Getting married in 2017? Procrastinating on the ceremony because you don’t know where to start? Unsure about hiring an officiant or minister? (You might find this recent blog helpful.)
Your wedding officiant will be your most reliable resource for how to start the process of constructing your ceremony. In fact, your officiant should build it for you – with plenty of input from you. The more input you provide, the better work your officiant can produce. You’ll want a ceremony that reflects your beliefs and wishes. As a Taos and Santa Fe wedding minister I love creating that perfect, personalized ceremony. I want to provide a meaningful experience for you and your guests. I have no requirements – religious or otherwise – other than providing you with a ceremony that fits you exactly.
The sky is the limit on what your ceremony may look like. Do you want something conventional or distinctly unique? Something in between? Contact me to discuss ways to personalize a ceremony and make it your own. I’m available as a Santa Fe wedding officiant as well as in many northern New Mexico locations. Taos, Abiquiu, Angel Fire, Red River, Dixon and Embudo all offer romantic, mountain settings with unique New Mexico wedding locations.
Getting Started
Start your ceremony with a processional. It sets the tone for the ceremony. You can do something traditional or look beyond convention. Perhaps your dog may be the ring bearer to set a light-hearted and fun tone for the ceremony. Are you going to include your parents and grandparents formally as part of the processional? If someone is deceased you may want to lay a rose on a chair or front table that has their picture. Nothing beats the charm of having young children as ring bearers and flower girls.
The Vows
Vows are the heart of the ceremony. But you’ll want some “warm up” components before that. Your officiant will welcome your guests and perhaps thank them for the effort they made in traveling to join you for your destination wedding in northern New Mexico. Honoring your parents is a nice touch. A scripture reading or a favorite poem or passage of literature is a good interlude. My readings library is diverse. It is sure to have something just right for every couple. A nice touch for a Taos same sex wedding is to read Anthony Kennedy’s Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage.
You can write your own vows, use something traditional or craft fully personalized vows. Utilize the expertise of your wedding officiant. The ring exchange typically has a blessing of the rings. There are also brief vows that accompany the exchange of rings. There are other options during this core part of your ceremony such as including children, making a statement of love or injecting a touch of humor. It all depends on the tone you’d like to set.
Wrapping Up
Other “ceremonies within the ceremony” include such things as a Wine Ceremony, Sand Ceremony or Tying the Fisherman’s Knot. I’ve created one called Sharing of Strength which is a great way to pull in some Native American influence. The Wine Box is quickly becoming popular. It establishes a yearly tradition, on your anniversary, of reading a letter from the previous year and then replacing it with a new letter. It’s a nice way to document your marriage and create a sort of diary. Whether or not you are of the Jewish faith or have Jewish heritage, Breaking of the Glass is a fun and rousing way to conclude your ceremony.
Other standard parts of the conclusion include some sort of a blessing on the marriage. That is followed by the pronouncement of you as married. Then there’s the kiss and finally, the introduction as a couple. Your recessional will typically mirror your processional.
I hope this has gotten you excited to start working on your ceremony. Get in touch with me today at Dan@EmbracingCeremony.com or 720-849-5967 so we can start our collaboration!
Want more information on this topic? Email Dan at Dan@EmbracingCeremony.com