Make It Yours: Nine Ways to Make Your Wedding Special  Today's
weddings have no hard-and-fast rules.
The number of completely traditional weddings - with the typical church,
hall, and reception format - has decreased dramatically as family geographic
limitations, mixed marriages, blended families, and second weddings have become
more prevalent.
Today's couples get married on live television, atop mountains,
in theme parks, and even under water. Whether or not you are daring
enough to be this extreme, you'll enjoy these fun ideas for how
to have a traditional wedding and still incorporate modern twists. Choose an unlikely site
Consider using an alternative site for your wedding, such as a museum, an aquarium,
a cliff top, a historic mansion, a boat, a baseball field, a beach, a ranch,
or even the zoo. Write your own vows
The words of love that you exchange can include poetry, music, and personal
anecdotes in addition to, or instead of, the traditional "to have to and
to hold from this day forward for as long as you both shall live." Plan a unique wedding quilt or chuppah
Mail all the wedding guests a small piece of fabric several
months before the wedding with instructions to decorate it with
a permanent message or image. For a Jewish wedding, the fabric
pieces can be stitched together into a marriage canopy (or chuppah)
that you and your groom stand under during the ceremony. For a
non-Jewish wedding, the fabric pieces can be made into a bridal
quilt that will be a beautiful and personal keepsake to hang on
the wall of your new home or to use at the end of your bed. Personalize your ketubah
For Jewish weddings, have your ketubah (marriage contract) designed by an artist
instead of using a traditional document completed by the rabbi. You and your
fianc, can work together to add symbols significant to your relationship.
Later, you can hang the ketubah in your bedroom as a permanent reminder of
the commitment you two have made. Think beyond the guest book
As an alternative to a guest book, mount an enlargement of your engagement
photo or wedding invitation and have guests sign it with a silver or gold
pen as they enter the wedding. Face forward for the ceremony
There is no rule stating that the bride and groom must face the officiant and
turn their backs on the guests for the duration of the ceremony. Instead,
turn toward your guests and have the officiant stand alongside you (or with
his or her back to the audience). This personal touch makes guests fell that
they are a more intimate part of your wedding, because they can witness your
expressions and your love for each other. Exchange roses
A new trend known as a rose exchange is popping into ceremonies. A single red
or white rose is exchanged as a first gift between the bride and groom to
symbolize their love for each other. The couple then exchanges a rose in
a special location in their new home on each anniversary or significant highlight
in their marriage, reminding them of the vows they exchanged and the promises
they made on their wedding day. Choose a theme song
At the beginning of the reception, when the married couple is announced and
members of the wedding party are introduced, instead of a drum roll or cheesy
music, consider having the DJ or band play the theme from "Rocky" as you
enter. Other fun songs: the "Tonight Show" theme song; Queen's "Another One
Bites the Dust" or "We are the Champions;" the theme from "Star Wars," "Jaws," or "Indiana
Jones;" the fight song from your alma mater; or any other song that is upbeat
and meaningful to you both. Plan a life-long keepsake
After the wedding and honeymoon, print your vows on pretty
paper, and then frame and hang them somewhere in your new home
where you two can glance at them and remind yourselves of the promises
you exchanged. - from The Ultimate Wedding Idea Book: 1,001 Creative Ideas
to Make Your Wedding Fun, Romantic and Memorable, by Cynthia
C. Muchnick (Prima Home, 2001) $14.95. |
