We are joining two families with the bride and groom joining in marriage. Instead of seating the bride’s family and friends on one side and the groom’s on the other of the church, why not seat guests as they arrive starting at the front seating from side to side?
All guests want to sit by the aisle, why not seat guests from the side aisles?
Other unique ideas for less formal wedding:
- How about, instead of having two “sides,” arrange seats in a circle and recite your vows surrounded by friends and family.
- Why not replace chairs with couches or benches?
- For outdoor ceremonies, seat guests on cloth-covered hay bales, picnic blankets or even on heaps of large Moroccan-style cushions?
The expression “tying the knot” actually dates back to Roman Times when the bride wore a girdle secured by a knot. On the wedding night, the groom then had the honors of “untying the knot.” The couple’s lives were then tied together. Rituals of binding were also popular in ancient Carthage. The couple’s thumbs were laced together with a strip of leather. In India, the Hindu groom knotted a ribbon around his bride’s neck, and once tied, the marriage was legal and binding. For much of history the rope was the most powerful way to connect things and people. So, it made sense to talk about “tying the knot.”
The Unity Candle symbolizes the joining together of two separate families and has become increasingly popular over the years. Basically, its a tall candle that stands, unlit, between two smaller, lit candles during the ceremony. One of these smaller candles is placed in the bride’s side and the other is on the groom’s side. After you are pronounced husband and wife, you each take your respective candle, meet at the Unity Candle and light it with your joined flames. Some brides and grooms choose to light the Unity Candle on their own, while others have parents and other members of their families join them. For those couples marrying for the second time, it is an especially appropriate way to include children from their first marriages in the ceremony and to acknowledge the uniting of two families as one.
The saying, “Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” is a popular rhyme that has been used since Victorian times. The “something old” represents the bond to the bride’s family and her old life; “something new” represents the couple’s new life together and their future hope for happiness, prosperity and success; “something borrowed” from a happily married woman is meant to impart similar happiness to the bride; and “something blue” represents fidelity and constancy.
You don’t have to round up everyone for that “one big, happy family” shot, but you do need to include your stepmother in your wedding photos. Leaving her out is bound to hurt her feelings—and your dad’s—and affect your relationship with them. Meet with your photographer ahead of time to discuss the types of photos you want and which members of your family should be included. An experienced photographer is sure to have dealt with divorced-family situations and can offer some expert advice on how to handle potential problems. For instance, plan to have photos taken of you and your fiancé with your parents and then have additional shots taken of the two of you with your father and stepmother. Your dad will have a keepsake, and both of them will appreciate your generosity.
I meet an event planner at a networking meeting and she has the greatest idea. As an event planner, she plans a separate reception for the children in an attached room. Saving both the guests and bride and groom some expenses and headaches.
