Weddings are all about families. They are about two families and two special people who come to a ceremony as separate and leave united in a new family relationship. Weddings are also about promises of love and fidelity between two people meant to last a lifetime. In our commercially centered world it becomes way too easy to lose sight of these important truths about the meaning of weddings. We can quickly be caught up in the many “things” we can purchase and add to the basic ceremony hoping somehow to make it more special or at least more impressive . But a do it yourself wedding ceremony can help us to remember what the wedding is all about , save a small fortune and yet treasure the results.
1. The Wedding Gown. You’ve heard it all before. “It’s your special day so you should have the perfect dress, no matter how much it costs?”. The thing is cost seldom makes a dress or a day perfect. When you decide to have a do it yourself wedding ceremony you can begin to look at wedding dresses in a whole new way.
Sure bridal shop gowns can be magnificent, but often so is the price tag. Why not consider the possibility of wearing a family heirloom.
Did your mom, aunt, sister, cousin, or in-law to be happen to mothball a wedding dress that would meet your size requirements and not fly in the face of your own personal taste? Find out. Not only would this kind of hand me down dress add a real family feeling to your wedding, it would also save you a small bucket of money that could be put towards something you might use more than once.
You might be surprised at how pleased family members would actually be to have their dress worn again, and be the center of attention. You might discover that you have started a mini trend in your family. You’ll also discover that part of a do it yourself wedding ceremony is to be creative.
2.Flowers Wedding flowers can be simple or they can be lavish or they can be a bit of both. But one thing floral arrangements can almost surely be is expensive and often a little stiff looking. If you are planning a do it yourself wedding ceremony then some good advice is to contact the church or hall where your wedding will take place and ask what kinds of flowers are already in place.
With a little organization you can often take advantage of seasonal flower arrangements already in place at the church or hall. Knowing the existing decor you can coordinate the bridal party flowers with the purchase of small, simple bouquets or, in season, use fresh cut flowers from family gardens. A few long stem flowers and a little ribbon can replace a huge floral bill and will fit in nicely with your decision to have a do it yourself wedding.
Some good do it yourself wedding ceremony advice is to recognize how very marginally even the most beautiful flowers are to the overall success of your married life and make your decorative plans accordingly.
3. Music Some churches and wedding halls have standing arrangements with musicians and will offer the organist and a soloist to you as part of a package. But in many instances sitting down with church or hall administrators and explaining your wish to have more of a personalized, do it yourself wedding will give you the opportunity to be innovative. You may have family members or friends who would be thrilled to play your entrance and exit music. There may be vocalists among family and friends who would like to make a gift of their music by singing an appropriate selection during your ceremony. You might have recorded music that you would prefer to hear as you enter or leave the ceremony that would mean more to you than the local church organist and a soloist whom you have never met before.
The best advice for people who really want a do it yourself wedding ceremony is to be polite but persistent in having the kind of wedding you really want. Don’t accept the standard way of doing things if it doesn’t match your plans. Be organized when you talk to church or hall administrators and allow them to see the real beauty of what you are attempting to do. Once again you may start a mini trend or at least open peoples eyes to the do it yourself way of thinking.
4. The Official Depending on your religious affiliation, the person officiating at your wedding might be a priest, rabbi, minister or justice of the peace. If you have a family member who has the necessary qualifications, a simple request from you to him or her can help to continue your do it yourself theme. In most cases, however, it is likely that you won’t have an extremely close connection to the person who is actually performing the ceremony. In that case you can make a real effort to talk with the person officiating about the options for readings during the ceremony. Choosing family members and friends to share the readings can make the ceremony much more personal and give it a do it yourself feeling.
5.Transport When the ceremony is complete, don’t leave your do it yourself strategy at the church door. Take it out to the parking lot. You can of course choose to lighten your wallet by investing large sums of money in a fleet of limos or an old fashioned trolley to take you and your wedding party to the wedding reception. Or you can get really creative. Invite your wedding party and other family members to compete for the best, inexpensive means of transport and judge the suggestions. You can even offer some kind of prize, like first dance with bride and groom, first piece of wedding cake or first person to give a toast at the reception, for the best suggestion.
Weddings really shouldn’t be about seeing how much money you can spend and how elaborate your ceremony can be. It’s really up to you to take the reins in hand and decide not to put yourself at the mercy of commercial vendors. Decide instead to plan and enjoy a do it yourself wedding ceremony.
