Those who have never planned a wedding ceremony may think it’s easy, but nothing can be further from the truth. Because there are many different types of personalities, religions, and family traditions involved, planning a wedding ceremony can be a very stressful and intensive endeavor. Every wedding couple is different and each couple will have ideas about what they want in their wedding ceremony.

Most wedding ceremonies are takeoffs from what is generally considered a “traditional” service, which includes but is not limited to:

Statement of purpose (wedding a couple)
An opening prayer or statement
Charge to the couple
Declaration of consent
Presentation of the bride
Exchanging vows
Exchanging rings
Wedding pronouncement
Wedding prayers and blessings
Presentation of married couple to congregation

In most cases, nearly every other type of wedding ceremony in English speaking countries follows this type of format. Couples often opt to rearrange or alter these basics to include romantic readings such as poems or lyrics of favorite songs of the bride and groom to spiritual readings included within the body of the traditional service. Music is often a large part of the wedding ceremony and can include traditional bridal march music or favorite pieces of music of the bride and groom to match with the theme and style of the wedding.

Today, the traditional exchange of vows by the couple are producing more wedding ceremonies in which the couple has a major say in the vows that will be exchanged, and stray away from the more traditional “obedience” vows of the past. Wedding vows and statements are often discussed at length by the bride and groom and can be long or short, solemn, serious or amusing, depending upon wishes, personalities, and beliefs of the couple.

The type of ceremony is also determined by the needs, desires, and background and beliefs of the couple involved. Here are just a few types of wedding ceremonies practiced in the English-speaking world:

Anglican ceremony –traditional ceremony format
Civil ceremony -a small, non-religious ceremony often presided over by a judge
Commitment ceremonies - these are often used in place of a wedding and are also called union ceremonies
Religious ceremonies - these may include those belonging to different ethnic groups, and beliefs
Renewal of vows - renewing wedding vows

In the early years of the 21st century, more couples are opting for casual weddings than ever before, not only in the manner of dress, but in structure. Civil ceremonies are becoming increasingly popular, and even those who opt for religious and traditional ceremonies are including modern and up-to-date aspects such as decoration, dress, and creation of their own statements and vows.

The best way to determine which type of wedding ceremony might be best for you is to take a look at the different types of wedding ceremonies, or sample wedding ceremonies of family members, friends, or acquaintances to determine your own needs and desires. Every wedding ceremony can be customized and individualized to meet the needs of the bride and groom, so the sky’s the limit.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 8:45 pm and is filed under Ceremony. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.