Getting Ready For Non-Religious Weddings
A bride and groom both know that after the hurdle of asking your future spouse to marry you, more hurdles arrive before the actual marriage takes place. Perhaps one of the biggest wedding planning struggles can be the wedding ceremony. This can seem even more daunting if you are choosing to plan non-religious weddings because with the rise in popularity of secular ceremonies, there are many choices and much guidance available for the couple. This means, planning ahead and looking for resources now can help to simplify your life as it gets closer to the day you will become man and wife.
You also may run into parents who want to create a traditional religious wedding based on their beliefs. The simplest way to avoid that conflict is to clearly explain your wishes, and show parents that you do have a plan for a beautiful ceremony. Including them in the planning and execution of your ceremony can sometimes quell hurt feelings if they do not agree with your plan for a secular wedding. This article is designed to offer both the bride and groom event planning and wedding planning tips so that your non-religious ceremony can go off without difficulties and rank up there as one of the happiest days of your life as you journey forward together.
Wedding Planning Tips
Include both the bride and the groom. You may find that your partner has no interest in planning the actual wedding ceremony. If this works for you, that is great, but it is always a good idea to include both the bride and groom to ensure that the two most important parties in the wedding are thinking along the same lines. At minimum one of the most important wedding planning tips is to include both bride and groom in the final wedding plan confirmation.
Include the parents. There is nothing that will make a wedding more miserable than a helpful mother-in-law to be who gets left out of the wedding preparations. If you do not want your wedding plans overrun by a domineering mother or father, you can find ways to include them while still creating the wedding ceremony you desire. Put fathers in charge of thinking about chairs, and the practical end of things such as where to put an arch, or put dear old dad in charge of arranging a bachelor party to keep him occupied. Mothers can be given tasks like arranging for flowers, or helping to choose bridesmaid dresses or arranging the bridal shower instead of wedding planning, although it may be tougher to distract mom’s from taking over as many love planning weddings.
Consult a professional or three. While you may want to plan everything yourself, consulting an event planner can be beneficial and help you think of things you may not have otherwise considered during your weddings planning sessions. Event planning professionals spend their days, nights, and weekends creating that perfect moment for weddings and have great ideas for creating ambience. They know practical items of interest such as how many chairs and tables are needed for the amount of guests you plan to invite, as well as amounts of food to order. These wedding planning tips can be very valuable to the bride and groom, and can be used to minimize stress before the wedding. By consulting a variety of event planning professions who specialize in wedding planning you can see what’s available and choose your best options even if you are a do it yourself couple.
Sample Ceremonies for Non-Religious Weddings
If you are planning a non-religious wedding, you have a few options. A non-religious wedding does not mean you have to go to the justice of the peace at the local courthouse and miss out on all the bangs and whistles of a more formal wedding with family and friends. You can still have the wedding you always imagined, and be married by a priest, minister, or rabbi. Interfaith marriages are on the rise as are non-religious wedding ceremonies that leave God entirely out of the equation. The following are some sample ceremonies for non-religious weddings you can consider modeling your own vows on while event planning. Use these ceremony samples as wedding planning tips for creating your own personalized vows.
Non-Religious Ceremony From Rabbi For Interfaith Wedding
At http://www.rabbiforinterfaithwedding.com/Nonreligious_wedding.html you will find a very simple betrothal ceremony for an exchange of vows that are non-religious yet heartwarming and binding.
Non-Religious Ceremony From The Marrying Guy
At http://www.themarryingguy.com/CivilCeremoniesA.html you will find a full wedding ceremony, as well as a brief elopement ceremony that can be used if you wish for a shorter ceremony that is quick and to the point.
Midwest Atheist Non-Religious Ceremony With Music
At http://midwestatheist.blogspot.com/2007/10/non-religious-wedding-ceremony.html you will find a sample script for a non-religious ceremony complete with beautiful musical choices that do not have religious overtones.
Non-Religious Weddings Musical Accompaniment
If you are planning your wedding, you will want to consider musical choices in your event planning. While you may have friends and family who play instruments, the choice of music is still important. There is a reason that music is called the universal language. It speaks to our hearts and will impact bride, groom, and guests when they think back on the ceremony. The following online sources include suggestions for non-religious wedding music.
Maura & Company Non-Religious Wedding Ceremony
At http://www.mauramusic.com/nonreligious_wedding_music.asp you will find suggestions for a variety of musical accompaniment for various stages of your ceremony. The suggestions for music include options for the processional for bridesmaids, bride, music for candle lighting or moments of reflection if incorporated into your non-religious weddings options, and recessional music options for the bride and groom.
Zaminy Hibbard Top Five Songs For Non-Traditional Weddings
At http://zaminy.vox.com/library/post/top-5-songs-for-a-non-traditional-wedding.html you can read Zaminy Hibbard’s take on the top five songs she would play at a non-religious wedding. She includes musical artists Tori Amos, Patty Larkin, Leonardo’s Bride, Ryan Adams, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd with song title and information on where to purchase the albums.