Meaningful Traditions to Include in Your Wedding

Looking to make your wedding distinctive?

Honor Your Heritage
Celebrate your ethnic background. I will be happy to research customs for you. Here are some sample traditions:

• Irish: The Celtic custom of handfasting.
• African-American: Jumping the broom and other traditions.
• Jewish: Breaking the glass, signing a marriage contract (ketubah), circling, wine sharing
• Hispanic: The arras or 13 coin ceremony
• Chinese: Use of the color red, sipping wine from wedding cups, red string legend

Wine Ceremony: The bride and groom each take a carafe of wine and pour it into a single glass, from which they both drink. Variation: The couple sips wine from individual glasses. In some Asian cultures, sharing tea is a sacred part of the marriage ceremony.

Signing of the Marriage Certificate: If you wish, you can make the official signing and witnessing of the marriage certificate a formal part of the wedding ceremony.

Ancestral Remembrance: Remember a deceased grandparent, parent or relative in a special way with a candle lighting and reading or a moment of silence.

Sand Ceremony: An alternative to a unity candle water ceremony, the bride and groom both pour different colored sand into a glass. The two different colored sands are a symbol of unity.

Rose Ceremony: A simple unity ceremony where the bride and groom exchange roses and make promises to one another. Other variations: the families exchange roses, the bride and groom exchange roses with their families, the bride and groom exchange roses, then present their mothers with the roses.

Hand Ceremony: Couple joins hands while celebrant reads this poem: “These are the hands of your best friend, smooth, young, and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you pledge your love and commitment to each other all the days of your life….” Hand-Fasting Symbolic hand-fasting or ritually tying together the couple’s hands is part of many cultures, both ancient and contemporary. Celts in the Middle Ages, Northern Egyptian fellahin, Hindus, Latinos and Wiccans have included this beautiful tradition in their ceremonies.

Flower Ceremonies: During the blessing, the celebrant sprinkles rose petals over the heads of the bride and groom. Alternately, the wedding party can toss flower petals when the celebrant pronounces the couple husband and wife. Also, Build a Bouquet: An empty vase and long-stem flowers are on small circular table at the front of the ceremony space. As the bride and groom’s mother enter, they pick up a single flower and place it in the vase. The bridesmaids do the same as they enter. The bride and groom are then greeted by a beautiful bouquet created by family and friends.

Blessing/Warming of Rings: Wedding rings are placed on a small pillow or tied together with a ribbon. The best man (or a mature ring bearer) passes the rings among the wedding guests (or just to the immediate family) and asks them to silently say their good wishes or blessings for the couple. The pillow with rings is presented to the bride and groom before the ring vows.

Breaking Bread Ceremony: The bride and groom tear off pieces of bread, and then each eat a piece. Sometimes the bread is also shared with family and friends. It symbolizes their future as a family together. Variations: Parents may bless the bread. Other food can be substituted for bread. Food has special meaning in different cultures. Sometimes, the bride and groom taste something sweet and something bitter to represent all the experiences that they will face as a couple during their marriage.

Broom Jumping: An African-American tradition that has its roots in slavery times when slaves couldn't marry. Typically the family places the broom on the ground, and the bride and groom jump over it together. The broom can then decorate a place of honor in their home.

Bi-Lingual Elements: Celebrate your ethnic heritage by including a reading in your family’s native language or consider exchanging your vows in a language other than English.

The Unity Candle: one of the most popular ceremonies. The bride and groom each take a lit candle and simultaneously light a third larger "unity candle." They may blow out their individual lights, or leave them lit, symbolizing that they have not lost their individuality in their unity. Stores and websites sell unity candle setups or you can create your own with two side taper candles and a center pillar candle.
Variations: A representative from each family, often the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom, each light a candle. The bride uses the candle lighted by her mother to light a third larger “unity candle.” The groom does the same using the candle lighted by his mother. This represents the unification of the two families in the marriage of their children. If either of the couple has children from an earlier marriage, the children may participate in the candle lighting.

All guests are given a candle, and the first guest's is lit. Guests pass the flame until all are lit, and then the bride and groom together light their unity candle. This variation typically includes a proclamation that this ceremony represents the unity of friends and family supporting the couple in their marriage.

Ringing Bells: Sound your joy loud and clear by having your wedding party/guests ring bells or noise makers available at craft and party stores.

Blended Families with Children: For couples with children from earlier marriages, celebrate the creation of a new family by including the children in your wedding vows and as special participants in the ceremony. Presentation of keepsake jewelry or presents can also symbolize new commitments.

Special Family Tributes: Pay tribute to deceased members of your family or mothers, fathers, siblings or grandparents and acknowledge their special role in your lives.

Readings: Select short readings from poetry, prose or traditional religious materials that reflect your feelings and values. Readings are usually interspersed throughout the ceremony as the couple desires. It is a nice idea to include copies of your readings in your wedding program or have copies to hand out to your guests.

Create Your Own Ritual: It’s your wedding, your day. Create a special moment to remember.

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