Wedding Ceremony Ideas

Planning Your Wedding Ceremony is an important task, one which many brides and grooms ignore or neglect to spend the majority of their time on the reception. So let's start coming up with wedding ceremony ideas.

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As adults when we think about our wedding we think about the whole day from getting ready to our last dance. But when we were children we thought mostly about our wedding ceremony.

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As children, we pictured ourselves looking like a princess, in a beautiful white wedding dress. Our hair and our makeup are perfect and we walk down the aisle in a huge church. We glide down the aisle, looking and feeling beautiful, and all grown up, we glide towards the groom, our prince.

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In our childhood fantasies, we see the best version of ourselves, all grown up and marrying the man of our dreams in front of all of our family and friends.

If walking down the aisle is all we dream about when we are little girls, why is it when we are planning our wedding we spend so little time on the actual ceremony and coming up with great wedding ceremony ideas?

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The reception is certainly a lot of fun and of course, many memories are made there. Our first dance, cutting the cake and throwing the bouquet are all quite memorable. However, there are just as many memories at the ceremony. Without the ceremony, there is no need for a reception and before you get married you should really take the time to come up with fabulous wedding ceremony ideas.

There are many moments in a ceremony that brides will remember for years to come. Almost all brides remember walking down the aisle, reciting vows, exchanging rings, and the first kiss as man and wife.

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Planning the perfect wedding includes the perfect ceremony. Take the time to come up with wedding ceremony ideas, including finding the right wedding site which is perfect for your wedding. Do not forget to take care of all the details such as what readings to use, decorations for the site, and what traditions, if any, to implement in your ceremony.

Wedding Ceremony Ideas – The Location

The first thing you are going to need to decide upon is the location. This is a big decision. Where you get married can impact the rest of your day in terms of the look and feel of the wedding, the theme, and the travel (if any) between the wedding and the reception.

If you have a picture in your mind of what your wedding ceremony should look like now is the time to make sure that can happen in a location before signing a contract. Make sure you think about any type of decoration ideas you have and ensure you will be able to use them there. Some locations have limits on how you can decorate.

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You will also need to know an approximate headcount and make sure you can comfortably fit all your guests.

Timing is also an issue. How long do you get your location? Will there be any other events or weddings on the same day? Will they be at the same time in other rooms or chapels or before or after yours? How does this affect your timing?

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Also – if you have already hired specific vendors (like a florist or a photographer) make sure they are welcome. Some ceremony sites could have banned certain vendors due to past incidents.

Wedding Ceremony Ideas – The Officiant

Now it is time to think about your officiant. Some wedding locations come with an officiant already and that is your only choice on who will be doing the ceremony. If that is the case, make sure you are comfortable with this person.

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If you need to bring in an officiant, make sure, just like other wedding vendors, that they are welcome there.

Wedding Ceremony Ideas – The Seating

Traditional weddings have one side for guests of the bride and one side for guests of the groom. Is this the case here? If so, is that how you want people seated? If not, you need to come up with another plan.

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If you plan to have traditional seating and one side is inviting significantly more guests it will be important to make sure there is enough seating for that side of the wedding.

Wedding Ceremony Ideas – The Music

What kind of music will there be? Will there be background music played while guests are arriving but before the bride walks down the aisle? If so, do you have any choice in that music?

How is the music being played for when the bride walks down the aisle? Recording, piano, organ? If it is an instrument – does the instrument and instrument player come with the ceremony site or do you need to pay extra or bring a vendor in?

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Do you want an orchestra or a small band to play instead? If so, is that allowed? If it is allowed where do they play and how much space do they have?

Wedding Ceremony Ideas – The Readings

What type of readings are you planning to have at your wedding? Does the place you are getting married already have a wedding script to follow? Are only a certain amount of readings aloud? Can you add more or substitute different readings?

Wedding Ceremony Ideas – Rituals

Are there any wedding rituals you want to follow and have within your ceremony? For instance, you could have a unity candle or a sand ceremony. Does either of your families have a specific wedding tradition you need to work into the ceremony?

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Wedding Ceremony Ideas – The Vows and The Rings

Are you using traditional vows? If so are you using those word for word or are their parts you want to omit or add? Are you writing your own vows? Now is the time to think about this part of your wedding.

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What about the rings? Are the maid of honor and best man responsible for the rings or are you having a ring bearer?

Wedding Ceremony Ideas – First Kiss

Have you thought about what your first kiss will be like? Remember this will be in front of your family and friends. Do you want to not think about it and just do what feels natural at the time or is there some sort of guidelines you want to set forth with each other – like time limit and level of passion displayed to everyone you know.