The Wedding Ceremony: 16 Real Wedding Ideas to Inspire You
This month on the blog, it's all about wedding ceremonies...ways to personalize, unique location ideas, how to know what time to have the ceremony, and how to prevent cellphones from completely taking over your wedding ceremony photos....
Today we are featuring 16 ideas from real weddings that we have photographed. Seriously - we've worked with some incredibly creative people! We hope these ideas will inspire you to come up with unique ways to personalize your wedding ceremony!
“The veil that was hanging from the arbor belonged originally to my 107 (note: who recently just turned 108!) year old great grandmother and was worn at her wedding, my grandmother’s wedding, and my aunt’s wedding...”
We loved seeing this beautiful heirloom incorporated into the wedding ceremony decor. So beautiful, and even more special to the bride. How lovely and meaningful!
Personalized vow books with handwritten vows... also makes a wonderful keepsake to look back on, and and heirloom to pass down to future generations...
Another set of lovely vow books. Click here to see more from this wedding!
We loved this vintage vinyl ceremony backdrop! It was so fitting for the couple, who are both music lovers, and added a run retro feel to the wedding decor! (Click HERE to see more from this wedding!)
Handmade DIY elements can be a fun project (although, don't let yourself take on too many things!)... we also love the fun pop of color these garlands provide! See more from this wedding!
Consider sharing your first dance together as the musicians play immediately after the ceremony...
These signs are super cute and give each flower girl a special role in the ceremony (other than tossing petals of course, this can actually be a good alternative if you're not using flower petals in the ceremony). See more from this wedding!
“For our unity ceremony, we chose to do a “tree planting.” Gregory is a farmer and so much of our life together is spent in nature. We wanted to share in a symbol of growth and strength and to plant something that, like our marriage, would remain steadfast with solid roots. And, like our marriage, a tree requires nourishment and care to thrive. (I would like to report that two months have passed and our tree is still alive! Phew!)”
Click here to see more from this ceremony!
If you have a very special "fur baby" you may consider making them your "Dog of Honor" :)
“Our dog Aspen is a wild woman. She is definitely our best pal and we take her with us almost everywhere. When we adopted her she would pull so hard on walks that her front paws never touched the ground. Needless to say she has some ENERGY. When we decided to make her the flower girl/ring bearer/dog of honor (we drew the line at officiant), we fully expected her to do something crazy or just bark for the entire ceremony. I was almost counting on her to be somewhat disruptive to take a little of the attention off me. We were absolutely shocked when she laid down for the whole ceremony. She was so comfortable that we had to drag her away when we turned to walk out.”
To add to the celebration as the bride and groom walk back down the aisle as husband and wife, give guests bird seed, lavender seeds, bubbles, ribbon wands, or confetti to toss for some extra fun (and beautiful wedding photos!) See More
Robert handcrafted this beautiful, rustic arbor for his bride! Read More
Music filled the valley as The Mountain Laurels led guests to the ceremony site for Sarah + Jeff's wedding! Such a joyous entrance! Read more...
Molly rode to the ceremony site in a vintage car, which was a surprise to her on the wedding day! Read more...
Having an "unplugged wedding" will encourage your guests to focus on being in the moment rather than missing the moments with their own eyes. Also, you'll have photos of your guests that show emotion and love in their eyes as they witness the ceremony, rather than appearing in photos with their faces to their phones...
Jillian + Brent surprised each other by doing something completely outside the box and unique for their wedding vows.
Jillian read a book called "Your Personal Penguin", which is an adorable and sweet wedding reading that goes along with a little song. The book tells the story of a "slightly bewildered hippo and the loyal penguin who wants nothing more than to be his pal."
Brent played a song with his guitar for Jillian. It was so very special and meaningful.
Jillian and Brent's wedding was filled with so many personal details! We loved how each guest picked up a flower from the bucket and gave it to the bride as they walked into the ceremony. In the end, her bouquet was made up of hand picked flowers from those she loved the most! So beautiful! See more...
“We ordered buckets of flowers from Shady Groves Gardens and Nursery in Vilas, NC. They give you unarranged buckets of whatever flowers are in season, so it almost ends up looking like a field of wild flowers. We made our own arrangements from the buckets they provided and we are so happy with how beautiful they all were!”
And last, but certainly not least... why not take a Land Rover to your ceremony site on the top of a mountain? Talk about an adventure!
Be sure to check back next Monday for more wedding ceremony inspiration!
xoxo
Jason + Heather