While it’s comforting to have some traditions in place on your wedding day, the event should reflect you and your special someone— so it’s okay to shake things up a bit. It’s 2018, after all— time to freshen up those wedding traditions and make them personal! Get some inspiration and glean some ideas for customizing wedding traditions on your special day.
Changing Your Entrance
For the bride, the traditional entrance involves a slow walk down the aisle on the arm of her father. However, there are other ways to make a memorable entrance at your wedding! You can dance down the aisle, come into the room from an unexpected direction, or walk down with both of your parents or with another significant family member. For the royal wedding, Meghan Markle will be walking down the aisle with her mother as well as her father. To make the entrance even more personal, choose an unusual piece of music that’s special to you, rather than the traditional wedding march or Pachelbel’s Canon in D.
Shaking Up the Seating Arrangements
Usually, the bride’s family and guests sit on one side of the space and the groom’s family and guests sit on the other. Instead of separating the two, you could allow everyone to mingle and sit wherever they like. Instead of a center aisle, consider having multiple aisles or arranging the seats in a unique way— perhaps in a spiral or in small groups. Your wedding coordinator at Nanina’s in the Park may have some ideas about how to create a practical yet personalized layout for the ceremony space.
Customizing the Ceremony
Instead of reciting the traditional wedding vows, you can write your own vows to each other. It’s a more heartfelt way to express your love and commitment before your guests. You could also write up a portion of your love story and have the officiant read it during the ceremony. Keep it short and sweet, telling the tale of your first meeting, your engagement, or some other significant part of your relationship.
Selecting a Different Kind of Officiant
The officiant doesn’t have to be someone you hired for the occasion. You can use a minister or religious leader if you like, but you could just as easily recruit a friend or relative to do the honors. Choose someone with a close relationship to both of you— maybe the friend who introduced you, one of your parents, or someone else who was influential in your lives.
Telling a Story in the Program
In the program for the ceremony, include personal passages, such as a poem, a bit of your story, or the lyrics of a song that is meaningful to both of you. You could include some facts or trivia as well, such as how many days you’ve been together, how many trips you’ve taken, or the date that you first expressed your love or got engaged.
Incorporating Religious or Interfaith Traditions
There may be some new traditions you want to add to the ceremony— ideas or symbols that are special to you because of your shared beliefs as a couple. Feel free to incorporate those elements as well. One couple wrapped themselves in a Jewish prayer shawl to symbolize unity. A Buddhist couple might have a monk chant from sacred texts. A Christian couple might light a larger candle from two separate candles. Handfasting, blending of the sands, circling the couple seven times, or doing a lasso (el lazo) ceremony are all ways to represent your faith and culture at your wedding.
Whether it’s unique ways to decorate your wedding venue, new elements in the ceremony, or creative aisle runners and centerpieces, your day needs to be all about the two of you and your unique relationship. Talk with your contact at Nanina’s in the Park and communicate with vendors to get fresh ideas for customizing wedding traditions.
