Your Wedding Day, Your Way - The Personal Touch

Thirty years ago, wedding ceremonies were largely the same.  The places that were available to the bride and groom to show their personalities were the color choices, the flower arrangements, and the decorations.  The ceremonies were basically the same, with little variation.

That is no longer the case at all!  Today, your ceremony can have innumerable personal touches.  In fact, if it appeals to you, you can basically create the ceremony from scratch to suit you.  The possibilities are endless.

Personalized Vows - to many couples, the heart of the ceremony is the vows, so personalization would begin there.  Writing your own vows doesn’t have to be intimidating or scary – just speak from the heart.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to express your feelings.  If putting words down in writing on your own is particularly difficult for you. However, you can always choose a passage of prose or poetry that is particularly meaningful to the two of you or that you feel captures what’s in your soul in a way that is specific and special.

Location - the location you choose is another thing that can make the day your own.  Weddings absolutely do not need to be in a church – they can be in a place that is personally meaningful to the two of you!  It can be in a place where you met, or had your first kiss.  A place where you spend a lot of time, or even in your own home or the home of a family member!

Unique Rituals – there are many special rituals you can include in the ceremony itself that will make the day unique.  Unity ceremonies (unity candle, sand ceremony, wine box ceremony), photo montages, first communion, readings, special songs – all of these things express your uniqueness as individuals and as a couple.

Personal Stories – One really great idea is to have a microphone set up at the reception, and invite guests to either share a reading or tell a personal story about one or both individuals in the couple.  Even if guests are reticent at the beginning, they will warm up as they see more and more people participating.  The stories will range anywhere from hilarious to poignant, and having that emotional spectrum represented can be a special part of your day.  Make sure that you have someone videotaping the stories so that it becomes a beautiful keepsake.

Unique Choice of Officiant – The age of the internet has opened up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to officiants because pretty much anyone can become ordained online now.  If you want to go that route, you, possibly in conjunction with your possible officiant, will need to research the legal requirements in your state for people performing weddings, and make sure all of the paperwork is filed on time.  Then you should be golden!

These are just a few ideas of things you can do to make your day your own.  Hopefully this will be a great jumping off point for you to brainstorm some ideas that come straight from your own head and heart so that your wedding is truly your day, your way.

Article by Roger Mayne of Surrey Weddings wedding directory