3 Tips To Create A Meaningful Ceremony

Wedding ceremonies are an opportunity to create a joyful space that grounds you, fosters connection among your loved ones, and sets the tone for your love party. The most powerful wedding ceremonies are personal, engaging, and emotive. When wedding ceremonies reflect your personalities, values, and relationship, it becomes a core memory you’ll lovingly look back on for years to come. 

Photo by Megan and Kenneth

To our chagrin, the wedding ceremony doesn’t often get the full consideration we believe it deserves. Due to the countless overly traditional and boring or somber ones we may have witnessed in person and in the media, we’re likely to overlook this essential part of the wedding. It’s a mistake far too many couples continue to make, which is why we strongly encourage you to invest in a modern wedding officiant you vibe with and trust. In doing so, you are ensuring that your wedding is an authentic reflection of your love from beginning to end. 

Whether a friend or family member officiates or you’d like us to be your storytellers, these three tips will help create a meaningful wedding ceremony.

Photo by Khaki Bedford Photography

Focus on Your Love Story

Doing so will not only be a nostalgic experience for you on your wedding day, but it will offer insight for loved ones who may not know your origin story. Oftentimes, people just mention those early beginnings, but we encourage you to also think about the pivotal moments that deepened your relationship. Whether that’s a trip you took that solidified your partnership, a career change you supported, a new pet or child(ren) that brought you closer together, or a health scare  are just some examples of the “for better or worse” experiences that will make your wedding ceremony a genuine celebration of your partnership and journey.

In reminiscing on your shared life, you may notice values and themes in your relationship that can be weaved throughout your ceremony to create a cohesive storytelling experience. Some couples are foodies who love savoring global flavors, others are adventurers who enjoy exploring new countries, some are nature lovers who appreciate the wonders of this world and the importance of sustainability while others are family-oriented and all about contributing to their community. You can include all sorts of analogies that drive home the values and themes that capture who you are.

Photo by Amy Sims Photography

Include Your Loved Ones

Outside of asking one or two of your closest loved ones to share a poem, take part in a ritual, or bring forward your wedding rings, you can include your guests in various high and low-touch ways. 

One fun way to incorporate everyone that is simple yet impactful is something we call Community Vows. Similar to the Declaration of Intent aka the “I Do’s”, your officiant would ask your guests a question to which the callback would be “We Do,” “Always,” or anything in the affirmative.

Your officiant could say something like: “Do you, dearest loved ones, promise to continue to support them in their married lives and to make memories with them along the way?” This is a simple example that can be personalized further to genuinely reflect you. 

Another way to include parents, grandparents, siblings, children, or other special members of your community, is through a ring warming, which would be performed before the ring exchange. This is an opportunity for a chosen few to come forward and silently send their well wishes, infusing your wedding rings with blessings. Visually, this looks like a team huddle with their hands on top of the wedding rings you’re holding within your palms. Your officiant can express your gratitude for them and the wishes you’d like to manifest in your marriage.

Photo by DAG Photography

Personalize Your Vows

While many couples will opt to share their own vows, not everyone is comfortable doing so and may prefer to share vows privately. If you choose to do repeat-after-me vows during your wedding ceremony instead, your wedding officiant can guide you with a set of vows that allow your personalities and values to shine through. 

Another creative option that’s trending among our couples are tandem vows, which are vows you can say together. Oftentimes, this feels like a duet where each partner takes turns exchanging a promise or making a personal statement while saying other vows together, as a team. You may like this option if you consider yourselves introverts and don’t want a solo spotlight moment, pride yourselves as unique individuals, or enjoy the harmonious symbolism of exchanging vows together.

All in all, lean into what makes you so quintessentially you and your ceremony will be the highlight of your wedding day. Ultimately that’s  what we vow to do for you!

Once Upon a Vow offers affordable wedding officiants focused on creating memorable ceremonies that reflect each couple's unique love story. We emphasize personal touches and meaningful elements, collaborating closely with clients to ensure their wedding day is heartfelt and unforgettable.