Hey there, everyone! I hope that you're having lots of fun this summer and living it up out by the pool, lake, or beach somewhere. Remember to hydrate (see last week's post for tips all about keeping you and your guests going strong in the summer heat). Yes, I am that wedding planner who will force you to eat and drink water on your wedding day and make sure that you sit down and take a few good deep breaths too. But I digress...
This is a wedding week for me. Abby and Tim are getting married this Sunday at Sacred Stone in Faytteville, Tennessee, and I can't wait. Abby and Tim are wonderful people and it's going to be a spectacular celebration! She and Tim have chosen a beautiful venue, beautiful flowers, wonderful food, fun music, and most of all they have chosen to be excited, grateful, and ready to bind their lives to together.
This couple is the kind every wedding pro hopes for. They have clear ideas for what they want and what's most important to them and they are so laid back about everything. I was talking with Abby yesterday and her attitude is perfectly atunded for her wedding week because she has already decided that the most important things is that she gets to marry Tim. Everything else is secondary. She and Tim are getting married, rain or shine, hot or cold, inside or outside. It'll be a glorious day because that's what we are there to accomplish, and accomplish we shall!
But, in our conversation yesterday, we talked a lot about their ceremony. For some people there is a set in stone order for a wedding ceremony, or it is decided by the presiding clergy. For others, however, their are a multitude of choices. My best advice to you is to go with your gut. Do you want to walk down the aisle to a song from The Little Mermaid? Then, do it! Wedding ceremonies don't have to be pure, solemn, silence and classical strings to be lovely and elegant. I really like it when couples make their ceremony personal to them. Do you want to write your own vows or use modern vows? Great idea. Do you want to be married by a storm trooper? It has happened.
The point is, don't be shy about doing the ceremony your way. Some couples look at this as the part that they have to get through or get over with and that's a bummer to me. Make your ceremony joyful; incorporate music, readings, and people who make you smile and remember why you guys decided to throw this big party in the first place. Your ceremony shouldn't be the hurtle to cross, it should be the BIG SHABANG that sets the tone for the whole celebration to follow.
But, if all of this "uniqueness" translates to "lots of work," then know that a traditional wedding is a beautiful way to being your married life as well. I had a pretty traditional wedding ceremony and it was just right for us. Go with your gut, but don't regret the way that the ceremony transpired when it's done. Have open conversations with your minister/priest/officiant and voice your wishes as much as you can.
If you are looking for a wonderful interfaith officiant here in East Tennessee, I highly recommend Sandy Tracy of Radiant Gatherings. You couldn't find a sweeter soul to guide you through your wedding ceremony than Sandy. She is a professional who honors your wishes fully and will customize every ceremony to make it yours and yours alone.
Visit her website at www.radiantgatherings.com
Happy planning,
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