Sample of Wedding Ceremony Order

While most of your time and energy will probably be devoted to planning your reception, you can't leave out another important part of your plans: deciding on the order of your ceremony. You'll need to speak with your officiant about his or her suggestions for the order (generally they have more experience on these matters), but you'll also be able to add in elements unique to your ceremony, such as singers, poetry readings, etc.

The first order of business in any wedding ceremony is the processional which is when the wedding party enters the location. Depending on the denomination of your service, your processional will vary in its specifics but the last part is always the entrance of the bride with all eyes staring straight at her.

Many couples choose to add a special element here. Some choose to have a friend or family member sing a special song or read a poem selected for the event. You may even want to incorporate more than one of these elements. Just remember that you'll only have your ceremony location and officiant for a certain time so you need to make those minutes count or you'll end up paying overtime (and that can be very expensive).

Once those parts are finished, your officiant will probably welcome your guests and say a few words about marriage. Generally, these words include “we are gathered here today . . . “ or something similar.

In traditional ceremonies, the next step is for the father or parents “to give” their daughter away for the marriage. Some couples choose to include this step; others don't. If you are one of the latter, make sure you discuss this decision with your officiant in advance.

If you're having a religious wedding, your officiant may do a reading or a prayer. If you're having a non-religious wedding, you may want your officiant to read a poem or even song lyrics that would be appropriate. You can also leave this part out if you desire. Afterward, most officiants will say a few words about marriage, what it means, and what it should mean to the two of you. This is done to remind you of the solemn promise you are about to make to one another.

Next, you'll exchange your vows. You have the option of reciting the standard vows (you've probably heard them thousands of times in movies, on television, and in person at other weddings) or of writing your own vows.

After the vows are exchanged, you'll exchange your wedding rings and say a few words as you do. Again, you can say the standard “With this ring I thee wed” or you can create your own, modernized wording. If you're going to light a unity candle, you'll do this after the ring exchange.

The ceremony is almost completed at this point. The officiant will officially declare you husband and wife, then you'll turn to the audience and he'll introduce you for the first time as a married couple. You can decide whether to be called “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith” or “John and Jill Smith” depending on your preferences.

Then you'll have the recessional as you, your wedding party, and finally your guests file out of the church. You may choose to have a receiving line after the recessional or you can leave for the photographs immediately.

No matter what organization and events you want to include in your ceremony, make sure to plan it out and discuss it with everyone involved. It's definitely a good idea to include these elements in your wedding rehearsal so you won't encounter problems on the big day.

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