| Wedding Ceremonies |
Every couple needs to decide what type of wedding ceremony they want for their wedding as well as
the type of vows they want to recite.
Traditionally the most common ceremony is a church wedding. The wedding vows can be traditional
or written by the couple and incorporated into the ceremony.
Couples can have a religious or civil ceremony in a non traditional site, such as a beach, garden,
cruise ship, mountain cabin, Las Vegas or any other site you choose. Destination weddings are
becoming hugely popular with many couples who want to put their own stamp on their wedding in a
setting that has meaning to them as a couple. Perhaps its the spot where he proposed, a special
vacation spot or a fantasy setting at a Caribbean resort.
Todays couples are looking to their family heritage for new ideas to incorporate into their ceremony.
Personalizing the ceremony is a way for the couple to put their own stamp of their wedding. Their
wedding, their way! Read on for some cool ideas to use in YOUR ceremony!
the type of vows they want to recite.
Traditionally the most common ceremony is a church wedding. The wedding vows can be traditional
or written by the couple and incorporated into the ceremony.
Couples can have a religious or civil ceremony in a non traditional site, such as a beach, garden,
cruise ship, mountain cabin, Las Vegas or any other site you choose. Destination weddings are
becoming hugely popular with many couples who want to put their own stamp on their wedding in a
setting that has meaning to them as a couple. Perhaps its the spot where he proposed, a special
vacation spot or a fantasy setting at a Caribbean resort.
Todays couples are looking to their family heritage for new ideas to incorporate into their ceremony.
Personalizing the ceremony is a way for the couple to put their own stamp of their wedding. Their
wedding, their way! Read on for some cool ideas to use in YOUR ceremony!
Wedding Ceremony Ideas
The Sand Ceremony: The sand ceremony works in a traditional or beach setting. The sand
ceremony is done in place of the unity candle. In an outdoor venue, its hard to light a unity candle, so
the sand ceremony is as meaningful as it shows the bride and groom pouring sand into a common
vessel. The two blend their sand containers into a common blend of sand showing the two uniting.
You can use colored sand to indicate the two different personalities layering together to create a
beautiful keepsake of the wedding. Click here for an example of a sand ceremony kit.
Wedding Coins: From Sweden to Latin America and beyond, wedding coins have been used
for generations as a symbol of prosperity. The coins are given to the bride from the groom during the
ceremony to show he will always support her. Our gold unity coins are a contemporary translation
and like the unity candle, they represent a couple joining as one to share a life together. Each coin is
imprinted with a symbolic marriage knot on one side, and the other bears one of thirteen different
principles of marriage including Love, Respect, Unity, Happiness, Joy, Wisdom, Trust, Caring,
Cooperation, Nurturing, Peace, Harmony and Commitment. The words are written in your choice of
Spanish or English. Each heavy weight, tarnish resistant coin is the size of a half-dollar. Set includes
13 coins, for more information, click here.
The Thirteen Gold Coins (Trece monedas de oro)
The family medallion ceremony: The family medallion ceremony is used to incorporate
children of the bride and or groom into the wedding ceremony. Its a way for a blended family to show
family unity and the importance of the children into the family and relationship. It shows the children
that they are important and makes them a part of the ceremony. The medallion necklace is three
intertwined circles to symbolize the husband, wife and child united into a new family and it signifies
the commitment of the parents to the child. A special medallion ceremony is included as an
important part of wedding ceremony. The officiant says something like: Two circles often symbolize
love. The Family Medallion has three circles to represent love that reaches out to include and uses
the names of the children. The children keep the medallions as a keepsake of the ceremony.
Irish Handfasting ceremony: Did you ever wonder where the term tying the knot originated?
"Handfasting" was a term used by the ancient Celts to describe their traditional marriage ceremony
in which they were literally bound together as a couple. Handfasting ribbons tie the couple together
with each color of ribbon having a special meaning, such as prosperity, unity, honor and energy.
Ta gra agam ort is I love you in Gaelic
Two people shorten the road
Giorraíonn beirt bóthar
--Gaelic Proverb (meaning the trip passes more pleasantly)
Wedding Lasso: Traditionally a Mexican custom, the bride and groom are draped with
a rosary or a lasso made of flowers to signify their unity as a couple. A large loop of rosary beads or a
lasso (cord) is placed in a figure eight shape around the necks of the couple after they have
exchanged their vows. It sometimes is made of fresh flowers, usually orange blossoms that signify
fertility and happiness. A double rosary lasso may also be given by one set of the parents and may
be blessed by the priest with holy water three times in honor of the holy trinity.
A person of honor places the lasso around the shoulders of the bride and groom, groom's shoulder's
first. It is sometimes looped around their wrists instead of the shoulders. The meaning of the loop is
symbolic of their love which should bind the couple together everyday as they equally share the
responsibility of marriage for the rest of their lives. (Its what all we girls want!)
The lasso remains in place until the end of the ceremony. It is removed by the person of honor, the
bride, groom or priest and is given as a gift to the bride.
Rosary Lasso
Jumping the Broom: Jumping the broom is thought to date back to 19th century west Africa.
It became popular after 'Roots" the miniseries, featured a jumping the broom ceremony. Historians
argue over the exact start of the tradition and even the meanings of the tradition. It is known that in
Ghana that brooms were waved over the heads of the bride and groom and their parents. In south
Africa, the tradition meant that the new bride was willing to clean the courtyard of her new home. In
England, jumping the broom was a quasi marriage ceremony. In the American south, whomever
jumped the highest over the broom was considered the head of the household.
Today's meanings are different. We've heard it means that a sweeping out of the past, and the
promise of a new beginning together. We've also heard it means a leap of faith, but we like the other
meaning.
After the wedding ceremony, the couple together or jointly jumps over a decorated broom. The broom
for the ceremony is a smaller, decorative broom, not the functional sweeping broom. Everyone
counts and chants for them to jump. After the wedding, the broom becomes a keepsake in their new
home.
Native American Ceremonies
Native American wedding ceremonies are as varied as the individual tribes. Many of the weddings
are held outdoors and headed by a tribal chief or Shaman. Fire plays a predominant part of the
ceremony.
In the Blanket Ceremony, the bride and the groom are given a blue blanket, which represents all of
the sorrows and hardships in their past lives. They are wrapped in these blankets at the beginning of
the ceremony. After the blessing of the union, the blue blankets are removed. The couple is wrapped
in one very special white blanket together. They stay wrapped in the blanket until the end of the
ceremony. If they get divorced, the blanket is cut equally in half and given to both the man and the
woman to indicate the broken bonds of marriage.
In the Rite of the Seven Steps ceremony, the couple take seven steps clockwise around a sacred
fire. The groom will take the first step, stop, and recite a vow. The bride does the same as the groom.
Al the guests form a circle around the fire to witness the ceremony. This ritual continues as they both
complete the seven steps. Sometimes, the bride and groom exchange small gifts that are symbolic
of their love and life together: feathers, stones, corn. The corn stands for fertility. The feathers
represent loyalty, and the stones symbolize strength.
In another fire ceremony, a fire circle is created using stones and seven types of wood. There's one
large unlit stack of firewood in the center of the circle. There are two smaller lit fires to the north and
south of the unlit firewood. These two small fires represent the bride and groom's individual lives.
After the two smalls fires are lit, prayers are offered by the bride and groom, and then they push their
individual fires into the center stack of wood, igniting one large fire to indicate the unity of marriage.
For more detailed native American wedding information, click here.
Chinese Tea ceremony: This official ritual is equals to the wedding vow in western wedding.
The bride and groom kneel three times, to the heaven and earth, to the ancestral tablets and their
parents, then to each other. The kneeling part can be replaced with bowing. The bride present tea to
the parents and relatives starting with the elders. Those who receive the tea usually give the bride
gifts such as jewelry or Li Shi money wrapped in red envelope. Once the ceremony is concluded, the
newlyweds and guests go to a wedding banquet.
The Sand Ceremony: The sand ceremony works in a traditional or beach setting. The sand
ceremony is done in place of the unity candle. In an outdoor venue, its hard to light a unity candle, so
the sand ceremony is as meaningful as it shows the bride and groom pouring sand into a common
vessel. The two blend their sand containers into a common blend of sand showing the two uniting.
You can use colored sand to indicate the two different personalities layering together to create a
beautiful keepsake of the wedding. Click here for an example of a sand ceremony kit.
Wedding Coins: From Sweden to Latin America and beyond, wedding coins have been used
for generations as a symbol of prosperity. The coins are given to the bride from the groom during the
ceremony to show he will always support her. Our gold unity coins are a contemporary translation
and like the unity candle, they represent a couple joining as one to share a life together. Each coin is
imprinted with a symbolic marriage knot on one side, and the other bears one of thirteen different
principles of marriage including Love, Respect, Unity, Happiness, Joy, Wisdom, Trust, Caring,
Cooperation, Nurturing, Peace, Harmony and Commitment. The words are written in your choice of
Spanish or English. Each heavy weight, tarnish resistant coin is the size of a half-dollar. Set includes
13 coins, for more information, click here.
The Thirteen Gold Coins (Trece monedas de oro)
The family medallion ceremony: The family medallion ceremony is used to incorporate
children of the bride and or groom into the wedding ceremony. Its a way for a blended family to show
family unity and the importance of the children into the family and relationship. It shows the children
that they are important and makes them a part of the ceremony. The medallion necklace is three
intertwined circles to symbolize the husband, wife and child united into a new family and it signifies
the commitment of the parents to the child. A special medallion ceremony is included as an
important part of wedding ceremony. The officiant says something like: Two circles often symbolize
love. The Family Medallion has three circles to represent love that reaches out to include and uses
the names of the children. The children keep the medallions as a keepsake of the ceremony.
Irish Handfasting ceremony: Did you ever wonder where the term tying the knot originated?
"Handfasting" was a term used by the ancient Celts to describe their traditional marriage ceremony
in which they were literally bound together as a couple. Handfasting ribbons tie the couple together
with each color of ribbon having a special meaning, such as prosperity, unity, honor and energy.
Ta gra agam ort is I love you in Gaelic
Two people shorten the road
Giorraíonn beirt bóthar
--Gaelic Proverb (meaning the trip passes more pleasantly)
Wedding Lasso: Traditionally a Mexican custom, the bride and groom are draped with
a rosary or a lasso made of flowers to signify their unity as a couple. A large loop of rosary beads or a
lasso (cord) is placed in a figure eight shape around the necks of the couple after they have
exchanged their vows. It sometimes is made of fresh flowers, usually orange blossoms that signify
fertility and happiness. A double rosary lasso may also be given by one set of the parents and may
be blessed by the priest with holy water three times in honor of the holy trinity.
A person of honor places the lasso around the shoulders of the bride and groom, groom's shoulder's
first. It is sometimes looped around their wrists instead of the shoulders. The meaning of the loop is
symbolic of their love which should bind the couple together everyday as they equally share the
responsibility of marriage for the rest of their lives. (Its what all we girls want!)
The lasso remains in place until the end of the ceremony. It is removed by the person of honor, the
bride, groom or priest and is given as a gift to the bride.
Rosary Lasso
Jumping the Broom: Jumping the broom is thought to date back to 19th century west Africa.
It became popular after 'Roots" the miniseries, featured a jumping the broom ceremony. Historians
argue over the exact start of the tradition and even the meanings of the tradition. It is known that in
Ghana that brooms were waved over the heads of the bride and groom and their parents. In south
Africa, the tradition meant that the new bride was willing to clean the courtyard of her new home. In
England, jumping the broom was a quasi marriage ceremony. In the American south, whomever
jumped the highest over the broom was considered the head of the household.
Today's meanings are different. We've heard it means that a sweeping out of the past, and the
promise of a new beginning together. We've also heard it means a leap of faith, but we like the other
meaning.
After the wedding ceremony, the couple together or jointly jumps over a decorated broom. The broom
for the ceremony is a smaller, decorative broom, not the functional sweeping broom. Everyone
counts and chants for them to jump. After the wedding, the broom becomes a keepsake in their new
home.
Native American Ceremonies
Native American wedding ceremonies are as varied as the individual tribes. Many of the weddings
are held outdoors and headed by a tribal chief or Shaman. Fire plays a predominant part of the
ceremony.
In the Blanket Ceremony, the bride and the groom are given a blue blanket, which represents all of
the sorrows and hardships in their past lives. They are wrapped in these blankets at the beginning of
the ceremony. After the blessing of the union, the blue blankets are removed. The couple is wrapped
in one very special white blanket together. They stay wrapped in the blanket until the end of the
ceremony. If they get divorced, the blanket is cut equally in half and given to both the man and the
woman to indicate the broken bonds of marriage.
In the Rite of the Seven Steps ceremony, the couple take seven steps clockwise around a sacred
fire. The groom will take the first step, stop, and recite a vow. The bride does the same as the groom.
Al the guests form a circle around the fire to witness the ceremony. This ritual continues as they both
complete the seven steps. Sometimes, the bride and groom exchange small gifts that are symbolic
of their love and life together: feathers, stones, corn. The corn stands for fertility. The feathers
represent loyalty, and the stones symbolize strength.
In another fire ceremony, a fire circle is created using stones and seven types of wood. There's one
large unlit stack of firewood in the center of the circle. There are two smaller lit fires to the north and
south of the unlit firewood. These two small fires represent the bride and groom's individual lives.
After the two smalls fires are lit, prayers are offered by the bride and groom, and then they push their
individual fires into the center stack of wood, igniting one large fire to indicate the unity of marriage.
For more detailed native American wedding information, click here.
Chinese Tea ceremony: This official ritual is equals to the wedding vow in western wedding.
The bride and groom kneel three times, to the heaven and earth, to the ancestral tablets and their
parents, then to each other. The kneeling part can be replaced with bowing. The bride present tea to
the parents and relatives starting with the elders. Those who receive the tea usually give the bride
gifts such as jewelry or Li Shi money wrapped in red envelope. Once the ceremony is concluded, the
newlyweds and guests go to a wedding banquet.
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| Wedding Loco Help for your wedding! Advice, products and hand holding! |
Wedding Ceremony Tips Decide as a couple on the type of wedding ceremony that fits your life together. Many officiants will allow you to personalize your ceremony. You may need permission from the church or officiant. Your family may have reservations about nontraditional wedding ceremonies. Keep their wishes in mind when planning your ceremony to avoid family discord. Many couples are writing their own vows for their wedding ceremony. The Internet has a lot of ideas for starting points. The best vows are written from the heart. Many couples are choosing to embrace their heritage in their wedding ceremonies by incorporating a traditional from their heritage into their modern marriage ceremony. |
And the two shall become
one unity candle,
personalized with name
and date. Click here.
one unity candle,
personalized with name
and date. Click here.
Faith, Hope & Love Guest
Book & Pen
Book & Pen
