The wedding ceremony is the main event and the reason for it all. This highlight moment is not an impromptu event, and requires a plan for a flawless performance. Keep reading to explore tips to help you plan your wedding ceremony.
The Venue for the Wedding Ceremony
The wedding ceremony requires a magical space. The location must be significant and meaningful. The design must be breathtaking. Rather than renting the empty space, plan at an all-inclusive wedding venue that includes the designs and professional wedding designers. The blueprints to the ceremony space should include a beautifully designed wedding arch and backdrop to frame your perfect moments. Your theme should be obvious without being overly done. You should have three to four well coordinated colors. Design a well-defined aisle with chairs and décor. Depending on your theme and the atmosphere you want to achieve, you could line your aisle with rose petals, lanterns, vases filled with floating candles or oversized candelabras. The easiest way to design your ceremony space is to plan with a venue with in-house wedding designers and décor.
The Wedding Officiant
The wedding officiant will conduct the ceremony. Culture and orientation can affect the way a ceremony is performed. Wedding officiants are people with unique personalities, different levels of experience and different backgrounds. It is important to interview your officiant to make sure their personality and ideas fit with yours. Your rituals and vows will be the most remembered part of the moment. This is the reason why everyone gathers on the wedding day. Some couples choose the repeat after me, while others think of all the ways to write something different. Creating unique vows for the moment can make it feel more meaningful. If you want to write your own wedding vows, find a wedding officiant with sample scripts and experience assisting couples with writing vows. We do not all speak the same language of love. Find an officiant that speaks yours.
Practice the Wedding Ceremony
Practice makes perfect. Get all the nerves out of the way and become comfortable going through the motions. Use props, such as a mock train and ribbon bouquet. Practice turning with the train and handing off the bouquet to the maid of honor. Ceremonial elements, such as jumping the broom and pouring sand for a sand ceremony, should have a practice run too. Create opportunities to work with the officiant. Practicing the ceremony avoids embarrassing mistakes. The rehearsal dinner is probably the last opportunity to gather with the wedding party and have a final practice wedding ceremony.
The Processional
The processional usually forms at the rear of the ceremony site. The order begins with the parents of the groom taking their seat in the front, followed by the entrance of the groom, best man and officiant. The groom and best man usually stand on the right side of the aisle, facing the guests. The best man stands to the groom’s left, slightly behind him. It is a good idea to organize the wedding party according to height, with the shorter individuals in front. The wedding processional forms with the groomsmen, junior groomsmen, junior bridesmaids, bridesmaids, maid of honor, flower girl, ring bearer, bride and her father and train bearers. Properly space the wedding party four to six paces between each individual or pair in the line.
Wedding Ceremony Traditions
A handfasting ceremony, unity candle or sand ceremony are traditions that make the wedding ceremony special. During a handfasting ceremony, the officiant wraps a chord three times around the hands of the bride and groom to bind them together. The officiant explains the symbolism and meaning behind the ritual. During a unity candle ceremony, the bride and groom light a column candle to symbolize uniting as one. A sand ceremony is similar to the unity candle ceremony. The bride and groom pour colored sand into a single vase to symbolize becoming one. If you want to add a special ritual to your wedding ceremony, discuss it with your officiant.
Crystal Ballroom Charlotte
Plan your wedding day with Crystal Ballroom Charlotte. Create your magical moments in a wedding venue designed just for you. Meet with designers and planners inside of the design studio to share your vision and choose from exclusive designs. Bring your dream wedding to life in a luxurious ballroom. All of the furnishings, décor and services are included to create your magical moments. Plan your fairy tale with the finest at Crystal Ballroom.
