CREATING YOUR OWN WEDDING CEREMONY RITUAL
IT’S your wedding, you’ve personalised everything from the dress to the salad dressing….why not take this into the ceremony too by adding in a super personal ritual or symbolic action!
I’m going to quote the mighty Grayson Perry: “All rituals were invented by somebody, they didn’t just come out of the ether”. I believe it’s very possible to adjust old rituals to bring more meaning for you.
THIS jumper was very important in the story of M & R. Including it in the ceremony provided a moment of reflection and a good laugh!
I also fully support the creation of your own ritual or ceremony entirely which can reflect who you are as a couple, or the importance of your family or guests.
A & E used rope which they had been climbing with for years to tie the knot. Three pieces of representing A, E and baby F!
BUT where do we start Em??
Great question, some points for inspiration could be a hobby you both love (escape rooms? quizzes? macrame? running?), going to a favourite dog walking spot or beach to choose an oathing stone, or the bringing together of a blended family. You could enhance your handfasting by passing the cord or rope around all the guests before using it to ‘tie the knot’.
T & S started making their handfasting cord, then asked guests to add a knot as they entered. The cord was then used within the ceremony, involving every guest in the handfasting ritual.
AS part of a smaller wedding, you could bring everyone together in a circle and ask your guests to share a memory of a time they have shared with you - it’s a good idea to let them know in advance that this is going to happen.
You could ask all of your guests to write you a message that you then post into a ‘time capsule’ that you open on your one year anniversary.
Our civil partnership ceremony, and of course the mini beasts came along!
IF you family includes four legged friends you can 100% include your animal as part of your ceremony. If they would be comfortable in a crowd you could have your four-legged best friend as your ring bearer. If they are better off staying with the dog sitter you can include them in a handfasting, have a reading (think Taylor Mali), or have a drawing of your fury mate on the order of service.
Have a think about your little ‘in jokes’, the things that you do together that you love, old or new family traditions that could be reworked into something just for your wedding. No idea is too ‘out there’ for me - if you’re keen to create your own ritual I am always game to help with this!
