How to Personalize Your Wedding Ceremony for a Walk to Remember
Although there is nothing inherently unique about a wedding ceremony, you can absolutely personalize it so that it feels more representative of your relationship your love for each other. Whether you choose to do just one or many of the suggestions below, you’ll be well equipped to personalize your wedding ceremony so that it feels more special to the two of you!
Cavin Elizabeth Photography
The easiest way to personalize your wedding ceremony comes in the form of writing your own vows. These vows can be lengthy or short and sweet, especially if you don’t love public speaking. As a wedding photographer, I notice that ceremonies with personalized vows garner the most reactions from guests (i.e. laughs, tears, etc.) and the couple when hearing their spouse read their own vows.
1. Write Your Own Vows
The easiest way to personalize your wedding ceremony comes in the form of writing your own vows. These vows can be lengthy or short and sweet, especially if you don’t love public speaking. As a wedding photographer, I notice that ceremonies with personalized vows garner the most reactions from guests (i.e. laughs, tears, etc.) and the couple when hearing their spouse read their own vows.
Cavin Elizabeth Photography
Unless candles or sand have a special meaning to you, skip them when it comes to a unity ritual. Instead, do something totally unique and unheard of. Are you both surgeons? Stitch a heart or meaningful shape on a beautiful cloth together. Are you both runners who look forward to your first child? Lace up a pair of baby shoes together. Anything you can think of, no matter how peculiar, that symbolizes your relationship would be a beautiful and unique unity activity for your ceremony.
2. Create Your Own “Unity” Ritual
Unless candles or sand have a special meaning to you, skip them when it comes to a unity ritual. Instead, do something totally unique and unheard of. Are you both surgeons? Stitch a heart or meaningful shape on a beautiful cloth together. Are you both runners who look forward to your first child? Lace up a pair of baby shoes together. Anything you can think of, no matter how peculiar, that symbolizes your relationship would be a beautiful and unique unity activity for your ceremony.
All My Love Photography
I’m honestly surprised I’ve yet to memorize the entire “love is patient, love is kind” passage considering I’ve heard it at over 60 weddings in my career. Readings like that, while beautiful, are done over and over again, so unless it has a particularly meaningful history for you, I would skip it. If you’d like to have a family member perform a reading, have them choose a passage from a book, movie, song, or anything else that truly feels special to the two of you.
3. Skip Overused Readings
I’m honestly surprised I’ve yet to memorize the entire “love is patient, love is kind” passage considering I’ve heard it at over 60 weddings in my career. Readings like that, while beautiful, are done over and over again, so unless it has a particularly meaningful history for you, I would skip it. If you’d like to have a family member perform a reading, have them choose a passage from a book, movie, song, or anything else that truly feels special to the two of you.
Cavin Elizabeth Photography>
The most common ceremony layout includes two sides of seating in tidy rows with some sort of arch/altar at the front. It’s not often that ceremonies deviate from this, so it’s really easy to personalize your ceremony simply by opting for a nontraditional layout such as a circle or perhaps more of a winding path through the chairs.
4. Rethink Your Seating Layout
The most common ceremony layout includes two sides of seating in tidy rows with some sort of arch/altar at the front. It’s not often that ceremonies deviate from this, so it’s really easy to personalize your ceremony simply by opting for a nontraditional layout such as a circle or perhaps more of a winding path through the chairs.
Caroline Tran
Truth be told, it’s really hard to come up with anything unseen or totally new in the wedding world. When it comes to a ceremony “arch” you’ll have to get your creative juices (or your designer’s) flowing to create something truly personalized. For this wedding below, the couple wanted their wedding to feel homey, so their planner Amorology and Backup Backdrops designed a wood-framed house for their “arch.”
5. Think Outside the Box for Your “Arch”
Truth be told, it’s really hard to come up with anything unseen or totally new in the wedding world. When it comes to a ceremony “arch” you’ll have to get your creative juices (or your designer’s) flowing to create something truly personalized. For this wedding below, the couple wanted their wedding to feel homey, so their planner Amorology and Backup Backdrops designed a wood-framed house for their “arch.”
Meiwen Wang
Ultimately, feel free to disregard tradition when it comes to your ceremony. It’s your ceremony so create it exactly as you’d like! As long as you fulfill the legal requirements for the ceremony, the sky is the limit for its design, readings, and rituals. Whether you opt for a ritual that’s literally never before been done or something that is simply uncommon, infusing your own personalities and history into your ceremony will ensure that it is completely authentic!
6. Make it “You”
Ultimately, feel free to disregard tradition when it comes to your ceremony. It’s your ceremony so create it exactly as you’d like! As long as you fulfill the legal requirements for the ceremony, the sky is the limit for its design, readings, and rituals. Whether you opt for a ritual that’s literally never before been done or something that is simply uncommon, infusing your own personalities and history into your ceremony will ensure that it is completely authentic!