Putting together a wedding ceremony takes work. And whether you, your mother, his mother, or a wedding consultant will be doing some of the work, somebody is going to need a plan to ensure that, amid all the details, excitement, hoopla, and traumas that are about to commence, you and your groom-to-be somehow wind up married (smiling, laughing, and still completely in love) at the end of it all.
Choosing a ceremony that is meaningful is important because the wedding ceremony IS the wedding.. Suddenly, these choices seemed more important than deciding which flowers to carry, photographs to shoot, or foods to serve. Your ceremony can symbolize your marriage and all of the unique and personal values you choose to being to that marriage.
So how do you come up with a plan? Discuss each person’s visions of the ceremony. I have come up with the WHO, WHAT , WHEN, and WHERE of ceremony planning.
WHO
Ask yourself who you are holding your wedding for. Maybe it’s an intimate and personal exchange of vows between two people; then you might choose to plan a private ceremony for just the two of you - an elopement. It is simple and special. However, your wedding dream may include more people. You could stretch it out a little bit to include family members and very close friends to join you. Keep it purposefully small.
Some see their wedding as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate both our own love and the love we had for all of our friends and families who had supported us over the years.
Once you have decided who the wedding will be for, here’s another tricky question: Who will be planning the wedding? Planning a wedding requires honesty. By listening to others’ wishes and visions for the wedding day - and honoring those you know are most important - you will ensure that everybody listens and honors your dream, too.
WHAT
Deciding what kind of wedding to have may be the most enjoyable part of the whole wedding process. Feel free to explore traditional wedding ceremonies and receptions as well as not-so-traditional options. You will want to consider what you want your wedding to feel like - intimate, elegant, formal, festive, casual, fun, spiritual, romantic? What are your personalities? What kind of atmosphere do you want to create for your guests? What ethnic or religious traditions would you like to honor? Make a list of adjectives that describe how you want to feel on your wedding day, and as you start creating your wedding plan (choosing reception sites, hiring a band), think of ways to reflect the characteristics most important to you.
These days the only rule about what kinds of wedding ceremonies are acceptable is that there are no rules. The kind of wedding you decide to have will also determine what other events will be surrounding it. Whatever events you decide to have, keep in mind that you will need to add them to your wedding plan, making sure that you have enough time - and enough people - to coordinate each event.
WHEN
Deciding when to hold your wedding means deciding on a number of variables: the season, time of day, month, and day of the week.
SEASON - Picking a season largely means picking your weather. It also means taking into account work and school schedules of your and your friends and family.
TIME OF DAY - Different times of day do generally inspire certain moods and reflect certain levels of formality. Informal wedding ceremonies are traditionally held in the mornings and afternoons and formal wedding ceremonies traditionally begin after 6:00pm.
You will want to discuss the timing between your ceremony and reception. Some brides will want to proceed to the reception immediately after the wedding, while some will choose to have formal pictures taken after the ceremony with their families and the wedding party.
MONTH/DAY - If your wedding will include family members, be sure and get a schedule of other major family events. You may want to check your friends’ calendars, especially if you are asking them to be a part of your wedding ceremony. Also consider that some religions will not allow couples to marry during certain times of the year or even on certain days of the week.
WHERE
Where you hold your wedding should be a reflection of what kind of wedding you are throwing, inspiring all of the feelings that are most important to you and your groom about your wedding day. This location, however, should also be appropriate for the time of year and for all of your guests who may be traveling to support you on this special occasion.
Make sure the site you choose is appropriate, and most important, that it matches the size of your guest list. 50 guests in a lavish ballroom will feel a little lost and 300 guests in a quaint bed and breakfast might feel as if the are in an overcrowded zoo.
Copyright © 2009 Carolyn Burke STL
Choosing a ceremony that is meaningful is important because the wedding ceremony IS the wedding.. Suddenly, these choices seemed more important than deciding which flowers to carry, photographs to shoot, or foods to serve. Your ceremony can symbolize your marriage and all of the unique and personal values you choose to being to that marriage.
So how do you come up with a plan? Discuss each person’s visions of the ceremony. I have come up with the WHO, WHAT , WHEN, and WHERE of ceremony planning.
WHO
Ask yourself who you are holding your wedding for. Maybe it’s an intimate and personal exchange of vows between two people; then you might choose to plan a private ceremony for just the two of you - an elopement. It is simple and special. However, your wedding dream may include more people. You could stretch it out a little bit to include family members and very close friends to join you. Keep it purposefully small.
Some see their wedding as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate both our own love and the love we had for all of our friends and families who had supported us over the years.
Once you have decided who the wedding will be for, here’s another tricky question: Who will be planning the wedding? Planning a wedding requires honesty. By listening to others’ wishes and visions for the wedding day - and honoring those you know are most important - you will ensure that everybody listens and honors your dream, too.
WHAT
Deciding what kind of wedding to have may be the most enjoyable part of the whole wedding process. Feel free to explore traditional wedding ceremonies and receptions as well as not-so-traditional options. You will want to consider what you want your wedding to feel like - intimate, elegant, formal, festive, casual, fun, spiritual, romantic? What are your personalities? What kind of atmosphere do you want to create for your guests? What ethnic or religious traditions would you like to honor? Make a list of adjectives that describe how you want to feel on your wedding day, and as you start creating your wedding plan (choosing reception sites, hiring a band), think of ways to reflect the characteristics most important to you.
These days the only rule about what kinds of wedding ceremonies are acceptable is that there are no rules. The kind of wedding you decide to have will also determine what other events will be surrounding it. Whatever events you decide to have, keep in mind that you will need to add them to your wedding plan, making sure that you have enough time - and enough people - to coordinate each event.
WHEN
Deciding when to hold your wedding means deciding on a number of variables: the season, time of day, month, and day of the week.
SEASON - Picking a season largely means picking your weather. It also means taking into account work and school schedules of your and your friends and family.
TIME OF DAY - Different times of day do generally inspire certain moods and reflect certain levels of formality. Informal wedding ceremonies are traditionally held in the mornings and afternoons and formal wedding ceremonies traditionally begin after 6:00pm.
You will want to discuss the timing between your ceremony and reception. Some brides will want to proceed to the reception immediately after the wedding, while some will choose to have formal pictures taken after the ceremony with their families and the wedding party.
MONTH/DAY - If your wedding will include family members, be sure and get a schedule of other major family events. You may want to check your friends’ calendars, especially if you are asking them to be a part of your wedding ceremony. Also consider that some religions will not allow couples to marry during certain times of the year or even on certain days of the week.
WHERE
Where you hold your wedding should be a reflection of what kind of wedding you are throwing, inspiring all of the feelings that are most important to you and your groom about your wedding day. This location, however, should also be appropriate for the time of year and for all of your guests who may be traveling to support you on this special occasion.
Make sure the site you choose is appropriate, and most important, that it matches the size of your guest list. 50 guests in a lavish ballroom will feel a little lost and 300 guests in a quaint bed and breakfast might feel as if the are in an overcrowded zoo.
Copyright © 2009 Carolyn Burke STL