What Happens in a Ceremony
Quick – tell me three elements of a wedding with the exception of “I do,” flowers and rings.
Anyone?
Most people are a little embarrassed when they come up with ZERO here. But, but, but!!! Why would you remember? It is not your job. Unless you are in the business of making weddings happen. Florists, caterers, wedding planners and we wedding celebrants – we know the elements. We backstage folk are the ones who pull the strings to make that an easy slide into Home Plate.
Guests don’t know. The guests’ job is to love up the couple getting married. And, the engaged couple, you don’t know either. I call this the “You’re in love. You’re engaged. Now what??” chapter of your relationship.
For this chapter – I got your back. And trust me – you got this.
The bones of every ceremony
are the same:
BEGINNING and WELCOME – this is the part where your celebrant gives everyone a chance to settle in, stop thinking about whether or not they left the iron on, and focus on you and how fabulous you both look. Guests are asked to focus on you and send their love and support. This is also the place where your celebrant can ask that they put away the phones (after all you DO have a photographer).
MIDDLE – this is where we tell your story
Steve and Amy eloped from Australia and planned their family wedding to be one year after their Central Park wedding. They videoed everything and I sort of time traveled by greeting guests from the future!
Anthony and Paul traveled from Ireland to get married. Paul proposed to Anthony via a video sprung at the end of a television production that Anthony was directing. The entire cast and crew was in on it.
Derrick and Patti met when she was the medical aide assigned to his grandmother. He got his grandmother to ask all those personal questions before he could ask Patti out.
VOWS – this is where you got to say “I do!” and recite your vows which can be original or the very tried and true, “For richer, for poorer, etc.”
CONCLUSION – Guest are thanked for being there and asked to bless you in whatever way suits them. After that it is lift off and up and into the wedding reception.