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To create a
wedding ceremony that is unique, personal and memorable consider including special
ceremonies. They serve to symbolically represent and
celebrate the meaning of your union in marriage, the significance of your family
and friends, and recognize and incorporate religious or cultural elements that
are important to you. Cathy is one of the most creative wedding ceremonies
planners in the country, and will help you use these elements to create a
perfect and special ceremony for you.
Cathy provides many of the accessories
needed for special ceremonies at no cost to you, to help make your travels
easier!
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Unification
Ceremonies
Honor your
marriage commitment by using ceremonial elements to visually represent the union
that you are creating. Through ceremony, you are sharing with your family and
guests the meaning of your commitment and the love you have for each other. A
Unity Candle, Sand Ceremony, Hand Fasting, Circling and Broom Jumping are
wonderful ways to do this.
Flower Ceremonies
Flowers are
a key part of every ceremony, and one of the most beloved symbols of love is the
rose; it can be incorporated into your ceremony in several ways. Exchanging
roses with each other or
with key family members represents the sharing of your love.
Garlands are a beautiful way to show your love to each
other or family members. Guests could also exchange flowers with each other.
Exchanging Gifts
The
exchanging of gifts is very common in Native American Weddings as well as
Mexican Weddings. Special friends could bring gifts for you to the
ceremony as a surprise. You could give gifts to special friend or family. There are many variations and combination of gift exchanges.
Use your creativity to come up with a new one just for you!
Learn more about gift exchanges in:
Mexican Wedding
Traditions
At a
traditional Mexican wedding, three couples are selected to be madrinas and padrinos or Godparents to the couple.
Each madrina and padrino presents a different gift to the
couple during the ceremony. These gifts traditionally include a
Lasso, gold coins, and a bible, as well as remembrance gifts and a veil.
Jewish Wedding Traditions
Jewish Wedding
Traditions are beautiful and can be incorporated in Jewish, interfaith or
non-Jewish weddings. Marrying under the Huppah is a symbol of the strength
of your marriage. Other traditions include the Seven Blessings, breaking
the glass, a wine ceremony,
Blessing and Purification
Asking your
gathered family and friends to share their personal blessings for you during the
ceremony can be beautiful and give you unexpected surprises with the words they
use. These blessings can be planned completely in advance, or you can have a few
shills, and then open the floor for individual sharing.
The Use of Sacred Food and Drink
Many
cultural traditions use liquids to offer thanks, or to purify and sanctify the
wedding ceremony. Using one of these elements can be a way to include your
special friends and/or guests, and share part of your spiritual background if
that is important to you. Blessing and sharing a sacred drink can be found in
traditions as diverse as Native American, Jewish, Japanese and Catholic. A cup
of wine or sacred liquid can represent the cup of life, and the sharing of the
cup as one.
Surprises
Nothing
beats the element of surprise in a wedding! There are many wonderful ways you
can surprise each other, your guests and/or someone special. In one wedding,
the best man was asked to perform his role as a surprise during the wedding. In
another, the mother of the bride was asked to come forward and stand up for the
couple as a surprise. The music you use at the end can be a surprise (see the
movie Love Actually for some ideas for ending music surprises!) or a special
guest can make an appearance.
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