The ceremony sets the tone for your whole wedding. After all, it’s the reason you’ve gathered everyone and taken a lot of time and effort to make your celebration the special event that it is. So when it comes to your ceremony, are there ways to make it original? We say yes! There are many unique ceremony ideas to make yours stand out that will make your union more memorable than you ever envisioned.
Make Your Backdrop
Sarah Trotter, Owner & Event Planner of Lasting Impressions Weddings has clients that use a family heirloom or something someone in the family has built themselves, “We have numerous crosses or arbors that were crafted by either the groom, parents of the groom, or parents of the bride to make a really personal touch on the day.”
Embrace Your Natural Surroundings
Use your backdrop, like a free-standing gazebo or large trees, and decorate with paper flowers, ribbons, lanterns, pompoms, or real flowers to make the background unique.
Tribute to Lost Loved Ones
It’s always sentimental to remember loved ones by mentioning them in a program, but you can also leave seats for them in the first row, with their photos on the chairs so guests know what they symbolize. Similarly, you can place a boutonniere or corsage meant for a deceased parent on the seat they would have sat in, suggests Joan Nilsen Beyer of Ambiente Weddings.
Use Special Touches within the Ceremony
A sand unity ceremony is a classic, and some couples are coming up with unique ceremony ideas of their own to personalize this portion. Instead of combining sand, consider using paint in your wedding colors. In the end, you could have a beautiful keepsake for your home. If you’re concerned about the mess paint could make, Trotter says to consider other options for unity ceremonies, such as having a wine blending ceremony or having the couple plant a tree together. One couple even decided to skip rocks on Lake Superior for their unity ceremony!
Another way to make your ceremony less “cookie-cutter” is to use truly personal processional songs. Not the ones you hear all the time, but ones that mean something to you as a couple. Whether it’s a song from a movie you saw on your 1st date or a top 10 hit from the year you met, keeping the processional songs personal really makes your ceremony very special and different. If you’re still not sure which songs to use during your ceremony, we’ve got suggestions in our Wedding Song Guide Series: Choosing Your Wedding Ceremony Songs.
Special Aisle Décor
Monogrammed runners are personal, but there are other ways to decorate your aisle in a memorable way. Nilsen Beyer says a rose petal aisle designed by your florist is a very special way to make your ceremony stunning.
Ceremony in the Round
The last of many unique ceremony ideas we have is to have your guests sit around you in a circle versus in straight rows. With all of your loved ones sitting literally around you, this setup gives everyone a great view of your vow exchange and brings in an intimate feel, even if you’re having a lot of guests.
