7 Wedding Ceremony Rituals

Wedding traditions and rituals are no new thing, from tie snipping in Italy, pinching the bride in Egypt for good luck, pea throwing in Czech Republic the list goes on. Although you may not wish to be pinched, have your expensive tie snipped or have peas in your recently styled hair, wedding rituals and traditions can make your ceremony more personal, touching and unforgettable. Some have their roots in religion, others are just to make show your unity. Here are just a few!

Candles

Lighting candles during the ceremony has been used by many nationalities as showing the unity of the couple and the coming together of two families. Consider having important people in your life light two smaller candles at the start of the ceremony which you use to light a third larger candle to show unity between you all.

Sand Ceremony

A wonderful alternative to the candle lighting unity ceremony. The couple mixes sands, to show their 'togetherness'. Both of you have a little bottle of sand, perhaps collected from a place which is important to you or in two different tones. You then pour the sand into a third bottle

Balloons

Releasing of balloons at the end of the ceremony adds happiness and joy to the day, it also involves all your guests and coul be fun if there are lots of little ones

Memory box

Something to treasure for the future, create a small memory box which you will open in a year or years to come. Write each other a heart felt letter, put in a good bottle of wine and you'll already have the perfect first anniversary sorted. During the ceremony the objects are placed in a box which you seal together

Wine blending

Taking two bottles of wine which you blend together in a glass which you then sip together represents the two of you joining together

Tie the knot (literally!)

Why not really tie the knot during your wedding ceremony? Objects have long been tied during wedding ceremonies and it shows the bond between the two of you. Consider tying a knot together in length of beautiful fabric or tying a chain of flowers in a figure of eight around your hands

Throwing rice

A sign of fertility & life giving (you could also consider birdfeed!), throwing rice as the couple walk down the aisle is an ancient tradition. Throwing petals can be a rather softer alternative, too!