How to include a wedding ritual in your marriage ceremony.
There are many different unity ceremonies and rituals, that couples can select from for their weddings and most are a symbol to show the uniting of the couple in marriage. Some can also include family and friends that show their support for your marriage.
While some rituals are more spiritual and based on religion, others come purely out of creativity.
Whether you’re looking for a religious or cultural ritual, or you’re simply looking for ideas to personalise your ceremony, there are many wedding rituals to select from.
In this post, I will be covering some of the more popular wedding rituals couples I have married included in their ceremonies.
So should I include a wedding ritual in my ceremony?
If you answer “Yes” to any of the following questions then a ritual would be a great addition to your ceremony.
Do you want to involve your children in the ceremony?
Do you want to involve your parents in the ceremony?
Do you want to say a special thank you and acknowledge your mothers and or fathers?
Does your family have culture or heritage traditions?
Do you want to do something special to celebrate your love in the ceremony?
Do you want to have something from your ceremony to keep in your home as a special memento of your wedding day?
Do you want to include a religious element in your ceremony?
So what wedding ritual should I select?
Look at who you want to include in your wedding ritual or what symbolic meaning you would like to have. Then look at all the different ritual options. If you can’t find a ritual to completely suit then why not adjust an existing one or create one of your own.
The wedding rituals my couples loved.
1) Sand Ceremonies
Sand Ceremonies are a unique way of showing the unity or joining of two people. It can also involve family showing they are an important part of the marriage union.
The grains of sand poured into a container become combined, symbolising the couple and or the children and parents coming together in marriage, and the joining of their lives. As it would be near impossible to separate the different coloured grains of sand, that’s how difficult it would be to separate the people involved in the ceremony.
The Sand Ceremony is also very popular as the blended sand is a beautiful keepsake and as the symbol for the couple or family joining as one.
2) Actually “Tying the Knot”
Both of the couples’ mothers present the couple with a long piece of thick ribbon or cord (2 or more different colours, maybe your wedding colours) which you will tie in a knot to symbolise the union of the two families. As a reminder of your special day, every year on your anniversary with the same piece of ribbon or cord you can again “tie the knot”.
3) Make a Time Capsule
You might not be able to wrap love in a box, but you can certainly capture the essence of your wedding day by creating a marriage time capsule. Anything can go into your capsule from love letters to each other, a bottle of your favourite wine, wishes, and advice from your family and friends or mementos from your time together.
The Time capsule not only gives you a charming way to store your wedding memorabilia but also allows you to have a visibly constant reminder in your home of the sacred commitment you have made to each other.
Some couples choose to open the Time capsule on their 5th or 10th wedding anniversary or on a day that they feel is significant to them. Then they add a new love letter for that time in their life.
4) Ring Blessing / RingWarming Ceremony
The ring blessing ritual can be a very special part of a wedding ceremony. It can involve just the couple, your family, your friends, or all of your guests. The idea is for the rings to be passed to each person involved in the ritual. When the person is holding the rings they bless them with wishes and then pass them on to the next person. When the rings return to the couple they will hold in them all the best wishes of love from the people who have held them.
5) Hand Fasting
The Hand Fasting Ceremony is Celtic in origin that dates back to the medieval and renaissance period. It involves the tying of hands together to symbolise the coming together of the couple and symbolically tied together in marriage.
6) Rose Ceremony
For your first gift as a couple, you can give each other the gift of a single rose.
In the past, the rose was considered a symbol of love, and a single rose always meant only one thing; it meant the words “I love you.” So it is appropriate that for your first gift as husband and wife, that gift would be a single rose.
Another version of the Rose Ceremony is to present roses to your mothers to represent your thanks for the many selfless sacrifices they have made and for the unconditional love they’ve so freely given
7) Chocolate and Champagne Ceremony
In this ceremony, the couple together eats some bitter dark chocolate and drinks some sweet champagne. The ceremony symbolises the idea that with marriage, you will have sweet moments and bitter moments, and either way, the couple will share them and weather them together.
Tips for having a ritual at your ceremony
If you decide you are going to include a ritual in your ceremony make sure you arrange all the items you need early.
You will be able to find ritual items from stores and online shops around Australia. eBay and Amazon are also great for finding the items you need for your wedding ritual.
If the budget is tight then the alternative is to make your own or look for less expensive options.
If your celebrant includes rituals in the ceremonies they do, as I do, then they will also have ideas on how best to source the items.
A ritual can be an amazing and unique way to personalise your ceremony. Having one well organised by your celebrant will mean that it will only add a little extra time to your ceremony, but a lasting moment that your guests will remember always.
For more information about marriage, rituals visit my inspirations page.
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