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Personalizing the Ceremony
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Photo by
Captivation Photo Studio
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The wedding ceremony is a special
event where the two of you are joined together. You may opt
for the traditional ceremony held in a church or may decide to
have a more unique and personalized event. Couples have been
married jumping from a plane, on the tops of a mountain, on a
ship, on the beach, in their backyard and at city hall.
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Wherever you decide to have your ceremony,
you may want to personalize it by including some of these ideas:
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Select readings or quotations that reflect how you feel about one
another. These can be taken from the bible, poetry, works of fiction, etc.
Click on one of the following for a list of suggestions:
Old Testament Readings
New Testament Readings
Poetry
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Include the lighting of a unity candle. This may include two small candles which are
lit by the bride and groom's parents. The candles are then used by the bride and
groom to light the larger unity candle.
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Print up a wedding program with a special message and
distribute it to guests at the ceremony.
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Remember deceased relatives and friends. See the
following section for ideas on how.
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The bride hands a flower to each mother and/or to other
guests.
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Have a talented friend sing or play an instrument at an
appropriate time during the ceremony.
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Have a song written about how the two of you feel about each other or have a song written
especially for your fiance
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Consider releasing doves at the end of the ceremony.
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We've had some great ideas on special touches for the
ceremony sent to us from our readers. We'd like to pass these
suggestions on to you. If you have any ideas you would like to
share with us, please email us - we'd love to share them!
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Instead of having your guests throw rice, have them throw rose
petals, birdseed or blow bubbles.
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The
bride and groom can face their guests during the ceremony.
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The
bride can walk down an aisle runner made up of fresh rose petals.
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Have a Unity Cup. This is when each family fills up its own cup
with wine. Then the bride and groom will each pour half of their
family cup into one, shared cup. They will each take a sip. The
shared cup represents their union and the half-filled family cups
represent their individuality.
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Have butterflies, balloons or doves released during the ceremony.
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The
bride can hand a rose to each guest (if it's a small wedding,
because this can be costly!).
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If
you're uniting two families together, have a Family Medallion
Ceremony.
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The unity candle is not only used to symbolize the
newly joined couple but also the two families. At the beginning of
the ceremony, the bride's parents light a candle on their side of
the altar and the groom's parents light one on their side. After
the couple exchanges their vows, the bride and groom will then
each carry their family's candle to the center where they both
light the unity candle that has been placed there.
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You can also give each guest a candle at the
beginning of the ceremony. The couple will walk down the aisle and
stop at each row to light the candle of the nearest person. That
person will then light the candle of the next person, until the
entire congregation has a lighted candle. Of course you will have
to check with your officiant to make sure that the church will
allow you to do this.
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Find more information and a large selection of
unity candles and
tapers.
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We have received several emails from brides
and grooms asking us how they can honor their deceased loved one on their wedding
day. Many etiquette experts say that it is not a good idea to mix the joy of a
wedding with the grief of a death. Therefore, you should not include their names on
the wedding invitation. However, there are other ways you can honor them in a
discreet and sensitive way. Here are some suggestions:
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Say a special prayer (this can
be done in private or said by everyone)
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Mention their name (briefly) in
a speech at the reception
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Make a donation to their
favorite charity
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Have your bouquet include the deceased's
favorite flower
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Light a special candle
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Place a special bouquet of
flowers at the altar
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Choose a special reading
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Sing a special song
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After the ceremony, go to the
cemetery and place the bouquet on the grave
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Carry a framed photograph of a
deceased loved one down the aisle
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