image source: Barefoot Floral
Although there is nothing inherently unique about a wedding ceremony, you can absolutely personalize it so that it feels more representative of your relationship your love for each other. Whether you choose to do just one or many of the suggestions below, you will be well equipped to personalize your wedding ceremony so that it feels more special to the two of you!
1. Write Your Own Vows
The easiest way to personalize your wedding ceremony comes in the form of writing your own vows. These vows can be lengthy or short and sweet, especially if you don’t love public speaking. As a wedding photographer, I notice that ceremonies with personalized vows garner the most reactions from guests (i.e. laughs, tears, etc.) and the couple when hearing their spouse read their own vows.
2. Create Your Own “Unity” Ritual
Unless candles or sand have a special meaning to you, skip them when it comes to a unity ritual. Instead, do something totally unique and unheard of. Are you both surgeons? Stitch a heart or meaningful shape on a beautiful cloth together. Are you both runners who look forward to your first child? Lace-up a pair of baby shoes together. Anything you can think of, no matter how peculiar, that symbolizes your relationship would be a beautiful and unique unity activity for your ceremony.
3. Skip Overused Readings
I am honestly surprised I have yet to memorize the entire “love is patient, love is kind” passage. Readings like that, while beautiful, are done over and over again, so unless it has a particularly meaningful history for you, I would skip it. If you would like to have a family member perform a reading, have them choose a passage from a book, movie, song, or anything else that truly feels special to the two of you.
4. Rethink Your Seating Layout
The most common ceremony layout includes two sides of seating in tidy rows with some sort of arch/altar at the front. It isn’t often that ceremonies deviate from this, so it is really easy to personalize your ceremony simply by opting for a nontraditional layout such as a circle or perhaps more of a winding path through the chairs.
5. Think Outside the Box for Your “Arch”
Truth be told, it is really hard to come up with anything unseen or totally new in the wedding world. When it comes to a ceremony “arch” you will have to get your creative juices flowing to create something truly personalized.
6. Make it “You”
Ultimately, feel free to disregard tradition when it comes to your ceremony. It is your ceremony so create it exactly as you would like! As long as you fulfill the legal requirements for the ceremony, the sky is the limit for its design, readings, and rituals. Whether you opt for a ritual that is literally never before been done or something that is simply uncommon, infusing your own personalities and history into your ceremony will ensure that it is completely authentic!
