Wedding Resources

Wedding ceremony rituals?

im looking for not so common wedding ceremony rituals. we are both non christan faith (im not sure of the correct wording sorry) and we have been to weddings which had a unity candle lighting & the sand ceremony but i was just wondering if anyone knows any less common rituals that are similar? i would really appreciate any ideas

Public Comments

1. handfasting. Loads of websites on it too
2. We're "tying the knot" instead of a unity candle. It's a more modern take on the celtic tradition of hand-fasting. His mom and my mom will both present us with a piece of thick ribbon - his black and mine white (our wedding colors) and we will then "tie the knot" to represent the two families becoming one. We also plan to hang the knot somewhere in our house and tie a new knot each year on our anniversary in rememberance of our special day. (the ribbons are only going to be about a foot and a half long, so we'll need new ribbons every ten years or so). I really wanted something different from the unity candle. It's so cliche now, and once you light it, you never use it again! This way, we've got something that we can appreciate every day, and re-visit every year to remember what a joy it is to be married to each other. Good luck, and hope this helps! :-)
3. Sharing of wine is nice. “Michelle and Chris, will you each pick up your glass and bring to mind your promises, the honor and integrity with you have made them and your shared hopes and dreams… and toast to one another? Couple raise their glasses toast and drink And will you offer of yourself and your promise to the center glass….. Bride and Groom pour some of their wine into the center glass If you will now pick up the center glass, the one that was just an empty vessel before the strength of your promises to one another, and drink of one another’s vow, of your shared commitment and take these in that they as your marriage may become a part of who and what you are.” Bride and Groom then together pick up the center glass, and drink from it as celebrant continues, “As the wines in the glass have intermingled their essence so do your spirits join as you drink of each others love. Neither of you shall ever again thirst for total Love, understanding, or companionship, for as food and drink nourish the body so does Love nourish the soul. In this manner so shall each of you be as sustenance to the other.” There are more samples on my website, most of which is rather non traditional
4. Blech, I don't blame you. We opted to not do the (in my opinion rather cheesy) unity candle or sand ceremony either. To make our wedding ceremony more unique we placed the guest chairs around us in a circle, with the parents and grandparents behind us in a half circle so they saw our faces and the bridal party standing behind them - the rest of the guests were on the opposite side of the circle behind us. It was sooo cool! We had a chandelier hanging above us that we decorated with ivy and flowers and draping tulle to other chandeliers in the room. We had candles in white bags lining the aisle and candles lit all around the room and the lights dimmed...and just wrote our ceremony with our official together, taking pieces from about three different ones and piecing it together. So the only ones in the middle of the circle was us and the official. And afterward the center of the room became the dance floor, it was great!
5. Other ceremonies include rose ceremonies or handfastening ceremonies. Just do a Yahoo search for more information on these. Best wishes!