Reid - Do it yourself wedding ceremony : choosing the perfect words and officiating your unforgettable day

Copyright 2014 by Dayna Reid

Cover design by Moses Feliz

Cover image: iStockPhoto, Royalty Free

Typography by Dayna Reid

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1499297119

(Softcover)

International Standard Book Number-10: 1499297114

(Softcover)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014909312

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,

North Charleston, SC

Visit the authors website at www.DaynaReid.com

Visit the books website at www.Marriage-Vows.com

Dedication

I am so very grateful and appreciative of my daughter Shayla and my son Delane. While they are vastly different in their outlooks and roads chosen in life, each ones unique strength of character, values, and love have consistently supported and encouraged me on my own life path. They continuously remind me of what is possible when you are deeply loved.

Contents

Introduction

Did you know that you can fully customize not only the vows, but all the words spoken during your ceremony? When planning a wedding, there are many resources available to assist you with all the details to make it a visual dream, but what about the ceremony itself? Wouldnt you like the same attention to detail and extensive variety of personalized choices for the most important aspect of your weddingthe words spoken to seal your commitment to each other?

Within these pages you will find everything you need to easily create and conduct a ceremony that genuinely expresses to your guests what your beliefs are about the significance of marriage and accurately communicates the true intentions of the promises you wish to make to each other.

Who should read this book?

This book provides you (the couple getting married or renewing their vows) as well as officiants or ministers with all the information needed to compose and carry out a truly meaningful wedding ceremony, including information on selecting an Officiant (or becoming ordained if you wish to have a friend or family member officiate the ceremony or wish to officiate weddings as a business), obtaining the marriage license and filing the paperwork.

How to use this book

You may choose to start with learning all about Making It Legal, or you may choose to go directly to the Wedding Ceremony Elements Overview section which describes the traditional wedding ceremony elements and the meaning behind each one, aiding you in deciding what to include and what to leave out of your ceremony.

Once you have selected the elements that are important to you, each one has its own section in the book with both spiritual and non-spiritual wording options. To compliment the traditional elements, there are many alternatives for including additional touches, such as a Candle Lighting Ceremony, Rose Ceremony, remembering loved ones unable to attend or including children.

A worksheet is included at the end of the book to assist with compiling your ceremony wording choices as you progress through the book. Sample ceremonies (including vow renewal ceremonies) are also provided. You may choose one of the samples for your wedding, or simply as a starting point to generate ideas for composing your ceremony. Note: All wording can be easily altered for use in a Renewal of Vows ceremony.

Now lets begin the journey of designing the ceremony that expresses your deepest desire for each other and your marriage

5 Steps to Creating Your
Personalized Ceremony

Follow these five steps to create your own unique and personalized wedding ceremony:

Once you have completed these steps, follow the Considerations When Selecting an Officiant section of this book for choosing someone to conduct your ceremony.

Wedding Ceremony
Elements Overview

There are many elements to choose from when creating your ceremony, but there are only two elements that are legally required: the Declaration of Intent and the Pronouncement of marriage. In other words, you could literally have a ceremony that read: Jane, do you agree to marry Joe? And Joe, do you agree to marry Jane? I now pronounce you married. All other elements are optional, which gives you tremendous flexibility in designing a ceremony that is the most meaningful to the two of you.

In addition to the basic elements of a traditional ceremony, there are many other special touches that can be added to your ceremony to make it unique and your own, such as including children, honoring parents or grandparents, remembering loved ones that are unable to attend or have passed on, etc. (see the and Ideas for Personalizing Your Wedding Ceremony sections of this book for more ideas on customizing your Wedding).

Traditional Ceremony Elements and Their Purposes

As you read through the description for each of the traditional ceremony elements in this section, you may choose which elements to include and which ones to leave out of your ceremony.

Procession

(also known as the Wedding March)

This is the choreographed walk down the aisle of the wedding party to the altar. This symbolically represents two things: the couples transition from their individual lives to the union of marriage and the wedding attendants support of the union by taking part in the same walk.

The Officiant, Groom and Best Man wait at the altar for the wedding party to walk down the aisle in the following order: first the Groomsmen paired with the Bridesmaids, followed by the Maid or Matron of Honor, then the Ring Bearer, then the Flower Girl, and lastly the Bride and her Father. Facing the altar, the women will be on the left and the men will be on the right.

In addition, traditionally, the guests will be seated on the same side of the altar as the one (bride or groom) who invited them. Music played for the Procession can be a single selection or multiple selections (a selection for the wedding party and a different selection for the Bride, etc.).

Order of Procession

(Keep in mind that it is your wedding and you may arrange your wedding party in any order you choose.)

Order at the Altar