Within your wedding ceremony you can add your own flair or points of difference to make it be remembered. As a celebrant I often get asked, "How can we set our ceremony apart from the rest and really make it our own?". There are many aspects to consider when organising a bespoke ceremony but most importantly, you need to think about what is meaningful to both of you. The following is a list of topics to talk through with your partner to get you thinking about your ceremony before you meet with your celebrant – a brainstorm of ideas and thoughts.MUSIC

Live or recorded – i.e. string quartet, soloist, acoustic or simply recorded?
Do your choices reflect your combined music tastes?
Would you like your songs to entertain and evoke a response from the crowd?
DJ to coordinate – would you prefer to hire a DJ to play the music during the ceremony or hand the responsibility over to a friend or even the venue?
Consider four songs for the ceremony – construct a list of possibilities before narrowing down.

WHO WILL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN THE CEREMONY

Who will walk down the aisle?
Who will be responsible for the rings?
Who will sign the marriage documents?
Will there be guests who speak during the ceremony?

POINTS OF DIFFERENCE

Do you want to keep the ceremony simple or add some points of difference?
Do you want to create an element of surprise during the ceremony?
What ideas have you seen and liked from other weddings?
What ideas from Pinterest or other social media sites have stood out to you?
Ask the celebrant, when meeting with them, to give you their ideas or examples of what has worked well in the past at the venue you have decided on.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO BE MADE

Have you got anyone you would like acknowledged during the ceremony – i.e. family?
Would you like to acknowledge those who are warmly remembered in some way?

INCLUSION OF THE AUDIENCE

During your ceremony do you want to include a crowd, show-of-support or perhaps just a toast at the end. What level of engagement with your guests would you like?

PERSONALISING VOWS

Write your own vows with guidance and steps from your celebrant, or choose vows from a selection provided?

By considering the above aspects to your ceremony you will be able to provide your celebrant with all the information they need to construct a personalised ceremony just for you and your future marriage partner.

Bespoke ceremony