
Incorporate your own ritual!
There are many ways that you can personalise your day; please consider incorporating one of these options, at no extra cost, although I am happy to create or customise a celebratory ritual at your request.
As part of your wedding ceremony, choose a special ritual, symbolising the love and prosperity of your union.
Handfasting Ceremony
Handfasting is originally an ancient Celtic tradition, taken from the term “hand-festa” meaning “to do a deal by joining hands” it is from where the quirky idiom, “tying the knot” originates. In ancient Britain, it was traditionally the way that couples were officially married before the Church became involved in weddings.
Unity Candle
This is such a lovely way of conveying that the power of the light is strong, and that the fire of passion is hot, when the flames from two separate candles can become one on a larger Unity Candle. It is a way of bringing together two individuals from different families and backgrounds to represent a powerful new union.
The Wedding Ring
Perhaps you need to be brave and patient with this – there’s all manner of potential hiccoughs – but if this ritual is stage-managed properly, it can be memorable for the very best of reasons. You can have a whole guest list or a selected few who get to hold the wedding bands, whilst blessing them with wishes, silent or spoken, before passing them back to the couple for the exchange.
Jumping the Broom
A time-honoured wedding tradition in which the couple jump over the broom together at the end of the ceremony, symbolising a new beginning, a welcoming of the new and a sweeping away of the old. It creates a symbolic threshold for the couple to cross over into their new life together.
Wine Ceremony or Loving Cup
The use of the Loving Cup, or Quaich, at a wedding is an ancient Celtic tradition; the cup is a two-handled bowl with ornate Celtic design engraved. Its purpose is to provide a vessel from which the newly married couple drink to toast their marriage.
Sand Ceremony
The Sand Ceremony can be meaningful when joining a couple who already have children, although it is also perfect when there are locations or places of travel that have been significant to the relationships of those present at the ceremony.
Significance of Colours
For all of these ceremonies, you might consider the use of colour as a means of conveying your hopes for the union or your respect for your partner’s resonant qualities. The meanings attached to them can form part of your vows and promises to each other:
- Red: Love, strength, fertility, courage, health, vigour, passion.
- Orange: Encouragement, adaptability, stimulation, attraction, plenty, kindness.
- Yellow: Attraction, charm, confidence, balance, harmony.
- Green: Fertility, luck, prosperity, nurturing, beauty, health, love.
- Blue: Safe journey, longevity, strength.
- Purple: Healing, health, strength, power, progress.
- Black: Strength, empowerment, wisdom/vision, success, pure love.
- White: Spiritual purity, truth, peace, serenity and devotion.
- Pink: Love, unity, honour, truth, romance, happiness.
- Brown: Healing, skills, nurturing, home and hearth, the earth.
- Silver: Creativity, inspiration and vision, protection.
- Gold: Unity, longevity, prosperity, strength.
“Over the past few months I have found it very hard to get back into the swing of getting married due to restrictions. I can honestly say we have come away from Julie feeling positive for our day and for our future.
And about becoming Mr. and Mrs.”
Shaan French
