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Tips for a non-traditional wedding ceremony

I’m sure you’re familiar with a traditional wedding ceremony structure, but what do you do if you and your partner are looking for something a little less traditional and a little more personal? When it comes to creating a wedding ceremony, the world truly is your oyster. Apart from a few legalities that need to take place in order to make things official, the structure, timing and small details of the wedding ceremony are entirely up to you.

Your wedding celebrant will be able to give you a good overview of weddings they’ve done in the past – things that work well and others that really don’t. However, if you want to throw the traditional wedding ceremony format out the window, but you’re not sure where to start, here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Walking down the Aisle

Who walks whom down the aisle is completely up to you (you don't even need to have an aisle). Whether you want to stick with traditional and have one person waiting at the end with their bridal party and the other walked down by their parents (or parent-like figures in their life) or throw this completely out the window is up to you. Here are some ideas to mix things up:

Both walk down together
Your guests can be ready and waiting and when a song starts up (or your celebrant get everyone whooping and cheering) you both walk down together. This can be a really fun start to the ceremony and will get the energy up from the beginning. It also makes things less nerve-racking for the two of you.

You're there to greet guests
If you're not into the whole spectacle of walking down the aisle, a relaxed way to start is to greet your guests as they arrive at the ceremony location.

Both walk down the aisle separately
So you both want your time in the sun? No worries, you can both be walked down the aisle with your loved ones, preceded (or not) by your bridal parties.

Who says you need to walk
This is where you can get creative and put your own spin on the traditional. Dance down the aisle, ride a motorcycle or cartwheel. Get down by any means you like!

Something other than a reading

Unless there is a particular reading that you LOVE (maybe it's Mariah Carey's We Belong Together) I suggest going for something a little more personal. There's nothing like a reading of 1 Corinthians to get some eyes rolling. Here are some ways you can mix it up a bit:

Bring in your cultural heritage
Ask members of your family or take a look around online to see if there are any customs from your culture that you could incorporate in the ceremony.

Ask different people to speak
Incorporate your loved ones by asking them to create their own speech for the ceremony. You could include people who aren't in your immediate family but who will provide a fresh perspective or funny story from your youth.

Have a musical interlude
If you or your partner are musically inclined you could do a song for the other person or ask a musical family member to rehearse a song.

Work with kids and animals
Include your children (furry or otherwise) in the ceremony by giving them a special job or allowing them to stand with you for the ceremony.