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Your Wedding Ceremony: 5 Best Tips For Creating A Personalized, Fun & Memorable Ceremony!

So, you are getting married! Not only do you have a wonderful celebration to plan but you also have a wedding ceremony to ponder and think about.

Wedding ceremonies are changing.  Big time.  Today, couples are shaking up the traditional wedding ceremony by contemporizing key elements within a ceremony and making the moment truly their own.

As a non-Denominational Wedding Officiant and Minister, I work with couples of all faiths, traditions and beliefs to craft/create and deliver a personalized, meaningful and joyful ceremony. And here is what I know for sure in doing this work:  if you keep your ceremony “real” and “authentic,” you are setting the stage for a beautiful and poignant ceremony and post-ceremony celebration!

As you work with your Officiant or Minister to create and deliver your ceremony, I offer these top tips to help you work your way through the wedding ceremony maze:

  • HAVE FUN - Yes, it’s true.  No matter if your ceremony is religious, spiritual or secular, your wedding ceremony is not only a sacred joining but it is a joyful and uplifting celebration of your love story.  Humor is very, very good – use it!

  • DOGS & KIDS – A beloved dog walking down the aisle or a little person zig zagging down the aisle with a pile of petals brings such joy to your wedding party and guests.  Have “Boomer” strut his canine stuff down the aisle as the “ring bearer” and let little petal girl Cara boomerang those petals for all to see.  Joy – it’s all about joy.

  • PERSONALIZE YOUR VOWS- Vows are not “I promise this,” “I promise that.” Vows are your statement of commitment to your partner and to yourself – what you offer to your relationship, what your partner can expect from you (how you’ll show up), what you admire/respect about your partner  – i.e., vows are more of a personal statement than a litany of promises.  Personalize, personalize, personalie…

  • CREATE A MEMENTO - Within your ceremony, you have the lovely opportunity to create a memento to take home from your ceremony.   When I work with a couple, I look for something unique.  Last night, I wrote a ceremony in which the bride/groom would write short notes to their three children (second marriage) and the notes would be given to the children on their wedding day.  Just an idea…go for it and create something that is uniquely your own.

  • GRATITUDE - Your ceremony is a moment to recognize and authentically honor your parents, family and friends.  Consider a contemporary “blessing of support” from both parents/families or perhaps offering surprise roses and note cards to your parent(s) at processional.  An attitude of gratitude is classy, thoughtful and kind – and when well done, creates sweet memories.

annejuhlian2Annemarie Juhlian is a Seattle-based Non-Denominational Wedding Officiant & Minister, working with couples of all faiths/beliefs and traditions.  For more information:  www.annemariejuhlian.com or 425.922.1325

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