There are many different ways to approach the idea of sand mixing in your wedding ceremony.
You can use two different colours of sand to represent the two of you as individuals, and mix them to symbolise the marriage you are creating together. Another option is to use or add multiple colours of sand to represent the most important aspects of your relationship/marriage. Families might include additional coloured sands for children to take part too. There’s also the option to include your bridal party, parents or official witnesses in your sand mixing ceremony.
The sands are mixed in a see through vessel during the ceremony so that everyone can see the layering effect it creates. Your celebrant might talk about how your marriage is a unique blend of the different elements represented by the different coloured sands and how each layer supports the other. This wedding ceremony idea leaves you with a beautiful keep-sake piece of wedding art for you to display at home.
2. wine box
Wine lovers will love this wedding ceremony idea as a great excuse to buy a bottle of your favourite drop.
There are various ways to approach the wine box idea, but typically they all involve locking a bottle of wine in a box during the ceremony with the view for everything to be un-boxed and opened on a specific future occasion. This might be after you resolve your first fight as a married couple, when you celebrate a milestone anniversary, or on your first night in your own home.
You could choose to add the date, location and your signatures to the label on the bottle and there’s an option to add other notes or sentimental items to the box for safe keeping too. With this ceremony idea the wine will eventually be used up, but you can keep the box to pass on as a family heirloom.
Our favourite wedding ceremony idea for choosing your wedding witnesses is to play a lucky dip! Write down everyone’s names and pop them in a hat/jar/vase/whatever, and then you each draw one name during your ceremony. Your YBD celebrant can help you prepare everything in advance if you send them a list of the names you want to include. And if there’s anyone you really don’t want to be a witness, leave their name out… they’ll never know!
All wedding ceremonies are different and not all of them will even have music. If you’re eloping on a mountain top you might prefer the sound of nature to a portable speaker. But, music can be a great way to personalise your ceremony and keep you comfortable with some familiar sounds. Choosing music that’s meaningful to you will also allow you to relive special moments again as you re-listen to your wedding ceremony playlist long after your wedding day.
Our recommendation is to choose five songs: one for your wedding entrance, two for signing the paperwork, one for your wedding exit, and one for your first dance. You might not want or need them all but these are the key moments that work well with music for many other couples. And don’t think about choosing ‘wedding songs’, simply choose songs that are special to you. At YBD weddings we’ve heard everything from punk to pop and house to hip hop!
This wedding ceremony idea is perfect for big and small weddings and a great way to include kids too. Some or all of your guests will take turns in holding your wedding rings during the ceremony. Your YBD celebrant will ask everyone to think about their love and best wishes for you as nearly-weds as they hold the rings. The love creates energy which warms your rings and so after you exchange them you’re not only reminded of your connection to each other but also to everyone present who helped to warm your rings.
Of course this wedding ceremony idea is more weather dependent than others as lighting candles outside on a windy day isn’t easy. It’s important to know that if the candle lighting doesn’t quite go to plan on the day then the symbolism does not need to be lost. You could have a backup plan such as a hand fasting (see more info below).
This is an ancient Celtic ritual which has been adopted and adapted in many different ways for modern wedding ceremonies. The idea is that your hands are tied together during your wedding ceremony to symbolise the two of you becoming one in marriage. There are no rules about what to tie your hands with, when in the ceremony to tie and untie them, which hands will be tied, and who who will tie them… It’s all completely up to you.
Some YBD couples have used different materials and different colours to represent different aspects of their relationship or the key ingredients/promises for their marriage. Other couples have chosen to tie just one hand each and keep the other hand free to exchange rings, hold vows, or represent their remaining individuality not to be sacrificed in creating their marriage.
The sour element highlights the imperfections of marriage and your commitment to supporting each other no matter what. Traditionally the sour flavour is lemon but you could also use sour lollies or kimchi. Feelings of rejection, denial and jealousy are represented in the bitter element. Vinegar is the traditional flavour here but you could use unsweetened cocoa or kale. The hot element represents the passion in your relationship and your commitment to express the desires at the very depth of your core. A taste of cayenne pepper is the traditional but you could substitute that for jalapenos or spicy flavoured potato chips. And finally, you’ll conclude with the sweet element to symbolise how all the efforts of the bitter, sour and hot phases are worth it in the end. Traditionally honey is used for this element but you could choose any sweet treat you like such as strawberries or even ice cream!
This content was originally published here.