WEDDINGS : LITTLE TOUCHES

Your wedding ceremony can reflect your values, your history, even your sense of humor. There are dozens of ways to let your personalities shine through, making your ceremony more meaningful for both you and your guests.

Do you have a favorite song, significant poem, or special nicknames? Do you love your grandmother’s lace hankie, that lucky penny you’ve had since you were eight, or the earrings he bought for you on your first date? Your ceremony can incorporate all of these things, making it as unique as your relationship. If it will add to the richness and meaning of your day, we can find a way to include it!

Finding ways to involve your special people is one of my favorite parts of creating a ceremony. Many couples are not starting out alone; they are blending their families. Your wedding day is a very important turning point for your children, too. Parents who have told me, “Oh, our kids won’t want to participate,” are often very surprised by their children’s willingness – even desire – to play an important role in the service. Opportunities range from being an attendant to escorting you into the ceremonial space to exchanging vows with each other to a quiet family blessing.

You can honor other special people as well. You can thank each other’s parents. You can credit the person who introduced you. You can acknowledge loved ones who are unable to attend, or people who have died. One of the couples I married had each spent months apart on overseas tours of duty with the National Guard. During their wedding, they presented everyone who had served in the military with yellow roses.

Music is another way to enhance your service with your personal touches. Yes, there are traditional pieces for the processional and recessional. Yes, there are classic, romantic choices for a featured song during the ceremony itself. If those appeal to you, by all means, go with them. Just don’t limit yourselves. I’ve been party to some very fun deviations from tradition. One couple entered to Where or When by Ella Fitzgerald. Another made many traditional choices but exited to the Star Wars theme. A couple marrying for a second time chose When I’m 64 by the Beatles. The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions offers an entire chapter on music with dozens of possibilities for everything from the processional to the father-daughter dance.

There are many books available on ceremony planning. By all means, pick up a few and look for passages that capture the essence you’d like to create within your own ceremony. I love new ideas, and I am open to almost anything.



“Tim and I can’t thank you enough for the wonderful day
 that you made for us. From the first time we met, I thought
  you were so helpful and caring. You had so many great ideas
  to make the day extra special. All of our family and friends
  just raved about how touching the whole ceremony was and
  said that it was one of the best that they had ever been to.
  It was truly a day we will cherish for a lifetime.”   —Lynette Erickson