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Archive for the ‘Ceremony’ Category

Location, location, location – the word that will be constantly on your mind in the early stages of planning a wedding. Venue choice is probably the most important decision you’ll make about your wedding day – apart from deciding to tie the knot in the first place. These days, the possibilities are endless. The Marriage Act of 1994 changed the face of wedding locations, allowing ceremonies to be performed in buildings other than churches and registry offices.

Since then, almost every stately home, hotel or any place that has the commodities for a wedding can become ‘approved premises’ with a licence to marry. Civil ceremonies now make up 68% of marriages, only 32% of couples getting hitched in a traditional church. So, you could walk around a city and eye up the appealing buildings or stop to enquire at a beautiful country manor house – nearly everywhere is a potential spot for the big day.

So, how can you begin to narrow down this seemingly endless list of options? Well, knowing what kind of wedding you want is the place to start: small or large, expensive or budget, traditional or whacky – all of these concepts will affect the location. With this in mind, here are the five basic categories that wedding venues appear under. Choosing one of these will rule out at least four-fifths of the possibilities!

Traditional

There are still 32% out there taking the traditional route down the aisle. With many beautiful churches in the UK – grand and quaint, rural and urban – there will be one to suit whatever budget you’ve worked out. Maybe this is the way you’ve always imagined the wedding, ever since you started dating. There is something comforting in the familiarity of this setting – a building where you’ll know the same ceremony has been performed many times over the centuries. The only drawback is you will then need to choose another location for the reception!

Historical

Although churches could also be classed as historical, there is something intrinsically romantic about an old castle or tumbled-down mansion. Usually in the middle of the countryside with extensive grounds, these places will add an extra interest for your guests, with secret corners and gardens to explore. The architecture will also be fascinating – in the only way century-old buildings can be.

Personal Locations

It’s always worth considering locations that mean something special to you as a couple. People find love in shopping centres, parks and all sorts of everyday places. But if you can think of somewhere that is significant to your relationship, why not see if they can host your wedding? It will make a great story during the speeches.

Exotic

Ever popular is the far-away holiday wedding. This is a rather expensive option, and you might be a bit scarce on guests because the travel is such an expense. But the south of France or the Mediterranean can actually be extremely cheap to fly to from the UK and there are many absolutely gorgeous locations there. Saying your vows on warm sand while the sun sets over a calm ocean is a pretty unforgettable image.

Unusual

If none of the above locations are wacky enough for you, there are plenty of completely bizarre places to get hitched. In mid-air, under water – if you’re going for a truly unique celebration, it’s amazing what possibilities you can find. It will certainly be a memorable day this way – for you and everyone else.

Whether in an ancient village church or a Hawaiian beach hut, make sure you choose the right place that suits you both!

Many modern couples are choosing to do a sand ceremony at their wedding rather than lighting a traditional unity candle.  The sand ceremony creates a lasting keepsake that the couple can display in their home for years to come.   Like the traditional unity candle ceremony, the sand ceremony symbolizes the union of two becoming one.  During the actual pouring of the sand, the wedding officiant or pastor will have a customized reading that explains the symbolism and directs the bride/groom and others participating in the ceremony when and where to pour their sand.

Wedding Favors Unlimited sells the popular heart-shaped sand ceremony kit (shown in the photo) that can be engraved with the couples monogram and wedding date to make it extra special.

How It Works:

Below you can see a diagram representing the steps in a sand ceremony.  In this example, the vases are pre-filled (before the wedding ceremony) with 3 colors of sand.  Blue for the Bride, Green for the Groom, and regular white sand for the “symbol” vase.  Depending on the wedding participants and circumstances, some couples choose to fill the third vase with sand for the officiant or their children to pour during the sand ceremony. 

1) Before the wedding ceremony or at the beginning of the actual sand ceremony have the officiant, children or other designated person pour the sand from the third vase into the central vase.

2) Have the groom pour a portion (or all) of his green sand in the central vase.  We suggest having him pour 1/3 of his blue sand in the central vase.

3) Have the bride pour a portion (or all) of her blue sand into the central vase.

4) Repeat the process if you are layering the sand, having the groom pour some of his and then the bride pour some of hers.  For the last 1/3 of sand in each container, we suggest that you pour both colors of sand simultaneously as the co-mingling of sand represents the union of the bride and groom.

5) Place the bottle stopper in the central vase to secure the sand.  The 3 smaller heart-shaped vases can be used to display flowers or as keepsakes for the bride and groom.