Tag Archives: Wedding

7 Tips on Writing your own Wedding Vows

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 Check with your Officiant

Before rolling up your sleeves and writing your own wedding vows, you’ll want to check with your wedding officiant to make sure they don’t mind custom wedding vows. If you don’t yet have an officiant, consider asking a friend or family member to get ordained, so they can preside over your ceremony. Some ministers or churches may require that you use the traditional set of vows, however this isn’t always the case.

Get started early

A wedding vow is a promise that is meant to last a lifetime. If you’re writing your own, don’t wait until the last minute. You’ll want time to write and rewrite your vows until they are perfect.  Much of writing is rewriting, and with time you can compose several drafts, each a little better than the last. It helps to set goals, like coming up with a final draft a week before the wedding. This will allow some wiggle room should anything unexpected happen.

Borrow From Tradition

To get ideas flowing, take a look at some traditional wedding vows. You might also want to look at vows from other religions. You can deconstruct traditional vows to get the foundation for your own. Then with your own words you can build up new vows and fashion a script that is to your liking.

Determine the mood for your wedding vows

Will your wedding vows be humorous or serious? Romantic or hopeful? Or a combination? Whatever you decide, make sure it comes from the heart. This will also depend on your spouses’ personality. Keep in mind that if you write humorous vows, make sure they capture the seriousness of the commitment you are entering. Being too silly would undercut the mood during the ceremony.

Technical Aspects

­If you and your spouse are writing custom vows, will you be writing them together or separate? Writing together creates the opportunity to play off each other’s words, but writing separately could be better depending on your relationship dynamic. Also, if writing separately you may want to have a third party look them over before the wedding to ensure they are the same length and similar in tone.

 Consider the Audience

If you write your own vows you get the freedom to write what you want, but don’t take it too far. If your vows or too personal, the audience might not understand, or may even become embarrassed. A wedding is not just about the couple- friends and family come to witness your union, so make sure the audience can feel included as well.

 Practice, practice, practice!

Writing the vows is only half the work; you will want to deliver them eloquently as well! Reciting vows at your wedding is ultimately the same thing as giving a speech in front of all your friends and family. This makes it important to practice out loud, and by doing so you will catch any tongue twisters or sentences that are too long.

7 Tips on Writing your own Wedding Vows

Posted on by

 Check with your Officiant

Before rolling up your sleeves and writing your own wedding vows, you’ll want to check with your wedding officiant to make sure they don’t mind custom wedding vows. If you don’t yet have an officiant, consider asking a friend or family member to get ordained, so they can preside over your ceremony. Some ministers or churches may require that you use the traditional set of vows, however this isn’t always the case.

Get started early

A wedding vow is a promise that is meant to last a lifetime. If you’re writing your own, don’t wait until the last minute. You’ll want time to write and rewrite your vows until they are perfect.  Much of writing is rewriting, and with time you can compose several drafts, each a little better than the last. It helps to set goals, like coming up with a final draft a week before the wedding. This will allow some wiggle room should anything unexpected happen.

Borrow From Tradition

To get ideas flowing, take a look at some traditional wedding vows. You might also want to look at vows from other religions. You can deconstruct traditional vows to get the foundation for your own. Then with your own words you can build up new vows and fashion a script that is to your liking.

Determine the mood for your wedding vows

Will your wedding vows be humorous or serious? Romantic or hopeful? Or a combination? Whatever you decide, make sure it comes from the heart. This will also depend on your spouses’ personality. Keep in mind that if you write humorous vows, make sure they capture the seriousness of the commitment you are entering. Being too silly would undercut the mood during the ceremony.

Technical Aspects

­If you and your spouse are writing custom vows, will you be writing them together or separate? Writing together creates the opportunity to play off each other’s words, but writing separately could be better depending on your relationship dynamic. Also, if writing separately you may want to have a third party look them over before the wedding to ensure they are the same length and similar in tone.

 Consider the Audience

If you write your own vows you get the freedom to write what you want, but don’t take it too far. If your vows or too personal, the audience might not understand, or may even become embarrassed. A wedding is not just about the couple- friends and family come to witness your union, so make sure the audience can feel included as well.

 Practice, practice, practice!

Writing the vows is only half the work; you will want to deliver them eloquently as well! Reciting vows at your wedding is ultimately the same thing as giving a speech in front of all your friends and family. This makes it important to practice out loud, and by doing so you will catch any tongue twisters or sentences that are too long.

Why Become a Wedding Officiant?

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Wedding Officiant

As a wedding officiant, you could work in places like this.

Most people remember their wedding days for the rest of their lives, which makes it important that the wedding officiant is someone of great personal significance. Traditional weddings in the United States have generally been performed by clergy of the church that the bride or groom belong to. However, as society moves away from mainstream religious institutions, more and more couples are looking for someone outside of traditional churches to perform their wedding ceremony.

Alternative partnerships have seen a dramatic increase in recent years due to progressive legalization in many states, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down. A great need exists for those with the desire to get ordained and act as wedding officiants for nontraditional couples as well as those who have decided to follow a personal religious path rather than adhering to strict religious tenets. People of all religions are beginning to realize that respect and understanding of other faiths is an important part of their own spiritual enlightenment.

Many people decide to seek ordination so that they can perform wedding ceremonies for their family and friends, but others are beginning to see it as a viable business venture. Because nontraditional unions are becoming more mainstream every day, the demand for wedding officiants is growing at similar rate. Someone with the proper ordination could easily make a decent income by presiding at marriage ceremonies.

It is important that you keep in mind that you will need to take the necessary steps to make certain that the marriages you perform are legal. For instance, you will need to check the specific state laws where the marriage ceremony will take place in order to ensure that all legal guidelines have been followed. Every state has different laws concerning marriage, and it is important that you fully understand the laws of the state where you plan to perform marriages. In some states, it will be necessary for you to register at the county courthouses in order for the marriages that you officiate at to be legal, while other states have more relaxed criteria.

Developing a niche for yourself in your community will help you to build up a good following among those who need a nontraditional wedding ceremony performed in your community. Word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising, so if you build up a good following, you can probably stay busy with wedding ceremonies during the majority of the year. This will allow you to have a fulfilling career and provide a needed service in your community.

Why Become a Wedding Officiant?

Posted on by

Wedding Officiant

As a wedding officiant, you could work in places like this.

Most people remember their wedding days for the rest of their lives, which makes it important that the wedding officiant is someone of great personal significance. Traditional weddings in the United States have generally been performed by clergy of the church that the bride or groom belong to. However, as society moves away from mainstream religious institutions, more and more couples are looking for someone outside of traditional churches to perform their wedding ceremony.

Alternative partnerships have seen a dramatic increase in recent years due to progressive legalization in many states, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down. A great need exists for those with the desire to get ordained and act as wedding officiants for nontraditional couples as well as those who have decided to follow a personal religious path rather than adhering to strict religious tenets. People of all religions are beginning to realize that respect and understanding of other faiths is an important part of their own spiritual enlightenment.

Many people decide to seek ordination so that they can perform wedding ceremonies for their family and friends, but others are beginning to see it as a viable business venture. Because nontraditional unions are becoming more mainstream every day, the demand for wedding officiants is growing at similar rate. Someone with the proper ordination could easily make a decent income by presiding at marriage ceremonies.

It is important that you keep in mind that you will need to take the necessary steps to make certain that the marriages you perform are legal. For instance, you will need to check the specific state laws where the marriage ceremony will take place in order to ensure that all legal guidelines have been followed. Every state has different laws concerning marriage, and it is important that you fully understand the laws of the state where you plan to perform marriages. In some states, it will be necessary for you to register at the county courthouses in order for the marriages that you officiate at to be legal, while other states have more relaxed criteria.

Developing a niche for yourself in your community will help you to build up a good following among those who need a nontraditional wedding ceremony performed in your community. Word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising, so if you build up a good following, you can probably stay busy with wedding ceremonies during the majority of the year. This will allow you to have a fulfilling career and provide a needed service in your community.

Wedding Guestbook Alternatives

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Guestbook alternatives inspirationIt is customary to have a guestbook out at the wedding ceremony to record all the guests in attendance.  The guests are asked to sign their names and write a small sentiment for the bride and groom to keep and read later. In the traditional format, the book can be put on a shelf by the couple and forgotten about over the years, only being brought out on a rare occasion. In an effort to make sure that the newlyweds can enjoy all the kind thoughts and words of their loved ones, more and more couples are choosing variations of the classic guestbook signing.  This also encourages guest who might feel like they can’t think of just the right thing to say to participate by providing them an alternative. The following is a list of inspirational ideas for a non-traditional wedding guestbook:

Fingerprint: Provide Ink pads in the colors of your wedding and have your guests add their fingerprint and signature to an illustration of your choice. We have seen variations where the fingerprints are leaves in a tree, birds on a wire, wings on butterflies, petals on flowers, or a cluster of balloons.

Framed Photo: Have a picture of the happy couple framed with a large mat that will give room for all of the guests to sign and write a little sentiment. A black and white photo framed with a white mat and black ink signatures looks good with most any décor.

Puzzle Pieces: Your guest can sign individual puzzle pieces for the couple to put together. The puzzle can be sealed together and framed for display if the bride and groom prefer.

Jenga Blocks: Along the same lines as puzzle pieces, the Jenga blocks are fun to bring out again and again on game night. Adults and children will enjoy them, they are very durable, and they pack away nicely!

Bottles of Wine:  Have wine bottles out marked for 1st, 5th, 10th, 25th,50th, etc. representing the couples anniversaries in the future. Guests can use a paint pen to sign the bottles to be viewed and enjoyed on these future occasions.

Quilt Swatches: Provide fabric piece to you guests for signing. When they are patched together they can be used as a keepsake quilt and displayed on a couch or bed for enjoyment year-round.

Instruments: If the couple is musical, it might be appropriate to have guests sign a guitar or other musical instrument. It will look great displayed in the house and be appreciated every time they pull it out to play.

Please stay tuned for additional inspirational ideas for wedding guestbook alternatives!

Wedding Guestbook Alternatives

Posted on by

Guestbook alternatives inspirationIt is customary to have a guestbook out at the wedding ceremony to record all the guests in attendance.  The guests are asked to sign their names and write a small sentiment for the bride and groom to keep and read later. In the traditional format, the book can be put on a shelf by the couple and forgotten about over the years, only being brought out on a rare occasion. In an effort to make sure that the newlyweds can enjoy all the kind thoughts and words of their loved ones, more and more couples are choosing variations of the classic guestbook signing.  This also encourages guest who might feel like they can’t think of just the right thing to say to participate by providing them an alternative. The following is a list of inspirational ideas for a non-traditional wedding guestbook:

Fingerprint: Provide Ink pads in the colors of your wedding and have your guests add their fingerprint and signature to an illustration of your choice. We have seen variations where the fingerprints are leaves in a tree, birds on a wire, wings on butterflies, petals on flowers, or a cluster of balloons.

Framed Photo: Have a picture of the happy couple framed with a large mat that will give room for all of the guests to sign and write a little sentiment. A black and white photo framed with a white mat and black ink signatures looks good with most any décor.

Puzzle Pieces: Your guest can sign individual puzzle pieces for the couple to put together. The puzzle can be sealed together and framed for display if the bride and groom prefer.

Jenga Blocks: Along the same lines as puzzle pieces, the Jenga blocks are fun to bring out again and again on game night. Adults and children will enjoy them, they are very durable, and they pack away nicely!

Bottles of Wine:  Have wine bottles out marked for 1st, 5th, 10th, 25th,50th, etc. representing the couples anniversaries in the future. Guests can use a paint pen to sign the bottles to be viewed and enjoyed on these future occasions.

Quilt Swatches: Provide fabric piece to you guests for signing. When they are patched together they can be used as a keepsake quilt and displayed on a couch or bed for enjoyment year-round.

Instruments: If the couple is musical, it might be appropriate to have guests sign a guitar or other musical instrument. It will look great displayed in the house and be appreciated every time they pull it out to play.

Please stay tuned for additional inspirational ideas for wedding guestbook alternatives!