Who
says your reception is the only fun part of your wedding day? There's
no reason why your ceremony shouldn't be as exciting, meaningful, and
inventive as your reception!
Many
wedding officiants offer “cookie cutter” ceremonies. To me that
means you and your wedding are not important to the wedding officiant
or to your family and friends. A wedding officiant who reads or
recites the same exact words at every wedding believes you and the
story of your love is the same as everyone else. I believe everyone
has different personalities, different viewpoints and may want to
infuse different aspects into their ceremony.
I
have performed many different weddings over the years and have seen
many different types of weddings. The weddings are as different as
wedding venues are different. Some people choose to have an outdoor
wedding and others prefer the comfort of an indoor wedding. Some
couples choose a fancy venue, others may choose a barn, a park, or
the comfort of their home.
I
have done weddings where the guests dress up as in steampunk weddings
like Sloane and Grey's wedding
Sometimes
it may simply just be a different culture like the beautiful Wedding
I did for Shivani and Christopher:
Other
times perhaps no one dresses up but the wedding decorations and
bouquet are themed as in Slone and Grey's wedding:
I
have done weddings where someone sings or reads a poem or a passage.
I have done many weddings where a friend or family member reads
something they wrote, a passage from the bible, or a poem, but the
two that stick out in my mind are Kara and Tim's Wedding where they
had a few of their friends read song lyrics that reminded them of the
couple. I also liked Dawn and Andy's Wedding where they had friends
entertaining the wedding guest while rings were being passed among
family and friends during a Ring Warming Ceremony. The songs were
really beautiful and made the wedding special.
I
have done weddings where the couples choose to use songs to walk down
the aisle or couples choose to leave together with non-traditional
songs. Who says you have to walk down the aisle with the traditional
“Here comes the Bride” song. Modern couples use songs like
like
the following list:
Katy
Perry's Unconditionally
Bette
Midler's Wind
Beneath My Wings or
The Rose
Luther
Vandross's Endless Love
Christina
Perri's A Thousand Years
Leanne
Rhimes' A moment like this
Bryan
Adam's Everything I do, I do it for you
These
are just a few songs but my favorite is Michelle and Robb's
Wedding. Michelle and her dad came down the aisle with Mr.
C-Cha Cha Slide by Mr. C. The lyrics include:
Right
foot, let's stomp!
Left
foot, let's stomp
To
the right now!
To
the left!
Take
it back now y'all!
One
hop this time!
One
hop this time!
Right
foot two stomps!
Left
foot two stomps!
Slide
to the left!
Slide
to the right!
Criss-Cross!
Criss-Cross!
Cha
Cha real smooth!
Michelle
and Robb
Wedding was probably the most unique wedding I have done. In
this particular wedding, the couple wanted part of The Princess Bride
wedding scene incorporated into their wedding ceremony. They also
wanted me to say “You may kiss your wookie” instead of the
traditional “You may kiss
your bride”
Besides
couples making an entrance with non-traditional songs, many couples
choose to leave non-traditionally. Here is a list of non-traditional
songs couples use to leave the altar:
Kelly
Clarkson's
A Moment Like This
James
Taylor's
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Firehouse's
Love of A Lifetime
Peabo
Bryson & Regina Belle's
A
Whole New World
Katrina
and The Waves's
Walking
on Sunshine
Barry
White's
Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe
Louis
Armstrong 's
What
a Wonderful World
Natalie
Cole's
This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)
Starship's
Gonna Stop Us Now
Kool
& The Gang's
Celebration
James
Brown's
I Feel Good
Bruno
Mars's Marry Me
Probably
my favorite “exit” song was at Mandy's and James Wedding. Many
couples use Bruno Mar's Marry Me to walk down the aisle, but they
chose it as their exit song. They actually held hands and ran down
the aisle to a waiting limosine. (it was an outdoor wedding). They
rode around in the limousine for a few minutes then returned to their
wedding. It was fun to watch!
I
have done weddings where children are active in the ceremony. Many
couples today have been together for years and already have children.
Other couples are on their second or third wedding and want to
include their children. These couples want to include their children
in the wedding party and not just as the “flower girl” or “ring
bearer”. Children can be a bridesmaid or a groomsman, an usher, a
child can escort their mom or dad down the aisle. I've
also seen very young children being pulled down the aisle in a wagon
by one of the parents who is getting married!
I
have done weddings where pets are included. These
pets, usually dogs can serve as the “ring bearer” (better
known as the “dog bearer”) or
where
the dog
has
walked down the aisle with their owner as their “best man
(better known as the “best dog”).
I
have done humorous weddings where couples read Mad Lib vows! In Sarah
and Glyde's
wedding, we had a lot of fun laughing as they read their Mad Lib
Vows!
I have done weddings where the couple have made a time capsule, or done
a love letter and wine box ceremony. This can be done for your
wedding or in a vow renewal. In this ceremony many couples chose to
open the box on a milestone anniversary. If the couple hits any bumps
in the road before their milestone 5, they may choose to open their
time capsule and read letters they wrote to each other to remind them
of why they fell in love.
A
good wedding officiant will accommodate a wide range of traditions
and styles, even if they are non-traditional or for couples who
choose an alternative life style. Personally, I feel it is YOUR
WEDDING and the ceremony should be an outward expression of your
personalities, values, beliefs, traditions blended into a ritual that
is YOUR Celebration of Love!
