Quick Ceremony Tips

Your ceremony can be civil or religious. A civil ceremony is all that you need to be legally married but many couples want their marriage to be recognized by their church or organization.

A religious ceremony can be held at a church, synagogue, mosque or meeting room and some religious officiants will conduct the ceremony at nonreligious sites.

You may want to have a civil ceremony when neither of you are of the same religious faith and you want to save yourself the headache of trying to merge the two believes into one ceremony. Another reason to have a civil ceremony is if you are planning to have a get away wedding in the Bahamas perhaps.

When you're looking for an officiant, make sure you find one that is open to you either writing your own vows or incorporating unique elements or ethnic traditions if you choose to have them.

Friends, family, and wedding consultants are great references for an officiant. Your city hall is a great place to find referrals for civil officiants. Talk to religious officiants because some require you to join their church before they host your wedding.

Personalize your ceremony by writing your own vows. Some couples put their vows on scrolls adding a touch of elegance. Some have the flower girl pass the vows out to the bride and groom. What ever way you decide to do it, it will be special.

Questions to ask your potential officiant:
Are you available on our date? Are there any rules or restrictions at the ceremony site or in our speeches that we need to keep in mind? What documents do we need to get married? Are you open to personalized vows, readings, or music? Will you give a sermon or speech? Do we require any pre wedding counseling? Can we have the photographer and/or videographer throughout the ceremony?

Find out when you can hold the rehearsal.

If as the bride or groom you already have kids, try and include them in the ceremony. They can recite a poem, play an instrument, or even write something on their own.

If you plan to include a lot of special out of the ordinary events in your ceremony, print programs. The programs should outline when each event will take place and the meaning of it. Have the best man or one of the ushers to hand out the programs.

If you have a special person that passed away but you want to remember them at the reception, you may assign a special seat with a rose in their memory. You may light a candle or have their photo displayed. Having speeches or somehow mentioning the person may bring tears of grief. This is a happy occasion; instead try to just write a note in the program explaining the meaning of the empty seat, candle, or picture.