Your Wedding Ceremony

Wedding Preparations

Every preparation you make for your wedding day revolves around your wedding ceremony. Sometimes it's hard to remember this, especially when you may get caught up with what type of food will be serve at the reception, what dress should you buy, where should you go on your honeymoon, and of course...all the other details. The marriage ceremony is one tradition we embrace even today, and view as a sacred rite of passage. You want your wedding ceremony to go off without a hitch, an insurance that your marriage will go equally well.

One way to accomplish this is to familiarize yourself with the way most ceremonies are run. The various roles and duties may seem overwhelming at first, but once you absorb the basic idea, you will have no worries.

Wedding Outline

If you just consider the basic outline of a traditional wedding, you will find that you don't need to worry about sticking to any strict code of wedding etiquette --- alterations are welcome, because they lend individuality to your wedding.

Seating of the Guests

In most weddings, the bride's family and friends are seated on the left side of the church, while the groom's family and friends reside on the right. Relatives of the bride and groom sit closest to the wedding party.

After all the guests have been seated by the ushers, a groomsman escorts the mother of the groom down the aisle. They are followed by her husband. The mother of the bride is then escorted by a groomsman, and is typically the last person seated. The officiant, groom, and best man should then take their places at the altar.

The Processional

The processional music starts as the bridal party begins their journey. The groomsmen can either wait in a line at the altar, or escort the bridesmaids down the aisle. However you and your fiancée decide to engineer this portion of the ceremony, both sets of attendants should be lined up according to height, from shortest to tallest.

The maid or matron of honor follows the rest of the wedding party, in front of the ring bearer and flower girl. Once the attendants have reached the altar, the guests should stand to recognize the bride's entrance.

She is traditionally escorted down the aisle by her father, who stands on the bride's right and presents her hand to the groom once they have reached the altar. Many contemporary brides are being escorted by both parents, mother alone, or even an uncle or brother. Choose the person or couple who has had the most impact on your life, even if they are not blood relatives. The couple turns to face the clergy member, and the ceremony begins.

The Question of "Who presents?"

Welcome on behalf of the couple

Prayer (If Christian Wedding)

Declarations of Intent

If anyone can show why these two may not be lawfully wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.

Affirmation of Families

Scripture Reading(If Christian Ceremony)

The Vows

Many couples find writing their own vows to be a very beautiful and special way to convey their feelings for each other. The personal quality this gives to the ceremony gives special meaning to the bond that is forged that day.

Whether or not you choose to write your own wedding vows depends upon you and your fiancé's personalities and values. Neither is better or worse for everyone, but the option is open for individuals to make the choice that best suits their personalities.

Exchange of Rings

Pronouncement of Marriage

The Charge or the Sending Forth

The Benediction (If Christian)

The introduction of the couple

When the ceremony is over, Reverend Vaszary will announce the new couple, and they will begin their recessional side by side and arm in arm.

The Recessional

The ring bearer and flower girl follow behind the bride and groom and are joined by the best man and maid/matron of honor and the paired groomsmen and bridesmaids.

No Need to Conform

Any part of the ceremony can be changed or deleted to suit your desires. Throw tradition in the wind, for it is important to find a ceremony style that will allow everyone important to you to be a part of your wedding.

Another aspect of your ceremony that can be personalized is the location. Today brides and grooms are no longer restricted to conventional church weddings. Historic homes, bed-and-breakfast inns, art museums, scenic parks, beaches, boats, hot air balloons, and airplanes are just a few of the many options couples have tried and loved. Don't be afraid to go out on a limb with your ceremony site. Use your imagination, and come up with the perfect location where you and your fiancée will profess your love for each other.

Now that you have an outline of a typical wedding ceremony, you can contact Reverend Vaszary and he will help you to develop a ceremony that works for your situation. After the wedding date is reserved and a retainer paid, the bride and groom will be guided to a web page where they can design their own ceremony through an inter-active work sheet.

Choosing Your Groomsmen: No Matter What They Say, Nobody "Must" Be In the Wedding Party

Your lovely fiancée has chosen her 'maids, and now you're stuck with the task of finding just the right number of family and friends to pair them with. How do you decide who makes the cut?

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