Read this first before you begin planning your wedding ceremony.
The most important part of your special day is your wedding ceremony. It is the whole reason you’re planning a wedding in the first place, right? It’s the moment you officially become a married couple and it sets the tone for the rest of the evening. So, before we deep dive into Ceremonies 101, we first want to start by saying this: your ceremony will be unique because your relationship is unique. Your love story is unlike any other. Take this time to customize your nuptials to best fit you as a couple!
Let’s discuss a basic order of events for your wedding ceremony to stary you off. From here you can personalize what elements you want to keep, change, or take away.
The Prelude
The Processional
The Welcome Speech
Remarks on marriage or the couple’s love story
The Vow Exchange
The Ring Exchange
Unity Ceremony (if you choose to have one)
The First Kiss
The Recessional
If some of these events sound a little unfamiliar to you, that’s ok! We are here to help define the elements of your ceremony for you.
The Prelude – This represents the background music that is being played while your guests begin taking their seats at the ceremony.
The Processional – The specific people, chosen by you, who will walk down the aisle in a certain order to mark the start of your ceremony.
The Welcome speech – Generally the officiant will announce the reason why your guests are all gathered on this special day.
Remarks on marriage or the couple’s love story – For those who want to add in a prayer or reading, this is the perfect time. Prior to your wedding day, you should take some time for your officiant to get to know you. They will be the ones responsible for guiding you through your nuptials. Check out our preferred officiants: Pastor Wes Morris, Pastor Bobby Triplett, Sensational Ceremonies and SoulTouch Celebrations.
The Vow exchange – You can choose to write your own promises to one another or allow your officiant to write them for you to repeat.
The Ring exchange – We all know this part! Beforehand, decide who will be the best, and most responsible, person to hold the wedding rings during the ceremony.
The Unity Ceremony – If you are looking for a unique way to personalize your celebration, this is it! Some of our favorite ideas include a tree planting ceremony, a wine box unity, and a unity puzzle.
The First Kiss – We probably don’t need to explain this one, but here is a pro tip: practice the first kiss to avoid awkward hand placement and poses!
Recessional – When the couple and the wedding party exit back down the aisle at the end of the ceremony.
Let’s dive a little deeper into the processional and recessional, shall we?
Order of Processional:
Grandparents of Marrier 1
Grandparents of Marrier 2
Parents of Marrier 1
Parents of Marrier 2
Officiant (if they are not already at the alter)
Marrier 1
Wedding Party
Flower Girls and/or Ring Bearers (or dog of honor!)
Marrier 2 with the person who will walk them down the aisle
Order of Recessional:
Married Couple (yay!)
Wedding Party
Pro Tip: Leave the parents and grandparents in their seats. Once the guests begin heading to cocktail hour, assign your parents the task of making sure the essential family members stay for photos. Sometimes your wedding coordinator may not know who Uncle Bob looks like and the hunt for him at the bar may push back your allotted photo time.
Time for the music. You can use this opportunity to be really creative and pick songs that speak to your relationship. Check out Grant Hemond & Associates for a list of their favorite song selections for your prelude, processional and recessional.
For wedding ceremony inspiration, check out our Pinterest page! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok for more real wedding inspiration and planning tips. Ready to book your personal tour at our all-inclusive wedding venue? Call us today at 813.651.0934 or email our Wedding Specialist at info@crosscreekranchfl.com.