Your wedding ceremony – the 30 minutes that change your life
What does your wedding ceremony mean to you?
How do you view your wedding ceremony? For some, it is just a bit of paperwork to quickly get out of the way so you can get on with the party; for others it’s the moment you get to stand in front of your friends and family and tell your partner what they mean to you, make promises about the life you want to share together, and commit to being there for each other forever.
Now, as much I LOVE all the beautiful details that go into a wedding day, from the pretty stationery and fabulous flowers to the delectable food and rocking band, I really hope you fall into the later camp because for me that’s what a wedding day is all about – a deeply emotional moment, a public declaration of your love for each other, the start of a journey into married life and many more perfectly imperfect days together!
Different aspects of the ceremony may hold more meaning to you than others. Maybe it’s the act of committing in front of your nearest and dearest, the solemn moment of exchanging rings, or the opportunity to make your vows to each other.
All I ask is that you take time out during wedding planning to really consider what the ceremony means to you and how you can make it meaningful to you both. It could be as simple as selecting the music or readings and choosing the right person to give them. Do you have a favourite poem, song lyrics or movie passage that a close friend could read? Perhaps a relative wants to write something for you both? Or maybe the song that was playing on your first date or your first slow dance? Maybe you’d like to include a symbolic act that will visually express your unity, like a hand fasting or sand ceremony. Perhaps it’s the actual words you speak, the promises and vows you make…
If you want to have more say in these, you may want to consider going down the independent celebrant route, something that will allow you to personalise every word of your ceremony so that it will truly tell your story, share your hopes and reinforce your dreams for the future.
What is a celebrant?
A celebrant is the person that conducts your wedding ceremony. If you want it to have legal value, he/she would have to be a religious or government official. However if you are happy for the legal part to be done with a quick visit to the registry office at a different time, you can go for a bespoke (albeit non-legally binding) ceremony with an independent celebrant at a location of your choice.
We are not limited by the law to perform ceremonies in venues with a roof. We give you the freedom to have the wedding you want at the location that makes you happy – be it under the stars or in your family home.
We will work with you to create a ceremony that reflects your personal beliefs and what truly matters to you. This means you aren’t tied to the same script used by hundreds before you, and more importantly it means that we can make the ceremony a deeply personal and joyous celebration of your love.
As you can see the ceremony is a big deal for me and one of the reasons I love planning weddings is that I get to help couples create wedding days that celebrate their love for each other.
I’ve recently launched a new business as a wedding celebrant in parallel to my wedding planning business: Andri Benson Ceremonies – here’s where you can take a peek at my website. Realising I could have a more significant role in the ceremony may have been a lightbulb moment for me, but everyone that knows me well was not surprised when I decided to become a celebrant!
Whatever kind of wedding day you are having, be it an intimate celebration at a quirky restaurant or a festival style wedding in a field, remember the importance of the ceremony itself: that moment when become a married couple should be one that you’ve taken the time to make truly meaningful to you.
Photography by Anneli Marinovich
