It’s your Day
Let’s Make it Special
Build the rollercoaster you want to ride.
Your wedding ceremony only needs three elements to be official in the eyes of Australian law.
The rest is up to you.
A semi-blank canvas like this can feel daunting. Knowing what you don’t want can be a good place to start.
What do you remember from the last wedding you attended? What worked? What didn’t work?
Now, what do you want everyone to remember when they think of yours?
important questions First
Having answers to these three questions will help build a basic outline of your ceremony:
How long should our ceremony be?
15 minutes covers the legal requirements. Around 30 minutes is the usual length of a standard personalised ceremony. However, the length doesn’t matter as long as it’s as enjoyable for those watching as it is for the participants.
Who needs to be involved?
Outside of the bridal party there are opportunities to have friends and family play a part in proceedings. For example, ushers, flower girls & page boys, readings or playing live music.
Are any traditions important to you?
These could be wedding traditions or cultural traditions. There are countless wedding rituals from around the world that can be woven into your ceremony if they hold a special place for you or your family.
Time Adds Up
Here’s a list of the elements that must, should, usually do and could go into your ceremony, and the time each element usually takes to complete.
Use the times as a general guide to help you build a ceremony that includes everything you want to have within the time frame you’d like to stick to.
Obviously, if you’d like two readings or two live songs, simply add another unit of time to your total.
Again, 30 minutes is a good target to aim for, but it’s totally fine to go for longer to accommodate everything you want.
The Legal Requirements
The Monitum (a legal declaration by the celebrant)
Legal Vows (must be recited word for word by both parties)
1 min
3 mins
Signing with two witnesses aged 18+ (usually accompanied by music)
6 mins
Time required for the legal requirements:
10 mins
Celebrant Duties
Housekeeping (ground rules for the ceremony for phones etc)
1 min
Introduction and welcome.
1-2 mins
General ceremony admin (stage managing)
1 min
Post signing blessing and presentation as a married couple.
1 min
Time allocation for celebrant duties:
5 mins
The Usual Additions
Processional (Bride’s entrance)
1-2 mins
Giving Away
1 min
The Asking (I do)
2 mins
3-4 mins
1-2 mins
1 min
3-4 mins
Time required for the usual additions:
15 mins
Recessional (Bridal Party Exit)
First Kiss
Ring exchange
Personal Vows
Other Possible Inclusions
Reading
1-2 mins
Bridal party entrance (before the bride)
2-3 mins
4-5 mins
4-5 mins
1-2 mins
Blessing of the Rings
Special Unity Ritual or Traditional Ritual
Song (sung or played live)
Make a list
It will help You get your priorities right
Start with the things you know:
Venue, date, time of day, members of the bridal party, and anything else that is already locked in.
Next comes the things you Must Have:
These can be traditional elements or other things you just want to have included on the day. They could be people, rituals, songs, or whatever your heart desires.
These are the things we must make room for no matter what.
Now, things you’d like To Include if Possible:
Add whatever you like to this this. It’s usually where all the fun stuff lives. You might have a friend who plays a cool but weird instrument. Or maybe a grandparent you’d like involved in some capacity.
The more options you list, the more chances we have of being able to weave some of them into your ceremony.
Strive for balance
Not perfection
Everyone wants their wedding to be perfect.
The perfect venue, the perfect dress, the perfect everything.
It’s a fine thing to have exceptional taste and high standards. But making perfection your benchmark is the fastest way to drive yourself and those closest to you crazy.
The best ceremonies are made perfect because they’re perfectly balanced.
That balance comes from three things: what we see, what we hear, what we feel.
The Venue Rules
Your choice of venue plays a major part in the day. A big space needs to be filled with energy while a cosy venue calls for a more mellow, intimate ceremony.
If you weren’t able to secure your first choice, don’t fight it. Work with it and use its strengths to your advantage.
Every word counts
When you break a ceremony down into its elements, there’s not a lot of breathing space.
A well planned ceremony won’t feel rushed, and will leave room for the inevitable nerves and emotions that well up along the way.
A well-crafted script is essential.
The Music Matters
Just like the soundtrack to a film, the music you choose for your ceremony should help set the emotional tone.
Depending on your style of ceremony, you could have four, five or more songs to find.
They all have different roles to play.
Light and Shade
There are key moments in every ceremony.
We script the other elements to build to these moments. Building and releasing tension to feel every moment along the way.
100% heavy emotion is draining. We’ll chart a course to balance it all out.
It’s not A Wedding
It’s Your Wedding
It’s ok to want a wedding that looks, feels and sounds like a traditional, standard wedding.
But there are no rules against shaking things up a bit or even breaking the mould entirely.
The right celebrant is the most cost-effective way to turn the happiest day of your life into an unforgettable event.
If you’ve found these suggestions helpful, make contact through the form below and set up a time for a chat.