 |
|
 |
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
|
|||
 |
|||
|
First of all, you will have to decide on what type of
wedding you want to have. This will depend on the amount of money you want
to spend, the number of guests you want to invite, where and when your
ceremony and reception will be held, and the degree of formality you want
your wedding to express.
Types of weddings
A Formal wedding means that you basically want to conform to strict
traditional rites both of the church and of secular society. Generally, a
formal wedding is larger both in size of wedding party and number of guests
invited, and features more elaborate decorations, attire, invitations, and
reception arrangements, than a semiformal or informal wedding.
Semiformal weddings basically stay with tradition, but everything
is slightly less elaborate and more flexible than a formal wedding.
Semiformal weddings may take place in a church, a club, or a hotel.
An Informal wedding can be either a simple ceremony or you can let your
imagination go to work. Informal weddings normally have a smaller wedding
party and fewer guests than formal or semiformal weddings.
Wedding locations
If you plan on a church
wedding, you should make an appointment to meet
with your clergy-person as soon as possible after you set your wedding
date. He on any premarital requirements, such as counseling, that the
church may require. He can also answer any questions you may have
concerning the ceremony itself. He can guide you in the selection of music,
any church wedding customs, and help you with special vows or other
liturgical elements you would like to have in your wedding service.
He will also be able to tell you if there are any
restrictions concerning church flowers, photography, fire laws, church
capacity, availability of kneelers and other equipment, and dressing
facilities for attendants.
If you are planning to have a civil ceremony, you should talk to the
justice of the peace or judge who will marry you to set a date, time, and
place for the ceremony.
You may decide to have your wedding ceremony in a hotel or club, with either a civil
or religious person officiating. Keep in mind that many of the items you
will need may not be supplied, so you will have to rent them. Check with
the hotel to see which items are available.
A home wedding can be formal or informal. Keep in mind the number of
guests that your home can comfortably accommodate. Don’t move all the
furniture out just to make more room or you will lose the "homey"
atmosphere you wanted in the first place.
If you plan an outdoor
ceremony, keep in mind that the weather may not
always cooperate and have an alternate location readily available.
Reminders
The ins and outs of creating a ceremony program
If you are going to have printed wedding programs,
generally the following information is included:
Program Title
This section is generally positioned at the top of the
inside left-hand page for programs with full cover designs and usually
includes the following:
Despcriptive Phrase
Bride’s Name
Groom’s Name
Day and Date
Time
Ceremony Location
City and State
Some suggestions for the descriptive phrase are:
Order of Service
The Order of Service outlines the individual service
segments – Prelude, Processional, Solo, Invocation, Scripture
Reading, Marriage Ceremony, Lighting of Unity Candle, Benediction,
Recessional, etc. Depending on faith, the customs and liturgical
terminology will vary. It is best to consult with your officiant regarding
the service.
A Sample Order of Service:
Prelude: Can be Solo [parents, grandparents ushered
in]
Bridesmaids Processional: “Cannon” by
Pachelbel
Bridal Processional: “Bridal Chorus” by
Wagner
Welcome and Prayer by Officiant
Reading by friend, family member, or officiant, etc.
Solo: “Only God Could Love You More” by
Niles Borop & Dwight Liles
Wedding Message by Officiant
Marriage Rite
Lighting of the Unity Candle by Bride/Groom
Solo: “your choice of music” Wedding
Prayer
Lord’s Prayer
The Blessing of the Marriage/Benediction
Recessional: “Wedding March” by
Mendelssohn or “Trumpet Voluntary -D” by H. Purcell
Other items to include are music titles with
composers, book and poem titles with authors and/or readers, scripture
passages with readers, hymn titles with hymnal page numbers, words for
short congregational prayers, and any special notations. Generally, there
is not enough room to include entire songs or readings. If these items are
not available in church hymnals or prayer books, they could be printed on
the back side of the program. Permission to reprint copyrighted material
must be gotten from the respective publisher.
Participants
Participants can be grouped and sequenced using titled
headers to separate the groupings, or everyone can be listed in a logical
sequence under the single heading, “Wedding Participants.” Be
consistent with respect to naming individuals. Names should be preceded
with titles such as Mrs., Ms., or Miss. Given names should be used, instead
of nicknames.
wExample :
The Wedding Participants
Parents
Mrs. Carol Smith and
Mr. Philip Smith
Mrs. Mary Jones and
Dr. Ralph Jones
Grandparents
Mr. Russell Martin
Mrs. Alice Larsen
Matron of Honor
Mrs. Alicia Bright
Friend of Bride
Bridesmaids
Miss Kari Kraemer
Friend of Bride
Ms. Debbie Smith
Sister of Bride
Best Man
Mr. Craig Rosenberg
Friend of Groom
Groomsmen
Mr. Joeseph Casselli
Friend of Groom
Mr. Mark Carter
Cousin of Groom
Flower Girl
Miss Shellee Turner
Niece of Bride
Ring Bearer
Mr. Brian Martinson
Nephew of Groom
Ushers
Mr. Harry Tilson
Friend of Groom
Mr. Chris Fisher
Friend of Groom
Pastor
Rev. Mathew Edwardman
Organist
Mrs. Janet Meier
Friend of Bride
Soloist
Mr. Martin Anderson
Friend of Couple
Message and Notation Section
This section can be positioned at the bottom of the
right-hand page or on the program’s backside if blank. Short personal
messages or expressions of thanks to the guests from the bride and groom
are very appropriate and make for a lasting keepsake. As an alternative to
the personal message, a special prayer, poem or short quotation might
nicely express your feelings. Notations regarding the reception,
picture-taking restriction, viewing of gifts, new home address or other
information necessary for guests should be at the bottom of the page.
Following are some samples of personal messages or
expressions of thanks you may want to have printed on your wedding
programs, or spoken during the ceremony.
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
