It used to be that anything but a traditional service with the “Do you take this woman?” vow sequence officiated by anything but a minister and happening anyplace but a church was a radical proposition.  The one option open was the stereotypical “civil ceremony” down at city hall.  Romantic, right?  This made it very tough for people who were not religious to be satisfied with their wedding day.  Just because you’re not a church-goer, doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t want a little pomp and circumstance, right?

Well, luckily, those days are well over.  Nowadays, weddings can and do look like whatever the bride and groom envision and create them to be.  The sky is the limit.  However, sometimes it’s hard to step outside of the “traditional” wedding mind frame if that’s what you’ve been raised with.  So, if you are looking for a non-traditional or non-religious ceremony but are stumped for ideas, here are a few to get you started.

Location – The first thing to consider is the location.  If you’re going for a non-religious service, you clearly don’t want a church.  Weddings can be anywhere – parks, your home, the beach, a hotel, a restaurant.  Sometimes cool architectural spaces like museums will rent out the space.  If you have a space in mind and don’t know if they do weddings, ask them!  Even if they normally don’t, they might be thrilled to help you out, if only for the public relations benefits.

Vows – If you are merely trying to steer clear of religious connotations and not traditionalism, it could be enough for you to edit the traditional vows to omit any reference to religion.  However, if you are looking to go in a whole new direction, you might want to write your own vows.  This can be so beautiful and meaningful.

Ceremonies – Rather than something religious like being served communion, you can replace it with ceremonies like the Unity Candle or Sand Ceremony.  Also, instead of a benediction at the end of the ceremony as a whole, you can have the officiant lead a community pledge to support the couple and the marriage.

Officiant – There are many options for officiants aside from calling around to churches and looking for a minister.  One good place to start is to ask your wedding planner, if you have one, for a list of vendors, and if he or she knows of non-religious officiants specifically.  Also, don’t forget to ask your venue and your other vendors – the wedding industry is a “small town” at heart, and these folks all know each other.  Chances are they could steer you in the right direction.  Lastly, basically anyone can become ordained online.  If you have someone in mind that you would like to perform the ceremony but they are not licensed, this is something to look into.

These are a few ideas to create a ceremony that has no religious connotation.  After all, the wedding ceremony should reflect you as a couple, so if you’re not religious, why should the ceremony be?  It should be all about you and your fiance.  Remember, as far as ideas go – the sky’s the limit!