What is the secret to planning a modern wedding?
There are three key elements in all aspects of modern wedding planning. Personalisation, choice and connection.
They are the factors in modern wedding planning which can make the difference between an ordinary wedding and an extraordinary wedding. They are relevant to each and every one of your wedding suppliers.
You will choose all your wedding suppliers because they get your vibe and will accurately reflect your personal taste.
So why is it that the personalisation of the wedding ceremony, which some would say is the most important part of the day, is the one element that is so often sidelined?
Wedding venue
Obviously this is a very important part of your wedding planning and rightfully the first job on your list.
There is so much choice when it comes to wedding venues. Barns, castles, vineyards, country houses, private gardens, the beach, a woodland. The list and choices goes on and on.
Whichever of these you choose it will be somewhere that fits in and enhances the theme of your day. You will have a connection with it. It will feel authentic and personal to you and a representation of who you are.
Wedding photographer
Another important decision in your wedding planning is your wedding photographer.
Your wedding photographer will be with you throughout your day and possibly even beforehand to take engagement photographs.
You will meet them and look carefully at their portfolio of work. You will choose a photographer with whom you have a connection.
It will be someone with whom you feel comfortable and confident that he or she will document your wedding beautifully and in way a that works for you.
Wedding food
Aside from the food itself, your budget and the presentation, you will choose a caterer who you will enjoy working with and connect with. They will ‘get’ you and will be someone who understands your vision and concerns and is generally personable.
Having had a menu tasting you will have chosen a menu that compliments your personal style. In short, you chose them, felt a connection and have asked them to make it personalised to you.
Wedding Florist
Like your photographer you will choose your wedding florist because you like their style. You believe that they understand your vision and ideas and will create arrangements that meet your brief.
There are many brilliant wedding florists. You will doubtless have followed a few on Instagram, drawn up a shortlist and armed with your pinterest mood boards will meet them to discuss your vision.
In the end you will choose the one that aligns with your taste, who you get along with and who will bring your dream to life. Again it will be your personal choice.
What you wear
Your wedding dress, the bridesmaids dresses and indeed what the groom and groomsmen wear will all be to your personal taste and chosen by you both. So many decisions but the common theme remains the same.
Wedding ceremony
Your wedding ceremony is the one area where personalisation, connection and choice do not seem to be prioritised. Is this because couples are unaware that they have a choice?
The ceremony is the focal point of the day yet the personalisation of it is so often overlooked.
More often than not the ceremony will follow the same generic template time and time again. This may not matter to you.
It seems strange however to have poured your heart and soul into all the elements mentioned above and then settle for a ceremony with absolutely no individuality.
This does not have to be the case. There are choices that will ensure that your ceremony is as highly personalised and individual as the rest of your wedding planning.
Type of ceremony
In the main the choice is either a church wedding or a civil ceremony led by a Registrar in a licensed venue. There is little or no personalisation at all permitted in either.
If you have chosen a church wedding you will have some connection with your vicar.
If you have elected to go down the civil ceremony route with a Registrar you will not meet that person until the morning of your wedding.
A complete stranger will be officiating at one of the most important events in your life.
How to personalise your ceremony
To personalise your wedding ceremony you need to use the services of a wedding celebrant. Wedding celebrants work closely with couples creating highly personalised wedding ceremonies.
Just like all the other wedding suppliers we have talked about above; you will choose your wedding celebrant.
He or she will be someone who specialises in the style and tone of ceremony you have been dreaming of and compliments your vision.
Over the months you will work closely together sharing with them personal elements about your lives as well as amusing anecdotes. A real trust and connection will develop.
Your wedding celebrant really values your input and provides ideas and help about ceremony design and content and will help when needed with writing your vows, music suggestions and readings.
This close collaboration will result in a highly personalised and individual wedding ceremony.
On the day of your wedding you will know the person who is officiating. He or she will not be not a stranger but more a friend and a reassuring presence.
Don’t forget the importance of your wedding ceremony
Your ceremony is the reason why there is a wedding reception or party. You and your guests are celebrating your love and your relationship. In short your marriage.
Surely that ceremony is worthy of real personalisation.
To achieve this you choose and connect with a professional wedding supplier, a wedding celebrant.
He or she will craft a highly personalised ceremony reflecting your vision of your day just like all the factors of your wedding planning.
My thanks to www.novaweddingphotography.co.uk, www.nickwphotography.com, www.dhyphotography.co.uk, Vaughan Stephens Photography and www.farwoodphotography.com for the use of their images.