiance and I are writing our own vows, then we say the little spiel as we exchange rings, and then are we mute when we do the wine ceremony? Is the officiant supposed to introduce the wine ceremony? What sort of stuff is he supposed to say? Does this look like a normal ceremony outline?
Thoughts?