TIPS FOR YOUR WEDDING CEREMONY
In light of all the details we must pay attention to, here are eight practical – real-life – remainders I consider essential to keep in mind:
1. get involved
Do you know the meaning behind the Rice Shower? Or where the tradition to invite a Best Man and a Maid of Honor come from? Or even why the bride carries a flower bouquet?
In a wedding ceremony, each detail carries a special meaning that often goes unnoticed because we are unaware of its true significance.
With that in mind, we have prepared a series of posts at Casamento & Co. discussing the origins and the meanings of the most common wedding traditions in Brazil: The White Dress, the bouquet and even the side a bride enters the ceremony escorted by her father – all have a purpose that most people don’t know about (if you think these are only protocol, you are mistaken!).
The idea is to use this knowledge to engage and imprint the most significance to each step of your ceremony, valuing its every moment in a conscious and meaningful way.
PS: and if there is a symbolism you have seen around and would like to understand it better, in order to decide whether to include it in your own ceremony, ask us, and we will try to learn more about it – maybe your idea can become a post in the series, you know?
2. altar: the stage for the I Do
I always say I have a dream: To see the wedding culture change and start appreciating the altar with the same enthusiasm as the cake table.
Even after all these years celebrating weddings, I confess it never fails to intrigue me that the altar often consists of a small table with a simple little flower vase, whereas the cake table is filled with cute objects, several flowers, and even hanging decorations. The contrast baffles me, because the ceremony is the stage for some of the wedding’s best photographs: The photo that goes into that special frame in your new house is often the one of the kiss!
Besides that, the altar is also the stage where both of you will be looking during the ceremony, and it needs to be designed as part of the rite of passage, and in my opinion, it should touch your hearts with immense beauty. All your senses can contribute to the way you two feel, so it’s worth taking the time to think about this stage.
3. choose your playlist carefully
We don’t always know the key part to your ceremony: The most relaxing task of all: Set an afternoon aside just to listen to the songs (wedding songs) that are the soundtrack to the beginning and most important moments of the relationship.
There usually are seven key songs, which are listed below, but everything can be adapted according to your wishes, ok?
For the wedding procession:
- the Best Man and Groomsmen and the Maid of Honor and Bridesmaids
- the Groom
- the Bride (with or without the Wedding March?)
- the Rings
For the wedding exit
- Receiving Line
- Groomsmen and Bridesmaids’ exit
- Bride and Groom’s exit
4. vows
It’s true that the wedding vows are one of the most anticipated moments of the ceremony, and we are huge enthusiasts. It’s so personal, so exciting! On the other hand, we believe there is nothing, absolutely nothing mandatory in a ceremony, except for the Bride and Groom to be at ease and comfortable, so if you are shy and don’t feel comfortable with the idea of reading a longer text in your wedding, don’t feel like you have to do it.
For this, we have come up with an entire post about the subject: Besides tips, there are also some templates available for download. We hope it will help you!
enviem
–
nos os textos dois dias úteis
antes
do casamento para que possamos leva
–
los impressos em um papel bem bonito
–
e assim vocês não precisem
se preocupar com nada no dia.
tips for your vows
+ TEMPLATE TO HELP YOU WITH THE TEXT
Oh, and if you decide to write your own vows, or even if there is a speech or a wedding message, please, send us the text three business days prior to the wedding so that we can print them on nice paper and take them to the ceremony – so you don’t have to worry about it on the day of the wedding.
5. speeches
It is so beautiful when the Bride and the Groom ask someone dear to them to say a few words of affection during the ceremony – if you like the idea, we will set aside and prepare a special moment during the ceremony for it to happen. But it’s important to keep in mind that the person invited to make the speech feels truly comfortable doing so. After all, we want to honor them, not make them nervous, don’t you think?
In order to help your dear one we have created the post below. Send them the link!
best man’s speech: tips
+ TEMPLATE TO HELP WITH THE TEXT
Oh, and our deadline to print the material, so that the person you choose doesn’t have to worry about it on the wedding day, is the same deadline for the vows: Three business days prior to the wedding!
6. receiving line
The hugs and greetings we are given in the receiving line are some of the best of our lives! This part can be carried out in several different ways, but the two most usual ways are as follows:
Traditional Receiving Line (2 songs)
The bride and groom move towards their bridesmaids and groomsmen to separately greet them on one side of the altar. The couple then switches sides and greets the remaining bridesmaids and groomsmen. Finally, the couple meet back at the altar, where they wait for the party to exit.
In this case, two songs are necessary: one for the receiving line and another for the exit.
Modern Receiving Lines (1 song)
The bride and the groom stay by the altar and wait for the greetings. The bridesmaids and the groomsmen walk up to them, greet them and exit.
This option is ideal for brides with a voluminous dress, or even when the bride and the groom prefer to go through this part a bit faster – but still make a point to receive the greetings of such a special moment!
7. celebratory materials with rito cerimônias
Rice Shower / Soap Bubbles
We explained the meaning behind the love rain in another post, but the important thing for you to know is that several establishments forbid the use of rice – and that’s ok! Whether you choose rice or soap bubbles, we will bring enough to make the photos look great!
Ring Bearer Pillow
In case you don’t want to think about it,
we have a small ring bearer pillow to lend
Printing
So that no one has to worry about it on the day of the wedding, we will bring the vows and any other speech printed on beautiful, elegant and matching stationary, and we’ll leave them by the altar. One less thing to worry about!
8. body and soul
The last tip is, most likely, the most important of all: Don’t forget, not even for a second, the real reason for your wedding.
Take a deep breath, and as you walk down the aisle, forget everything else: All the details you planned are important, but above all other things it is important to be present in this moment, because you are about to commit to the love of your life.
Be present, body and soul.