Ceremony Tips and Advice [ Submit a Tip and/or Advice | Wedding Ceremony Index | Tips & Advice Index ]

Bubble Wrap Submitted by: M. F. of Cincinnati, Ohio To entertain a nervous bride prior to the service, take bubble wrap packing material to keep the bride from wringing her clothing before the main event. It gives her something to do and provides a satisfying noise. .

Facing Forward and Looking Back Submitted by: Lisa S. of Vincent, Ohio I have two (2) different tips that I think are unique things. Number one: While at the alter at the beginning of the ceremony, our minister had a GREAT idea Instead of me and my husband with our backs toward the guests, he suggested that HE have HIS back to the guests and we would be facing the guests (as usually the minister would). It was GREAT! After all, the guests come to see YOU and YOUR husband's wedding, not your backs! Number two: At our reception, I took a standard big sheet of poster board and drew a line down the middle. On one side, I put my husband's pictures (starting from when he was a baby, all the way thru high school) and of course on the other side my baby pics thru high school (usually about 10-12 each is sufficient... it is up to you). The guests at the reception LOVED it... a good "ice breaker"... also heard a few giggles too!

"Receiving Line" Submitted by: J. T. of Yorktown Heights, New York Rather than waiting until after the ceremony to greet your guests, why not form a receiving line at the entrance to the church and greet people as they arrive. We did this recently at our wedding and our guests loved it. Several said it made them very welcome in our church. At the same time, it gave us "something to do" at the church rather than stand around in a closet getting nervous. Also, we felt the symbolism of the receiving line (welcoming people and encouraging them to have a good time) fit best with the start of the most important part of our day...and there was one less thing to do after the ceremony! If you can get over the superstition that the bride and groom shouldn't see each other until the ceremony begins, we highly recommend greeting your guests when they first arrive.

"Angels down the Aisle" Submitted by: L. H. of Dallas, Texas Instead of using plain bows or expensive flower for our pew markers, my maid-of-honor and I made angels. They were very inexpensive. We simply bought some cheap white fabric and a pattern, cut and sewed the fabric to look like a pillowcase (you can use a pillowcase, as well), inserted a styrofoam ball, sewed on and stuffed the arms, and then decorated them. We placed a small bouquet of silk flowers with ribbons where their hands met, created straw hair and painted halos. We then took blush and brushed two blush circles on their cheeks! They ended up only costing about $4 a piece and looked beautiful all along the aisle!

No Program Submitted by: Rani H. of Washington, D.C., USA When planning my wedding a few years ago, I thought back to all of the wedddings I had ever been to. I realized that upon entering the chapel where the wedding was to take place and was handed a program, I spent the rest of the time reading that program and anticipating the next thing to happen in the ceremony. I was not so much relaxing and enjoying whatever was to come next as I should. Therefore, when it came time for us to do a program, I decided I wanted my guests to have something that told them who was in the wedding and, of course, a thank you to our guests and our parents but I did not wnat a blow by blow of the ceremony. I had a lot of people tell me how nice it was for them not to really know what to expect and they could just sit back and enjoy whatever was to come next. I think it worked like a charm, and no one waited for a song to be sung that never was!!

Both Father and Step-Father "Gives Away" the Bride Submitted by: Debi P. of Columbus, Ohio, USA My daughter is very close to her natural father as well as her step-father. She wanted both of them to be able to give her away. Her natural father will walk her down the aisle the first half of the way, then her step-father will walk her the remainder of the way down the aisle - with her natural father walking just slightly behind them. At the altar, the "fathers" will stand on either side of her and give her away when the Pastor asks and each replying, "Her mother and I do."

Write Your Own Vows Submitted by: Maria B. of Fremont, California, USA I believe that every marriage is different, just like every couple. I think it's very important to write your own vows to one a another, instead of reciting back what the pastor tells you. This way, you can say what's in your heart, and make the vows, and your wedding itself more meaningful, and special. Look into the eyes of the person you are vowing your life to, and speak from your heart. That's one of the things that will make you, and your guests, remember your wedding from all the rest.

25th Wedding Anniversary Submitted by: Sandra of Omaha I am renewing my vows with my husband, best friend, and only lover of 25 years. We are including our brothers and sisters in the wedding as bridesmaids and groomsmen. Our children will take vows with us to remain a strong loving family and continue to support each other during the good and bad times. A bracelet with the family name engraved in it will be given to each of our children. To make the event even more special, we will be asking other couples who would like to renew their vows to join us at the altar for the "traditional" exchange of vows. Afterwards, the couples will take their seats and my husband and I will exchange the vows that we have written. This will be our first church (formal) wedding and we want to make it special for everyone. A CD containing all of the songs in our wedding, the song for our first dance, and a few others will be given to each guest.

Role Reversal Submitted by: Patty D. of Montclair, New Jersey My 13-year-old daughter doesn't want to give me away because, as she said, she is only 13 and still needs a mother. She will be my maid of honor and my fiance's 30-year-old daughter is very happy to give her father away. Thus, we are doing a role reversal - my daughter and I will be standing at the altar and my soon-to-be step daughter will walk her father down the aisle to me!

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