The countdown is on – time to get your wedding ceremony written!
How do you know your wedding ceremony was a success and pulled at all the heart strings? You’ll have laughed, cried and probably overhear your guests reminiscing “That was so sweet and so them!”.
Fine-tuning your ceremony to achieve the perfect balance between personal, emotional and fun is my area of expertise. It can however become quite tricky when couples want a personalised wedding that’s all about them, celebrates their story and their interests; but they give me hardly anything to work with.
Remember, if you put in the leg work and give me plenty of material from the start, you’ll help me to really pull out the gold in your love story for your big day!
Here are my top tips to a super-personalised and beautiful wedding ceremony:
Spend time on the Q&A
Sometime soon after we meet and you’ve pressed ‘go’ on your wedding, I’ll be sending you a detailed questionnaire. This is one of the most important stages in getting to know you. A really great way to tackle this, is by answering the questions separately. This way I’ll be able to draw out things like common stories and different views to surprise you with.
Consider what is important to you
Your wedding should be all about you, that’s why it’s important to get the facts right and make it as personal as possible from the start. Don’t underestimate the power of simple stories and anecdotes. They often make for the greatest wedding scripts! Think about any special promises you’d really like to make? Personal jokes or anecdotes you want to share? Are there things you tease each other about often? Really, no detail is too much.
Think outside the box
Readings are an important and beautiful part of your ceremony. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that they necessarily have to be religious or traditional (unless you want them to be!). Readings can be really fun and modern and could include personal poems, song lyrics, a paragraph from your favourite childhood book, or any other form of prepared message from someone really close to you both.
Let it all pour out
You don’t have to worry about crafting well-rounded responses to my questions. Leave the word smith stuff to me and focus on the fact that the more material you give me, the better the ceremony will turn out. Basically, think about what is important to you and let it all pour out onto paper… I will sort through it later and pull out the gold for you.
Make a personal vow
Writing your own vows can be daunting and opting for pre-written versions can seem like the easy way out. Afterall, there’s so much floating around the web… and some stuff is really great! But believe me when I say that there’s nothing more genuine and beautiful than words that come straight from the heart. It doesn’t have to be long… it just has to be you!
Create an information hub
Wedding ceremony planning can get confusing. There’s so much to remember and nothing’s worse than getting to the end of your big day and realising that you forgot an important fact, attribute or promise you wanted to make. Consider creating an information hub such as a website or Facebook page where you jot down facts about your life, save pictures, bios of the bridal party, funny stories, anecdotes and more.
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I have a huge heart for creating ceremonies that are all about you. By providing me with detailed and personal information, I will be able talk about your personal love story in a genuine and fun way, as well as create connections with your family and friends right from the beginning. Getting to know you, will also help us feel comfortable with each other and assist me in helping you feel relaxed on your wedding day. Get in touch today and let’s start planning your personal love story ceremony!
Jo xx