When you decide that you want a unique and personal wedding ceremony the chances are that you will think about getting a celebrant. Hurrah! Excellent choice! Yet did you know that ceremonies can, and do incorporate many beautiful traditions associated with weddings? Here are five myth busting facts about traditional and exceptionally beautiful elements of your wedding, that you can definitely maintain during your ceremony, without compromising on your values or your vibe (or both!).
Myth busting no 1: Location
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It is perfectly normal to have visualised the type of venue for your wedding of which you have always dreamt. Often these venues, such as glorious country manor houses or hotels have a wedding license to enable a registrar to marry you officially in law on their premises.
Just because you choose one of these traditional wedding locations, for their beauty, fabulous team of suppliers or because you always wanted to get married there, it does not mean that you have to have a registrar to conduct your wedding ceremony on the day.
You can still maintain the beautiful reality of getting married in a traditional wedding venue and have a celebrant conduct the ceremony. Even if the supplier team at the venue may not realise this, you are hiring the space and it is up to you as an engaged couple to choose who officiates and writes your wedding ceremony.
Myth: Celebrants only work at festivals and outside venues
Myth buster fact: Celebrants do not just do weddings in alternative locations They love traditional wedding venues as much as you do.
Myth busting no 2: Structure
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The beautiful traditions associated with wedding ceremonies often start with the structured ceremonial set up. Your family and friends sat on beautiful chairs watching and absorbing your vows, entrance music, bridesmaids, and groomsmen. Beautiful readings and gorgeous flowers at every visible point!
As with all traditions, especially within wedding ceremonies they exist for a reason. Because they work. So, if you want to walk into a space full of love, shimmy down an aisle to your beloved, followed by bridesmaids and groomsmen, why ever not?
You can absolutely do that during your wedding ceremony secure in the knowledge that your guests are comfortable, they know what to expect and when.
Structure yes. Boring ceremony no. With a celebrant you can and should structure your wedding ceremony exactly how you want it, even if it is traditionally in rows with an aisle. The real poignancy and uniqueness comes from the words that will be spoken, not worrying about reinventing the wheel (or the wedding space!)
Myth: You cannot walk down an aisle or have seated guests
Myth buster fact: Celebrants do not make you stand up in stone circles or sit in a circle on cushions (unless you want that) They love watching your faces and your families face light up with joy, as you walk in traditionally either together or one by one. They also love you sitting down comfortably to embrace your wedding ceremony.
Myth busting no 3: Celebrants only do rituals not spoken vows
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You may very well want to incorporate some of the cultural traditions associated with weddings that either yourselves or your family and friends are more familiar with, such as exchanging rings or repeating heartfelt vows.
At the heart of your wedding ceremony is the love and commitment when you exchange your wedding vows. This is a wedding tradition which goes back decades and is found in almost every culture.
Often couples believe that is they write their own vows for their celebrant wedding ceremony; this means they somehow ‘shouldn’t’ then have vows spoken which they can repeat after the celebrant. Equally it is a myth that if you have a celebrant ceremony you cannot say the beautiful traditional vows after each other at the heart of the ceremony. Vows are beautiful words of love and traditionally used in wedding ceremonies. With a celebrant your vows can be as personal or traditional as you want them to be.
Myth: You can only write and say your own vows at a celebrant wedding
Myth buster facts: Celebrants write the most beautiful vows, personal, modern, and traditional for you to exchange at the heart of your wedding ceremony.
Myth busting no 4: Rings
This is the most common misconception couples have when discussing their wedding ceremony with a celebrant. The beautiful, timeless tradition of exchanging wedding rings goes back to the dawn of time and is an important, symbolic, emotional, and traditional part of your wedding ceremony.
When you complete your legal obligations in law to marry you do not have to exchange rings. Fact. The exchange of rings is purely symbolic and emotive.
The tradition of ring exchanges, often coupled with a blessing of the rings by your guests is a beautiful, wonderous tradition which you should incorporate into your celebrant wedding ceremony.
Myth: Your wedding rings are not part of your wedding ceremony with a celebrant.
Myth buster Fact: Celebrant weddings are the perfect setting to experience the traditional symbolism of a wedding ring exchange
Myth busting no 5: Announcements
An essential part of many couples wedding ceremony is the congratulatory words spoken to mark the beginning, end and often middle of the wedding ceremony.
Traditionally one of the wedding couple is accompanied, to the other, by a member of their family or close friend at the beginning of the wedding ceremony. This symbolically marks the beginning of married life and is frequently accompanied by words of love and support.
Equally traditionally, when the ceremony ends, there is a call to the guests to congratulate the newly married couple with announcements and proclamations of their new status.
These traditions are heart-warming, affirmative and frequently of deep emotional significance to many couples. A celebrant will talk to you about whether or not you would like to include them and if you do, will happily incorporate them into your wedding ceremony. They will suggest using the terminology and language to reflect your values; however, they will happily and easily make the tradition of ceremonial announcements within a wedding a beautiful and meaningful part of your day.
Myth: Celebrants will not be able to announce you as a married couple
Myth busting fact 5: Celebrants will announce (not pronounce!) you as a married couple. They will call for cheers, hugs, and kisses.
As you decide what type of wedding ceremony you would prefer as a couple, it is valuable to realise that you can combine a personal, modern ceremony with familiar traditional elements.
And this author definitely embraces the wedding traditions with a modern twist. Love after all is not a myth. The final myth buster fact is that you can keep whatever traditions you want with a celebrant wedding ceremony, and it will always be unique, personal and yours alone.
I’d love to talk to you about choosing your wedding traditions. You can contact me here:
https://www.juliettebytheseacelebrant.co.uk/contact/
