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| Ceremonies within Ceremonies |
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| From Christina Friedrichsen's
Intimate Weddings: Planning a Small Wedding
that Fits Your Budget and Style,
www.intimate-weddings.com
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Whether you choose to write your vows or use the
old favorites, you have other ways to make your
ceremony special. |
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Unity Candle
Ceremony
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Rose Ceremony
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Wine Cup
Ceremony
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Other
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| Unity
Candle Ceremony
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One of the more popular ceremonial touches is the lighting
of the unity candle, which can be done in a variety of ways.
One of the more popular versions is as follows: The mothers
of the bride and groom each light one taper candle at the
front of the church. This usually happens just before they
are seated. |
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Once vows and rings are exchanged, the officiant
explains the significance of the candles. The bride and groom
each take one of the two candles that represents their individual
lives and use the flames to light a third, symbolizing their
oneness as husband and wife.
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| This activity
need not be limited to the bride and groom. The couple can
have their parents, grandparents, friends, children, and any
other special people join in the lighting of the unity candle. |
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| Rose Ceremony
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During the rose ceremony, which has been gaining in popularity,
the bride and groom exchange roses as first gifts to one another.
This usually occurs after the couple has been pronounced husband
and wife.
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| During Keely
and Xan's rose ceremony, the minister spoke about the rose
being a symbol of love. He asked the couple to always remember
the significance of the red rose. "It is our wish that wherever
you make your home there be special place in it for red roses
and that on each anniversary of this special occasion you
celebrate it, at least in part,
by each of you bringing to that special place a red rose,"
he said. He also spoke about the difficulties of marriage
and how the red rose can be used to remind one another to
always come back to love. |
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| Following the
ceremony, the bride and groom gave the roses to the new mothers-in-law.
"It was a wonderful way to end our ceremony," says Keely.
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| Wine
Cup Ceremony |
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During their wedding, Shannon and Robert had a wine cup ceremony
to symbolize their willingness to share in both the joys and
the disappointments of life. According to Shannon, the wine
cup ceremony was a way for the couple to express their view
of their future together. "We knew there would be difficulties
mixed in with the good, and we were affirming to ourselves
and our friends that we knew this and were taking this step
together," says Shannon.
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| For this
ritual, which took place before the couple was pronounced
husband and wife, each of them drank from a cup filled with
wine. "We felt that the words . . .
reflected who we are and what our expectations of life are.
We also felt that this ceremony had not been 'overdone' like
so many of the new rituals at weddings," says Shannon. |
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| Other
Rituals
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You can use other rituals to personalize your ceremony. The
water ceremony, where the bride and groom each pour a vessel
of water into one container to symbolize their union, is an
alternative to the unity candle ceremony. The sand ceremony
substitutes sand for the water. (See page 58 to read about
Christina and Neal's sand ceremony.) Couples who have children
might consider the family medallion ceremony (see page 168).
If you choose one of these rituals, feel free to modify it
to further suit you. You can even start from scratch and create
your own.
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