Wedding Ceremonies

I know we said were working on a post about your wedding budget, but we're still working on it. Instead tonight we're sharing a few details about our own wedding cermonies and what we recommend to make you big day go as smooth as possible.

Things to think about when you're planning your ceremony; 

Is it casual or formal?
Outside or in a church or somewhere else?
Live music or a recording?
Pictures before or after?
Depending on your location, will someone need to clean up right away?
How will you and the wedding party get from the ceremony to the reception?
How much travel time will you need?
How big of ceremony will you have?

I believe with a ceremony you have to decide what kind of vibe you want to have. It is a really special time for you and your future spouse. I went intimate, ours was very meaningful to me especially. We took communion and everything at ours. It is not the traditional way to do things in our church but it meant a lot to Jess and I. It was a way of saying hey we know that we weren't planning on getting pregnant, it was a sin and we are not going to feel guilty about it. We gave it to God and were done with it. So personally our ceremony was just Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and first cousins. I honestly wouldn't do it any other way.

Exchanging vows and committing to spending my life with Tim was a very special time for me, and it meant a lot to share that with the people that we love. Our family is huge, our family's circle of friends is huge - whittling down a guest list was hard, especially for my mother. The comprise was an intimate ceremony, where Tim and I got to select the guest list and invite everyone else to the reception. I'm so glad we did it this way. Not only did save money—we had an outdoor ceremony so more people would have meant more chairs that needed to be rented—but it was also super special, and since we were close with everyone who was there, it didn't feel like a show. This is not to say that a large ceremony means your wedding is a show. Being with people we love and having a casual ceremony in my grandparent's backyard made it all feel so natural. And even though I always say, "if I were to have my wedding all over, I would have a Winter/Christmas wedding" I don't think I actually would. 

We also did some photos before the ceremony. This isn't traditional, but it's another thing I'm so glad we did. We still had a "reveal" moment, where Tim saw me in my dress for the first time, but we also had a moment for the two of us to take it all in alone. Plus if you're a crier, you have time to do a little touch up on your make-up.

Our day was perfect. Perfect for us. Make your wedding day, your version of perfect. I'll say this over and over again, don't let what other people think influence your decisions. As Mal would say, "just do you"


I have a couple pieces of advice for the ceremony is to have it at a place that means something to you. Whether this is the church you grew up in or your grandmas back yard, I think this just makes it that much more special and makes it feel more comfortable. I remember when I was planning I said to myself "I want to have the ceremony in one of my most favorite places." A few came to mind but one stuck especially. A piece of land my dad bought has always been one of my favorites ever since he bought it. I asked him one day if he thought we could make it work, and he said "I suppose it could," with a big grin. 


Something else I cannot stress enough is to have someone in charge on the day of. Not a family member or someone who is part of the wedding or pictures because those people will most likely be to busy. I had my moms best friend Jill and her daughter and lets just say they were a God Send. I took Jill out to my ceremony spot a day or two before the big day and let her know what I wanted it to look like and how I wanted the ceremony to go. I told her times and places that everyone should be. It was SO helpful because I knew she was taking care of decorations and getting people where they needed to be, that way I or my mother didn't have to worry about it all. We could just really enjoy the day. It was so great, She provided both the girls and guy's houses with food, checked up on us all, took charge of getting the ceremony decorated and set up, people in the right places for pictures, flowers picked up and delivered, the ceremony to go as it should have, and even stayed to clean up after while everyone was headed to the reception. To say the least Jill and her daughter made the day flow smoothly and made it so my family and I could really enjoy the day. Be sure to find someone like this!! You will be so glad you did. Find someone that you feel comfortable with and is very good at giving orders, trust me it will help. P.S. don't forget to get them a gracious thank you gift, they are a BIG part to your day.