How To Have A Wedding Ceremony That All Your Guests Will Rave About
Let’s face it without the ceremony you wouldn’t be here today. In some peoples eyes it’s just a paper to make everything legal. But that doesn’t mean that the ceremony can’t be meaningful to you. Your whole day revolves around the fact you are making a commitment to each other, that out of the millions of people on earth today, you have found each other and are committed to each other.
If you haven’t taken a moment to reflect on this, I suggest you do, it’s huge!
Being married is being vulnerable, it’s allowing another soul to occupy your heart. To share your thoughts dreams ambitions and dare I say it exclusivity.
You’re a Team!
We had the chance to ask a handful of extremely experienced and highly regarded legends in the Celebrant world for their thoughts on creating a ceremony guests will rave about.
Beth Stevenson – I heart Ceremonies
I believe one thing that will make your ceremony stand out is LIVE MUSIC. It cannot be understated – a live musician brings a depth of emotion that a Spotify playlist just simply can’t bring.
The melodic strum of a guitar,
The rhythmic shake of a percussion egg,
The vocal reverb of the musician who’s making those lyrics come to life, All of these elements come together to create an atmosphere that gets your guests feeling all the feels, and will no doubt have you and your friends and family in floods of tears / ready to party / on the dance floor, whatever the occasion calls for!
If you love the original version of a song, and have always imagined that it would be the one to played on your wedding day, then find a musician that knows how to play it, knows how it play it with authenticity, and tell them how important that song is to you. I guarantee you – any musician worth their salt will go above and beyond to create that memory for you.
I understand that yes, a musician can be a budget stretch for some situations. But believe me, you will honestly see the value in what they bring, and the emotions that the magic of live music creates. The right musician (and I’ve got a select half dozen or so that I wholeheartedly recommend) will have you and your guests connecting with those emotions, reliving those moments over and over for years to come.
Renee Wilkins – Civil Celebrant
The best wedding ceremony will have a great balance of humour and traditions, there will be a lovely banter between the celebrant, couple and their guests. Ultimately the wedding ceremony sets the tone for your whole wedding day. A ordinary ceremony is memorable for all the wrong reasons, a brilliant ceremony is spoken about for years.
Renee’s top tip – live musicians at a wedding ceremony – of the 1800 weddings that I have conducted, the best ones have live musicians at the ceremony.
Venita Manning – Marriage Celebrant
Give as much information to your celebrant as possible. A great celebrant will ask you so many questions about how you met, what you like about each other, your dreams, engagement stories etc. Make sure you give them all the juicy stuff. That way they will write the most entertaining and engaging ceremony and your guests will love every moment.
Keep your ceremony around the 20 minute mark. People will lose interest after that. There’s a reason Ted Talks are no more than 18 minutes!
Make sure your guests know to laugh, ugly cry, clap and cheer. They don’t need to sit there in silence. Give the couple some love and interact.
Include your guests. Crowd vows, flash mob readings, witness lottery.
Jake – Married by Jake
Authenticity…
If it feels like a script that could be read at any one’s wedding NO ONE will rave about it.
But if every word is relevant to you, to your story, your relationship, your personalities, your past, your present and your future… then you’re 90% of the way to a ceremony that EVERYONE will rave about!
Clarah Luxford – Gold Coast Best Celebrant Ever
The most amazing location, great food, awesome entertainment, and the best of everything will be lost if the guests aren’t the right fit. I often say family bring the support, but friends bring the fun. And fun is what keeps you relaxed, enjoying the moment, and having the best time.
I’ve experienced many weddings where family sometimes take their invitation for granted; they’re not always as supportive of the couple as they could be from arriving late, leaving early, showing disinterest while the couple say their vows, even falling asleep in their seats!
Friends are often the opposite, arriving excited to be there, encouraging the couple and joining in the celebrations. So, in a nutshell, invite your party-people. The people who love you and aren’t afraid to tell you, the people who bring other people together, the people who will remind you that the day is for celebrating, the people who will be on the dancefloor long after you’ve cut the cake.
These Are A Few Handy Hints From Us on How to Have Rave Worthy Ceremony
Be In The Moment
Be present for your ceremony it’s been a whirlwind morning and the emotions running high. Take a moment to look around see the faces of your beloved guests. Yes! this could bring on the waterworks but you don’t always have to hold it in.
Write Your Own Vows
Just simply talk from the heart. It means so much more knowing that your vows came directly from you rather than from a pre written script. Your love language might be just a few words but it’s the way those words are said that means more.
I’ve heard amazing personal vows where the couple have given each other hysterical banter back and forth, taking the Mickey out of each other’s personal lives.
And if this all sounds too much write your personal vows but keep them private for the photoshoot while it’s just the two of you and no one else.
Including Your Guests In the Ceremony
The people who brought you into the world, your parents. Giving of a small gift or even a single red rose to the mothers.
You could do a mystery reading under one of the guests seats
Asking your guests to support you in your marriage journey
Small People, Pets and Extraverts
Flower girls, page boys, dogs and pets (random stuff is the jam) even grandma as a flower girl. Let’s face it all these can be unpredictable (including Grandma) and thats the point. I’ve heard of flash mops and even the groomsmen putting on a display. But once again this is down to your own personality and taste.
Additional pointers that you can explore.
First look to ease the nerves ????
Give your celebrant the insider jokes to work with for the ceremony
We all hope this has helped to create a Wedding Ceremony all your guests will rave about.
