Other Ways to Personalise Your Ceremony | Wedition

Nicole Van Zomeren from ZOM Ceremonies gives some inspiration into personalising your ceremony.

Customise your Ceremony Space

Having a celebrant led wedding means you can have your ceremony absolutely anywhere you would like. Get creative with the venue, but also with how you customise the space. The backdrop is the direction everyone will be looking, could you make it the sea or a forest? Or why not bring in your colour themes or meaningful items, perhaps an arch of flowers, or a calligraphy banner of some inspirational words or your vows, the options are endless. 

Randomise the seating

“Pick a seat not a side, we’re all family once the knot is tied”. Conventionally the couple's friends and family sit on different sides, but a lovely all-inclusive sentiment encourages guests to mix things around and sit anywhere. If it's an intimate wedding maybe make a circle of seats for your loved ones rather than the usual rows.

Mix up the music

It’s your day, so choose songs and music that are really meaningful to you, and possibly a little unexpected for your guests. Whether you have a band who can play a surprise number as your processional music or a pre-recorded track that you’ve loved for years. Mix up the tunes for your guests before you arrive, and don’t forget a big finish. 

Walk down the aisle your way

You may prefer to be accompanied by both your parents for your entrance or even meet your fiancé/fiancée discreetly beforehand and walk in together. Instead of the traditional walk you might pick a song or music to dance down to. Find a way of arriving and walking down the aisle that truly represents you.

Mother’s Rose Ceremony

This is a great way of honouring the couple’s mothers or other family members during the ceremony. This Rose or Flower Ceremony allows the newlyweds to show gratitude for the love, support and nurturing that has been bestowed upon them making them who they are.

Family Gift Ceremony

A special gift, perhaps a medallion, is exchanged as a token of unity to build the bond between step-parents and step-children. The recognition of children offers an opportunity for guests to bear witness not only to your vows as a couple but your family commitment as well

Blessing Stones

Blessing Stones are stones sent round to all the guests during the ceremony, much like the ring warming, guests hold the stones during the ceremony sending them loving thoughts, prayers, wishes or positive energy. At some point, during the reception, guests write the blessing on the stones and the couple bring their Blessed Stones back into their home. 

Traditions with a Religious or Cultural Origin

Oathing Stone(s)

Traditionally a Scottish ritual where it was believed an oath given by stone or water was said to make the wedding ceremony more binding. Modern variations see the couple holding a significant stone as you speak your vows or speaking your vows over a pile of stones "sets your vows in stone." It can be a lovely addition to your ceremony and provides a lasting keepsake. 

Seven Steps

A Hindu tradition where the couple walk around a fire seven times. Each journey around the fire has a different representation from blessings on a respectful life, promising to shower love and affection on your spouse, inviting wisdom and wealth, honesty, respect for family, kindness, happiness, loyalty and understanding into their futures together.

Truce Bell

This Celtic custom using a bell that the couple will take home as a reminder of their wedding and commitments. Bells have been associated with weddings as their joyous tones bring good luck and announce good tidings. During the ceremony the couple give the bell a hearty ring while thinking good thoughts about each other and their future. Then when at home and arguments arise the bell is used to call a truce and remind each other of the happy memories of their wedding day and their vows.

Breaking the Glass

This is a Jewish tradition, and there are varied symbolic meanings of Breaking the Glass. For some it symbolises the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, others believe it demonstrated how fragile a marriage is, so should be treated with special care. Or how fragile life is so to encourage couples to enjoy every day as if it were the last. The glass is shattered so that the marriage will never break or with the sentiment that the marriage may last as long as it would take to repair the glass.

Red Thread of Destiny

The origin of this legend is often said to be Japanese, but many Asian cultures believe in a Red Thread of Destiny.  Like the life supporting blood vessels that run through our bodies, it's thought that one invisible red line continues from our heart and extends beyond the end of our little finger. This red thread flows out and intertwines with the red threads of other people connecting our hearts. These ties can never be broken, so soul mates are destined to meet, and this can be demonstrated numerous ways in a ceremony for a couple who resonate with this story, believing fete brought them together.

Jumping the Broom

In this originally African custom the couple jumps over a broom, which traditionally symbolises sweeping away the old; their former single lives, any problems or concerns and welcoming the new, the new beginning they are embarking on together.

Tea Ceremony

Traditionally held privately to pay respects to the family, this Asian custom is sometimes incorporated into the public ceremony to share the sense of unity and paying respects and gratitude to the parents. Here where family members from both sides share tea together it symbolises the acceptance and acknowledgment of the joint family that has been created.

Wedding Vase

This is a Native American tradition where the couple takes turns drinking from a two-spouted vase, then drinking together. It is said the fewer drops that are spilt the fewer difficulties you will have in your marriage.

The Quaich

The quaich is a two-handled ‘loving cup’ for the wedding feast. In this Scottish tradition the couple take their first toast, of whiskey or brandy, as a married couple. The silver or pewter quaich sits on a plinth before and after the ceremony and is symbolic of the couples shared lives.

13 Coins

Or ‘The Grooms Siller’ is another Scottish tradition where originally silver, but now sometimes gold coins, are exchanged from celebrant to groom, to bride, then back to the groom who drops them on a plate. The sound of the coins being passed, and dropping was intended to symbolise the promise to provide for the family, share their wealth together, to manage, save and to invest their money wisely.

Veil, Cord, Coins

A common Philippine tradition that stems from Spanish roots, where sponsors are chosen like mentors for the newlyweds. The sponsors attached, draped and passed these items in turn to the couple. The Veil symbolises the oneness and union, health and protection. The Cord symbolises the unbreakable bond of marriage. Coins symbolise the care of earthly possessions, of prosperity and of faithfulness. The Veil, Cord and Coins ritual is sometimes followed by the Unity Candle ritual that often calls on a secondary set of sponsors.

Nicole will be happy to chat to you about your ceremony requirements. Click here for contact details.