05 Apr Our favourite Ceremony Enhancements
Ceremony Enhancements
“When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.”~ Arrigo Boito
Ceremony enhancements are symbolic rituals adding richness and flavour to your ceremony. They are inclusive, grand gestures designed to honour your union, the renewal of your vows, or indeed your baby’s Naming Day. Some of the most popular ceremony enhancements we are asked about include Celtic Handfasting, Unity Candle Ceremony and the Sand Ceremony but there are lots more to consider. You can include these ceremony enhancements in ceremonies where it’s just the two of you or 250 guests and more. They are also great opportunities to include children or other guests particularly the sand ceremony and wishing stones.
We would love to chat to you about any of these and discuss ways to include them in to your ceremony. We have included details below about some of the most popular ceremony enhancements but this list is in no way a definitive list and all of these enhancements can be customized and personalized.
Celtic Handfasting
Hand Fasting dates back to ancient Celtic times, and is where we get the expression “Tying the knot”. It is one of the oldest forms of marriage under Brehon Law and dates back beyond 7,000 BC. It is becoming increasingly popular and we usually perform handfasting ceremonies after the vows and rings are exchanged. We can use chord or coloured ribbon and there are many ways we can perform this lovely ceremony enhancement by incorporating many different coloured ribbon, each colour representing a gift bestowed upon the marriage, or by including children or guests to present the ribbons used. The ties represent the bind of the vows made and the knot represents that which, like a good marriage, strengthens under pressure. We love including a Celtic Handfasting in our ceremonies and have used anything from ribbons to scarves to caving ropes, even dog leads. A lot of couples make their own by combining pieces of material symbolising different stages of their lives; lace from a grandmother’s wedding dress, material from a favourite dress, a college scarf…..there are lots of options. We can also improvise if the groom happens to break their wrist a few days before the ceremony (it happened). The show can go on!
The Sand Ceremony
Jessica Danilo Photography
A Sand Ceremony is a unique way to symbolize two lives becoming one and is also a great way to incorporate children or family into the wedding. A sand ceremony represents the coming together of two people or two families into one new family. It is a very simple idea that can be incredibly powerful. Typically, each person has different sand collected from their favourite beaches or different coloured sand and take turns pouring it into one clear vessel, forming a layered effect. Sometimes just the couple participates, and sometimes the couple’s children join in with their own sand.
The sand ceremony is popular because it is so visual. The couple can decorate their vases, colour their sand and forever smile at the unique blend that serves as a symbol of their love. The advantage of the sand ceremony is that there is a lasting memento to display in your home. Sand is also a better choice for an outdoor wedding since wind is less of a concern than it is with a candle. Being beside the coast, sand is also readily available from numerous fabulous beaches, but don’t make the mistake of not drying the sand before the ceremony! It gets stuck in the bottle and will give everyone the giggles. The sand ceremony is typically included before the rings and vows are exchanged.
Here is an example of what might be said during the sand ceremony:
“As these containers of sand are poured into the third container, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one.
Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, may your love and bond remain inseparable”.
Unity Candle Ceremony
Paul Duane Photography
Most of us are familiar with the traditional Unity Candle Ceremony. It can be included at any point in the ceremony but we typically include it after the Welcome section. A Unity Candle set consists of two slender candles (called tapers) and a large center candle. They are usually white candles. Typically two close family representatives light the outer candles at the beginning of the ceremony. The two outer candles represents the couples individual lives before the wedding ceremony including their families and life experiences. Lighting the center candle symbolizes the union of two individuals, becoming one in commitment.
Wishing Stones/ Wishing Trees
Mrs RedHead Photography
If you are having a small number of guests at your ceremony, the Wishing Stone ceremony enhancement is a really lovely way to include your guests. The ritual of the Wishing Stones is a wonderful way to include everyone in your wedding ceremony. When guests arrive at the ceremony, they are given a Wishing Stone along with a permanent, fine-tipped marker to write their wish for you directly on the stone or a small note to write their wish for you on it. They then place the stones and note in to a jar which the couple will have forever and can often dip in and out to look at the wishes their guests bestowed on them. It’s also a really nice idea for a baby naming ceremony and something similar to a wishing tree where notes and wishes for the baby are pinned to a tree, or placed in a keepsake box for the child to open when they are 18.
Ring Warming
This usually works best with a small number of guests. The rings are placed in a small bag or tied with a ribbon (for safe keeping) and passed around the guests before the ring exchange. The guests are asked to hold the rings and silently bestow good wishes to the couple. The rings eventually get passed back to the couple before the ring exchange. It’s a fabulous way to include all of your friends and family. If the bride and groom forget to bring their rings to the ceremony, don’t fret. Between your celebrant, photographer, videographer and musician, we will be able to gather some rings to use for the ring exchange 🙂 We always have options.
Wine Box Love Letter Time Capsule
This is a really unique ceremony enhancement to include. A few weeks before your big day, you both write a letter to each other in private. You can include anything in your letter; your hopes and dreams for the future, the reasons you fell in love, funny or memorable stories of your time together up to now. Bring your letters to your ceremony along with your favourite bottle of wine/whiskey/non alcoholic beverage and place them in a box during the ceremony. The wine box should be opened on your 5 year anniversary where you will read each other’s letters while enjoying a glass of wine or whatever you have chosen. However, if your marriage hits a stumbling box and you need to be reminded of your love for one another, open it some evening and all the reasons you are together will come back to you and it will remind you of the commitment you made to each other through good times and bad. We usually include this before the vows and rings are exchanged. We are often found on the Cliffs of Moher officiating ceremonies and we like to ask the couples to take a sip of whatever they have chosen during the ceremony. It’s symbolic but also useful on a cold, windy day as it warms up each couple. On a cold November day, our adventurous couple were very happy with the tea I brought with me to sip during the ceremony.
Oathing Stone Ceremony
Steeped in Scottish roots, the Oathing stone ceremony ritual came from a time before wedding rings could be forged from metal, when couples entering marriage wanted to have a deeply symbolic way to show their commitment to each other. A stone or rock is symbolic as it is part of the earth, ancient in age and a strong symbol of life. It is a sign of strength and endurance. It’s probably also where we got the expression “You are my rock” which also means “You make me feel safe and give me a strong foundation”. A lovely sentiment to begin married life together.
You can pick a stone from your favourite beach or your garden. During the ceremony the couple will both hold the stone while saying their vows to each other and they will literally be casting their vows in to stone. If you have a small number of guests you can ask each of them to hold the stone for a few moments and pass on their best wishes and love for the couple before they exchange vows.
The Rose Ceremony
The couple exchange two roses, symbolizing the giving and receiving of their love for each other throughout their married life.
This ceremony enhancement brings a touch of elegance, romance and beauty. The Rose is seen as a universal symbol of love, of life, and of forgiveness.
Tree Planting
The planting of a tree as a ceremony enhancement is especially significant as it serves as a visual symbol of the growth of your relationship. As the tree grows, so too does your love. Clara recently officiated a ceremony where the couple brought soil from their childhood homes and their current family home and combined the soil to plant an apple tree. The different soil represented their individual families, friends and interests and by combining all of the soil together, it symbolised the bringing together of their families and friends forever.
A beautiful message shines through with this enhancement, for just as the tree needs to be nurtured to keep it alive, so too does your love. This ceremony enhancement works well with the poem by Ilan Shamir, Advice From a Tree.
“Seek nourishment from the good things in life,
Simple pleasures,
Earth, fresh air, light….
Drink plenty of water
Let your limbs sway and dance in the breeze
Be flexible
Remember your roots
Enjoy the view”
We are very lucky to meet so many couples from so many different countries with their own traditions and rituals and we love representing different traditions in our ceremonies; we have included wedding rituals and traditions from Russia, Greece and The Philippines to name but a few. We would love to chat about your ceremony and work with you to make it personal, memorable and meaningful. To find out more, contact us on info@coastalceremonies.ie or have a look at some information on our ceremonies.
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