Wedding Ceremony Ideas

Your wedding ceremony ideas will help to make your ceremony uniquely yours.

Readings, poems, symbolic candle lighting, and music choices help to personalize your ceremony.

The Ceremony

The wedding ceremony is the real reason for all of the planning for this big day!

The exchange of your vows is both a promise and declaration of your love and will be witnessed by those who are important in your life.

So, naturally, you want this exchange to be meaningful and personal.

There are many different types of wedding ceremonies. But first you need to decide if you want a religious or a civil ceremony. Everything else about your ceremony will be built around this decision.

Religious Wedding Ceremony

Picture of bride and groom walking down church aisle.

A religious wedding ceremony keeps society’s accepted customs and etiquette. It is affected by religious, cultural, and regional influences.

A religious ceremony may or may not take place in a house of worship.

There are many types of religious ceremonies. Some of the most common are:

Roman Catholic
Eastern Orthodox
Protestant
Jewish

Civil Wedding Ceremony

Bride and groom marrying in park by judge

A civil ceremony can be performed by a judge, mayor, or other authorized official of a state. It can take place at the court house, home, garden, park, or hotel.

There are very few rules or regulations that effect the civil ceremony. Still, it is a good idea to check with the marriage bureau in your particular state.

If you don't have any strong religious ties or preferences, then a civil ceremony may work for you.

The civil ceremony is often used for second marriages and many theme and nontraditional weddings are performed as civil ceremonies.

Information on nontraditional or unique wedding ceremony ideas.

WEDDING CEREMONY IDEAS

When planning your ceremony, there are many decisions to be made - from selecting the location, how many guests to invite, to deciding what will be said when and by whom.

There are four basic styles of the wedding ceremony:

Very Formal

Picture of bride, groom and wedding party at alter during formal wedding

This type of wedding ceremony is usually held in a church, temple or luxury hotel. It has 200 or more guests and is usually held late afternoon or in the evening.
There are between four and twelve bridesmaids, a maid/matron of honor, best man, flower girl, ring bearer and one usher for every 50 guests.
The bride wears a long wedding gown with full veil and carries an elaborate bouquet. The bridesmaids’ dresses should complement the bride’s gown in style, length, and color. The bride’s and groom’s mothers wear long dresses.
The groom and the other men in the wedding party wear formal attire. If the wedding is to be a military ceremony, the men will wear full dress uniform.
Engraved or printed invitations with separate reception invitations are mailed to the guests.

More information on wedding invitations.

Formal

A formal wedding ceremony includes at least 100 guests and may be held in a religious setting, hotel, private club, or home and can be held at any time of the day.
The bride wears a formal gown with a veil and carries a simpler bouquet. There are between two and eight bridesmaids. They dress to complement the bride's style. The mothers’ of the bride and groom wear long or cocktail length dresses.
The groom and the other men in the wedding wear formal attire.
Engraved or printed invitations are mailed. Reception cards may be included.
The formal wedding can be more personalized than a very formal wedding.

Semi-Formal

A semi-formal wedding ceremony is usually held in the same location as the reception and may be held any time of the day. There are usually fewer than 100 guests.
The bride usually wears a simple floor length gown without a train and a short veil, hat, or flowers in her hair. Her bouquet is simple. The bridesmaid and the couple's mothers wear street length or cocktail length dresses.
The groom and men wear dark suits or contemporary formal wear.
Single engraved or printed invitations to both the ceremony and reception are sent.

Informal Wedding

An informal wedding is usually a daytime ceremony and can take place in a chapel, home, or outdoors. There are usually fewer than 50 guests.
The wedding party is the bride, groom, maid of honor, and the best man. Street length dresses are appropriate for the bride, maid of honor, and the mothers.
Business suits are acceptable for the groom, best man, and the couple's fathers.
Handwritten or personal invitations to ceremony and reception are sent. There is usually not a processional or recessional. However, the bride can be escorted by her father or the groom.

MILITARY WEDDINGS

A military wedding emphasizes honor and tradition and only active or retired members of the military are allowed to marry in a military ceremony.

The military wedding can be a civil or religious ceremony.

Information on military weddings

THE DOUBLE CEREMONY

If you don't mind sharing your special occasion with a sibling, best friend or even a parent who is remarrying, this can be an economical and stress free way to go.

Brides who have chosen to get married in a double ceremony insist that it is twice the fun.

However, since there are two couples involved, you will have more people to invite. Plus, it is hard enough for two people to agree on the details of a wedding.

CULTURAL WEDDING CEREMONY IDEAS

Picture of Chinese bride in white wedding gown with long train.

Today, many couples are choosing to honor their heritage in their wedding ceremony.

Some examples are:

African-American Wedding Ceremony Ideas

An African-American ceremony may include the jumping over the broom, a tradition that dates back to the days of slavery. Some brides choose to wear their hair braided or wear an African-inspired headpiece.

Mexican-American Wedding Ceremony Ideas

The majority of Mexican-American weddings are Catholic, but some incorporate some of the native traditions from Mexico. Some of the wedding ceremonies have sponsors, who act as witnesses.

Get more information on Mexican-American wedding ceremonies.

Chinese-American Wedding Ceremony Ideas

Many Chinese-Americans include the traditional Wedding Tea Ceremony, which symbolizes their formal vows to each other.

Get more information on Chinese-American wedding ceremonies.

Irish-American Wedding Ceremony Ideas

You may wish to incorporate parts of the traditional Irish masses into your religious ceremony. For example, the Celtic Mass and/or the St. Patrick's Mass. Each mass includes traditional Irish melodies and sounds that will give special meaning to your ceremony.

Some couples choose to incorporate live bagpipers dressed in Irish kilts into their Irish themed wedding ceremony.

Get more information on Irish-American wedding ideas.

Italian-American Wedding Ceremony Ideas

Many couples of Italian descent would like to honor their heritage by incorporating some Italian wedding customs into their wedding day. A couple of examples are:

As the bride and groom make their way to the church, they offer sweet cakes and breads to those they meet to share the "sweetness" of the day.
Relatives place a huge ribbon on the church entrance as a symbol of the spiritual tie that binds the couple.

Get more information on Italian-American wedding ideas.