courtesy of Marshall Photography courtesy of Marshall Photography

Ceremonies & Vows

In addition to a traditional ceremony with the promise of vows and the exchanging of rings, there are several elements that can add significance and special meaning to your wedding celebration. The details of each of the ceremonies listed here can be tailored around your unique personalities and circumstances. In working with you I can suggest options, or you may choose to incorporate your own ideas.

Please note that couples are responsible for providing all materials needed for these celebrations.

A gift of true and abiding love, the rose is one of the most beloved symbols of romance.  During this ceremony roses are exchanged as the first gifts to one another as a married couple.

The Rose Ceremony can also be tailored to acknowledge the couple’s love for others by including parents and/or children in the giving of roses.

Wine is an ancient and universal symbol of the richness of life and the sweetness of love.  During this ceremony the couple each pour from a carafe of wine, one red and one white, into a single vessel.  The red wine represents the deep richness of love while the white wine, fermented in oak barrels, represents the strength of a loving marriage.  When mixed together the wine becomes a rose color, thereby symbolizing the love of the couple.

The candle ceremony offers a range of options that symbolize the creating of light and joy and wonderful expectations of marriage.

A unity candle symbolizes the joining of the couple as a new family.  Two flames merging together in representation of the couples union in marriage.

Candles may be used to represent two individuals coming together, yet remaining independent.

One person may light the candle for another with the dedication to rekindle the inner light in that person again and again.

Children may be included in the lighting of candles, thereby demonstrating the creation of a new family.

Hands are considered to be a connection to the heart.  This meaningful ceremony asks couples to hold hands as they acknowledge all that the other’s hands will give to them through the years ahead.

Using different colored sand the ceremony highlights both individualism and the blending of those individuals.  With their chosen color, each person pours a layer of sand into a vessel.  These layers represent the uniqueness of each person.  Then pouring together the colors of sand are mixed into the vessel on top of the individual layers.  The blending of the different colors represent the impossibility of separating this new union.

The Sand Ceremony is a wonderful way to include children in the celebration and offers a visual interpretation of a newly created family.

Jumping the Broom has a long and diverse history that dates back to the 1600s.  Widely understood to have derived from Africa, this ceremony also has deep roots in the Celtic culture.  Today the act of Jumping the Broom is celebrated by couples of all cultures and signifies the sweeping away of the past and the entrance into a new life together.