Times change and different types of weddings flourish. Whether because of individuality or necessity, here are some ideas for putting a unique twist to your wedding ceremony.
First, here’s a bonus idea! If you find yourself in a lurch where guests would love to attend but cannot, stream your wedding ceremony so they will not miss out. Here’s how to have an online wedding that anyone can attend.
If you plan to have a ceremony with some family and friends present read below. The ideas below will get you started. You may even want do something else instead of a wedding! Or hold your event at a unique non-traditional wedding venue. Click for those ideas.
1. Have a family wedding—instead of the couple only—by including your children in the vows, with hugs and kisses all around. The couple’s children are often included as junior attendants, flower girls, or ring bearers. Take it a step further and become united as a family!
2. Have each set of parents give away their son or daughter to the bride(s) or groom(s). The reality of the father’s sole authority in a family is long gone. Mother and father share equally in decisions, why not have them share equally in this part of the ceremony as well?
3. Instead of “giving away” the bride, have each set of parents “take in” the future spouse. We are WAY past the literal reason the fathers would “give away” their daughters at the wedding ceremony in the olden times. Do away completely with the idea of dominance and make it a joyful experience, where each set of parents welcomes the new spouse into the family.
4. Carry ferns instead of flowers. Or make the bouquets from buttons, brooches, or paper.
Or carry something else that reflects who you are. A local couple here once carried flowers made from pizza. Not my thing, but hey, if your life is pizza, why not?
5. Play music and have everyone dance as you come out of the church instead of guests throwing rice or bird seeds. Or anything else you can think of that is silly or different. The idea is to make the exit as exciting as the entrance.
6. Go bareheaded instead of wearing a veil or hat. We often obsess about what headpiece will look best with what gown. There IS another option! Let other pieces the ensemble shine without distraction!
7. Hold the ceremony someplace besides a church. Remember those non-traditional venues I linked to above? Choose one of those instead!
8. Have grooms-people and brides-people instead of -maids and -men, mixing genders according to friendships or relationships.
9. If there are no obvious choices for a flower girl and/or ring bearer, omit them from the ceremony. Or step away from traditional and give the opportunity to others in your lives who wouldn’t get to participate otherwise. You may have seen the popular Pinterest image of two elderly women throwing petals as they walk down the aisle. Take a cue from that!
10. Have the wedding party face the guests during the ceremony. Have you noticed how a lot of actions are hidden from the audience during the ceremony? Well, flip it so they guest can see faces!
This is part of the 35 Non-Traditional Wedding Ideas post. Click to read them all!
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