A lot of people worry about their wedding ceremony… from worrying about tripping in the aisle to messing up the vows, or just having everyone looking at them. But your ceremony can be the most wonderful celebration of love, and actually enjoyable! Not just something to get out of the way quickly.
Here are a few tips for getting the best out of your wedding ceremony, and getting the best photos.
Go Unplugged
An unplugged ceremony means that your loved ones will be present in the moment with you, there won’t be unflattering angles of you walking down the aisle, and their faces will be in your photos instead of their devices.
Walk in slowly
You don’t have to go at a snails pace, but please don’t run! Not only does it mean it’s harder to get a clear shot of you, but it won’t help your nerves and it’ll probably mean your entrance song keeps going for ages after you’ve walked in!
You can choose anyone you like to walk you down the aisle, even walk in together if it helps. There are no rules!
Leave a gap between each person
Sticking with the aisle for a moment, plan ahead the order in which everyone will walk down the aisle, whether that will be solo or with someone, and then make sure they know not to go until the aisle in front of them is clear, the person before them should be at their seat. Make sure everyone smiles, looks at whoever might be waiting at the bottom, and again – no running!
Get close… but only to each other!
When you get to the bottom of the aisle (or is it top? I never know), don’t stand too close to the celebrant otherwise the photographer and/or videographer may struggle to get you both in the frame. But do stand super close to each other, I promise you that you will look and feel so much better if you are holding hands/hugging/generally making physical contact, rather than stiffly and formally standing apart.
Say your vows to each other
For the vows, face each other, say them to each other (not your celebrant), and you can still be holding hands. Don’t worry about messing up. I’ve actually had several ceremonies where the registrar has completely messed them up – my favourite being when one actually said “awful wedded wife” – and they do them all the time! Everybody laughed, and everybody instantly relaxed.
Plan your space
If you are having people come up to do readings this can be really lovely, but may require a little planning ahead to make sure there is space for everyone. If you have a photographer, videographer, two registrars and yourselves but only a small area, it can get a bit crowded. If there is no way to make more space at the front, ask your celebrant to step aside so that the reader can take their spot, and tell the reader the plan.
Also – Your readings can be fun, they don’t have to be serious!
KISS!
Please make your first kiss last more than a second. Or if that really horrifies you, at least have a hug!
Plan your exit
After the ceremony it’s sometimes obvious that no one knows what to do. If you plan on going straight into confetti, ask your celebrant to announce it, tell your wedding party to follow you out, ask them to start handing out confetti if it’s not something the venue are helping with. Just generally make sure the important people know what’s happening next. Then, when you come back up the aisle, this could be to a fun, celebratory song maybe, same rule applies – don’t run! But do enjoy it! Pop your bouquet in the air, have another kiss, whatever feels good!
Bonus Tips
- Incorporating music/singing is a great way to have a bit of fun with your ceremony and help you to relax.
- Humanist/Friend led ceremonies really help a couple to inject their personality into the ceremony part of the wedding day.
- If you are having a church wedding, please tell your vicar/minister that photography is important to you, otherwise they may not always allow it.
- If you feel nervous, remember that everyone is there because they love you, they are all on your side!
