This week I spoke to Mel Stuart about how couples can personalise their Wedding Ceremony.

Mel advises couples planning their ceremony to be confident and clear about their preferences, and convey these clearly to their celebrant. “Each component in your ceremony should sound and feel like you. The most special compliments I receive after conducting a ceremony are when guests assume I have known the couple a long time, because the ceremony was so perfectly ‘them’.  Find a celebrant who you connect with, and trust them to bring your ideas to life!”

Ideas to personalise your ceremony

Give the bride’s arrival a twist – walk down the aisle with both parents, on your own, walk in with your partner, or have them meet you halfway.

Ask the whole gathering to shout “we do!” in support of your marriage at an appropriate moment.

Bring your heritage into your arrival, using the language of your birthplace, karakia, haka, or live music (bagpipes, trumpets, strings).

Include remembrances for those who have passed. Mel recalls: “one of my brides was married on her late Dad’s birthday. He was honoured in the welcome, and the bride had a photo of him in a small locket on her bouquet.”

Include your love story to share: how you met, the proposal, the best things, the toughest things, what you most love about one another.

Have the celebrant read a short letter, story or blessing from special friends or family who cannot attend.

Skype the ceremony and make a special point of speaking into the camera to acknowledge the far-away guests!

If your grandparents or parents are your role models for a long and successful married life, have one of them speak briefly about what marriage means to them and what they hope for you.

Incorporate cultural rituals e.g. tying little fingers together (Sinhalese), or a tea ceremony (Chinese).

Choose music that you love, that fits the style and tone of your ceremony. Have a guest read lyrics from a song during the ceremony, in place of a poem or blessing. Mel recalls, “one of my brides chose 5 songs she loved, and took a verse from each to read as one. It was a surprise to her partner, and had them both in tears”.

Include your children and ensure they feel part of the team.  Mel loved one family wedding where the couple had a ‘group hug’ with their children, while she looped a ribbon around the group.  Couples expecting a baby, consider a blessing for the unborn child. Parents could make vows to the children as well as to each other, or present them with a surprise gift.

How about a “time capsule” of your guests’ written wishes and blessings, sealed during the ceremony; or a box containing a special bottle of wine and sealed private letters written to one another on your wedding day. During the ceremony, take turns hammering the box shut, one nail at a time. Keep the box sealed until a special anniversary, when you can break it open and reminisce!

A unity ceremony within the ceremony is a visual and tangible way to symbolise your love. Hand-fasting can be performed using coloured ribbon, tartan, harakiekie (flax), a handmade rope plaited from your baby’s blanket or even fabric from the shirts you wore on your first date!  Sand ceremonies are popular too, or you could combine soil from each of your hometowns to plant a small native tree in, to symbolise the merging of your lives together.

Candles can be used in a variety of ways to represent unity or remembrance.

A release just before the conclusion of the ceremony gives a symbolic and photographic highlight – think butterflies, doves, balloons, lanterns.

End on a high! Your first steps forward as a married couple are a highlight of the day – so do it in style! Choose a fabulous piece of music that expresses your delight at being married. Walk, dance, high five and air punch your way back down the aisle. Ask guests to throw confetti, rose petals or blow bubbles.

Mel Stuart: www.melstuartcelebrant.com Email: melsceremonies@gmail.com