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Significant
and emotional, saying I do is the most important part of your wedding
day. So shouldn't your ceremony be just as unique as the party? We went
right to the experts for the most inspiring ceremonial touches around:
that's right, real couples like you! These brides and grooms turn the
standard ceremony into something spectacular.
1. Lemonade Stand
Paige and Marc, who wed on a ranch, chose a lemon theme to ensure a
cheery celebration. Just before the ceremony, the couple served lemonade
in big glass jars to quench guests' thirst under the hot summer sun.
2. Unity Sand
At their destination beach wedding, Lisa and Mike, who both spent many
summers under the boardwalk, extinguished the unity candle idea and
instead chose to combine symbolic cups of sand from their respective
hometowns.
3. Breezy Read
Summer brides, take note: Jennifer and David's fan-shaped wedding
programs did double duty listing the wedding party and ceremony
details-and cooling off guests.
4. Hung out to Dry
Guests crossing a bridge to Becky and Aaron's ceremony had a good
chuckle at the couple's childhood photos strung along a clothesline.
5. Shoeless Suitor
When Suzanne and Tripp's Jewish ceremony concluded, the "boot boy"
presented a barefoot Tripp with yes, a boot, so the groom could smash
the glass at their ceremony. Mazel tov!
6. Irish Blessing
Pamela and Tom's ceremony ended with the blessing of a Celtic cross,
brought back from a family trip, which now hangs in their home.
7. Lucky Lady
When it was time for Elisa and David to exchange their self-written
vows, the best man flipped a coin to see who would go first (it was the
groom!).
8. Bribing the Bearer
Cristina and Mike's two-year-old ring bearer was a little aisle shy. So
the groom did what anyone would-bribed him with candy. From the altar,
Mike flashed a bag of jellybeans to coax the young boy down the aisle.
Naturally, it worked.
9. Send & Deliver
Blakely and Chris' gorgeous hand-sewn programs not only included details
about the wedding party (including a lengthy children's procession) and
Greek Orthodox traditions, it listed their new contact information for
guests to keep in touch!
10. Ceremony Cheers
Take the toast up a notch with a champagne cocktail. At Elaine and
Kevin's wedding, guests were given glasses of bubbly garnished with
strawberries as they entered the ceremony space.
11. Exceptional Pets
Who says weddings aren't for the dogs? Animal lovers Clayton and Andrew
asked the bride's mom to escort two four-legged friends, outfitted with
flowers, down the aisle.
12. Homemade Huppah
From the handcrafted woodworking of Meet the Parents fame to treasured
heirloom quilts, our brides get pretty crafty with the traditional
Jewish huppah. Our favorite sentimental touch? Joanna and Scott sewed
together old handkerchiefs from all eight of their grandparents to
create their wedding canopy.
13. Baker's Duo
Andrea and John gave rise to a new tradition: Several days before their
Catholic ceremony, the couple got busy in the kitchen and baked the
communion bread themselves.
14. Welcome Committee
In lieu of a receiving line, Maribeth and Erik threw tradition out the
door and greeted guests arriving at the church. Even though many were
surprised to see the bride before the ceremony, it helped calm
Maribeth's down-the-aisle stage fright.
15. Personal Petals
Elizabeth honored her deceased father, a huge University of Tennessee
fan, with a bouquet of bright orange roses-the school's signature color.
16. Holiday Spirit
Ebenezer Scrooge definitely didn't make the cut on this guest list.
Before the start to Amy and Shawn's Christmas celebration, guests were
welcomed into the barn where the ceremony was held with hot cocoa,
holiday cookies, and Christmas carols.
17. Fountain of Youth
Emily and Sean stocked a child's red wagon with monogrammed water
bottles and tied a glass to every seat at their outdoor ceremony.
18. Not-So Empty Nest
For their intimate garden-theme wedding, Joiye and Gino's rings were
nestled in a delicate bird's nest woven with pale peach roses and green
ribbons.
19. Bug Off
Rachel and Chris made sure guests were well equipped for the outdoor
ceremony with a welcome basket filled with bug spray.
20. Exit with a Pop
Following a performance by a quartet of professional singers, actors
Kendra and Eric exited the church in a shower of rather fitting theater
popcorn. At Lauren and Scott's ceremony, guests were handed personalized
kazoos and party horns to blow on the steps of the church.
21. Floating Flowers
Gerbera daisies given to guests at Julie and James' ceremony were later
released into the nearby river. Throughout the outdoor celebration, the
bobbing blooms meandered down the lazy river.
22. Paper Magic
To adorn the ceremony space, Ko's mother (despite arthritis problems)
folded 1,001 white paper cranes-a traditional Japanese gift symbolizing
her special wishes for the couple-over the course of his and Pamela's
two-year engagement.
23. Heirloom Detail
Elizabeth asked her mother, a renowned florist, to delicately weave the
bride's deceased grandmother's handkerchief into the wrap around the
stems of her bouquet.
24. Seasonal Sprinkle
Be sure to greet the season. Perfect for Lourie and Carlos' October
wedding, the flower girl scattered dried oak leaves to pave the way for
the bridal party.
25. Streaky Cheeks
Kristine and Andrew prepared for emotional wedding tears and provided
guests with tissue packages wrapped in vellum that was printed with
inspirational quotations.
26. Tandem Takeoff
After exchanging vows, creative couple Erin and Peter circled loved ones
on an old red Schwinn tandem bike decorated with roses-before riding off
to the reception two miles away!
27. Signature Sounds
Who says you have to stick with classical ceremony music? Kristyn and
Joshua walked down the aisle to the opening song from Edward
Scissorhands. At Irene and Matthew's wedding, the bride's grandmother
played "Amazing Grace" on the saw.
28. Recycle the Asile
Savvy budgeters Ava and Sean reused their ceremony aisle markers-bright
bouquets of peonies, blue hydrangeas, and Anna roses in moss cones-for
reception centerpieces.
29. Crowd Pleaser
After their ceremony, Lee and Jeff asked all the guests to linger for a
group photo that was later used as the cover for the couple's thank-you
cards.
30. Wise Words
Mandy and Chris borrowed something pretty big for their wedding-they
recited the same personalized vows that her parents had exchanged 40
years before.
31. Relay Race
And here's the handoff...along the winding ceremony path, Shyra's three
brothers and her father stood at various intervals, waiting to escort
her to the gazebo altar one by one.
32. Shady Ending
At the end of Sandra and Kevin's seaside service, all the women were
given ivory Japanese parasols to shade them from the sun. Sandra carried
a square-shape version, hand-painted with cherry blossoms.
33. All Aboard!
Suzanne and her bridal party set sail for the lakeside ceremony with the
groom's mother at the helm. Once they docked, the women rang a cowbell
to signal their arrival and waited for the groomsmen to ring back that
they were ready for the procession to begin.
34. Artsy Aisle
Alyson knew she was at the right church as she walked down the aisle on
a runner, beautifully hand-painted with flower vines-as well as her and
Michael's names.
35. Sentimental Stones
Each guest picked up a small stone before the ceremony that Piper and JJ
hand-selected from meaningful places-where they met, where they live
now, and where they married-and held it during the service to make a
special wish. The couple later collected the stones in a large glass
vase to display in their home.
36. Home Grown
Megan and Lance, who exchanged vows under a big maple tree at her
childhood home, lined the grassy aisle with flowers collected from her
grandparents' garden.
37. Cool Cultures
In a nod to Sarah and Mark's diverse backgrounds, the groom carried a
grain of wheat in his pocket (representing good luck and wealth in
Germany) and wore a traditional lei in honor of their Hawaiian heritage.
38. Blazing Saddles
Forget the white limo! Emily's father and friends arrived at the
ceremony grove on horseback, followed by the bride and her mother in a
more gown-friendly horse and carriage.
39. Refrigerator Art
Jenny and Scott's ceremony programs honored a treasured attic find-they
featured a picture that Scott had drawn when he was five of the
mountains that coincidentally overlooked their outdoor wedding site.
40. Up In Arms
With only one parent (the bride's mother) between them still living,
Michelle and Leland thought it would be great to start and end the
ceremony arm-in-arm-the couple walked together over the vast lawns of
the ceremony site and down the aisle of the tiny chapel.
41. Surprise Kiss
When it was time for James to kiss his bride Zoe, her sister pulled a
popgun out of her knee-high stockings and shot a burst of confetti at
the newlyweds just before a release of butterflies marked the end of the
ceremony.
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