Personalize Your Wedding Ceremony

The most important part of your wedding day is your ceremony. This is why it should reflect your personality as a couple. This is even more of a statement than your wedding dress or your reception decor will even be. We come across many couples who want to personalize their wedding ceremony, but they just don’t know where to start. We’ve got seven unique ways to personalize your wedding ceremony so every minute from start to finish feels inexplicably like you.

WRITE YOUR OWN VOWS

We are big advocates for writing your own vows. There are several reasons for this, but the most notable is that it makes your wedding ceremony absolutely your own. What is it that you as a partner in this marriage vow to do for your spouse? That is such an intimate decision that no one else can make for you, so why say vows that someone else wrote? Your wedding is about celebrating your relationship and not someone else’s interpretation of your relationship, so profess your love and what you’ll vow to do in marriage that only you can do!

WALK DOWN THE AISLE YOUR OWN WAY

To really personalize your wedding ceremony, you may want to rethink some tried and true wedding traditions. In particular, take some time to consider how and with whom you walk down the aisle. Maybe you really would love to walk with both of your parents, with both your father and your new father-in-law, with your soon-to-be spouse, or even by yourself. Remember, there are no rules when it comes to your wedding, so feel free to break convention and do what feels most right for you!

CHOOSE MEANINGFUL MUSIC

The most popular way that our couples shake things up at their ceremony is with their music selections. Instead of the traditional Bridal March announcing your walk down the aisle, choose a song with some significance to your relationship. We love the idea of making a playlist of your shared favorite songs or tunes that represent happy moments within your relationship to help narrow down your processional and recessional choices. We can help making that even more personal or unique by offering up some of Nashville’s best musicians for your event as well on our blog Silence is not Golden.

GET YOUR GUESTS INVOLVED

If you envision a ceremony with an intimate feel, this community oriented option is for you! There are a few ways we’ve seen couples get their guests involved in the ceremony, but the options are really endless. One is to have a ring warming ceremony where the rings are passed throughout the crowd while the officiant tells your love story. Another is to have your guests join in a prayer where the entire group joins you at the front in one big embrace. We’ve even seen a group sing-a-long to “All You Need Is Love,” complete with kazoos, in the middle of the ceremony. Is there anything better than that?

INCORPORATE CULTURAL OR RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS

In addition to honoring your relationship, your wedding ceremony is an opportunity to honor roots and family history such as a hand fasting ceremony for Irish or Scottish descended couples. Some of the most beautiful ceremonies incorporate traditions from each of the couple’s cultural or religious backgrounds. It’s up to you to decide whether you want a fully religious ceremony or to pick and choose the customs that feel most significant or relevant to you as a couple.

INCLUDE A READING OR PERFORMANCE

Feel like your ceremony needs a little something extra? We absolutely love it when couples invite a loved one to read a passage or poem that is representative of their relationship, marriage, or love in general. Do you have a talented friend or family member who sings, does spoken word, or plays guitar? Invite them to perform something totally unique to honor your marriage to personalize your wedding ceremony in a big way! Not only is it an incredibly touching moment, but it is quite on honor to those asked, as well.

GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR UNITY CEREMONY

The ritual of a unity ceremony often includes the lighting of a candle together, but we have seen so many creative alternatives. We list quite a few of them on our blog Ten Unity Ceremonies for your Wedding. As detailed in our previous blog post, some couples plant a tree together, which is symbolic of beginning a new life together. While other couples mix different contents, like sand, together in a jar, our favorite mixing ritual happens when a couple makes a cocktail together right there in the middle of their ceremony!