Opening Words for a Wedding Ceremony

Whenever people come together for a formal occasion, some words are needed to “call the meeting to order”. The Opening Words of the ceremony are what your Celebrant or Officiant will use to do this, while also stating the purpose of the gathering.

For each selection in this opening words article, we provide alternatives to match the kind of ceremony you’re looking for. For example, we provide Traditional, Modern, Religious, Spiritual, and Romantic opening words from which you can choose.

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Sand Ceremony Vessels

The Sand Ceremony holds wonderful symbolism for your big day, and it’s a great substitute for a Unity Candle Ceremony when you’re getting married outside. Here’s a quick tip: Make sure you buy a vessel with an opening large enough for both of you to pour the sand into at the same time. This is true not only for a family with children, but also for just the two of you.

I performed a ceremony once where it looked like more sand ended up on the table than in the vessel. The couple were giggling, as were some of their guests, so it ended up being a happy mess, but it was still a mess nonetheless.

If you have your heart set on a Sand Ceremony vessel with a smaller opening, make sure you use a funnel (perhaps a nice glass decanter funnel) that will direct the sand neatly into the vessel.

Here’s an example of a funnel you can use: Clear Glass Decanter Funnel

And happy pouring!

Christmas Wedding Ceremony

Just in time for Christmas, we’ve added a Wedding Ceremony that reflects the season.

Our Christmas Wedding Ceremony of Light and Love features candles (lots of candles) and includes a Christmas Unity Candle, and seasonal piano music. Vigil candles will be held by the guests throughout the vows and the exchange of the rings. Those candles will be extinguished after the Unity Candle lighting in order to give the Unity Candle more prominence both in the ceremony itself, and in the light that it radiates. This ceremony should be held in a semi-darkened room in order to symbolize the light shining through the darkness.

The words of the reading are from “The Gift”, a seasonal favorite by Jim Brickman, and the reading background music is an instrumental version of that song. Finally, in a seasonal flush, the guests will ring bells as the Bride and Groom recess down the aisle at the end of the ceremony to the song “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” – a nice lead into a cocktail hour or dinner that might feature some upbeat Christmas music.

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Latest Updates

We’ve added some new material to the site. First off, there is finally a link to this journal. Also, we’ve added pages in a new category of the site… wedding receptions. In fact, there’s a whole new Wedding Reception Idea Center that we launched yesterday. It will include information on wedding reception events, activities, and music. You can access that here: Wedding Reception Idea Center. Right now it only includes Cocktail Hour information and music, but we’ll be adding as time goes on.
Beyond that, if you’re a Celtic Music afficionado, we now have a Celtic Wedding Music page that features selections for all the different parts of your ceremony, from the prelude to the postlude and everything in between. You can access that here: Celtic Wedding Music.

We’ve added a Google Plus One button to all the pages of our site so, if you like what we’re doing, be sure to visit and give us the old “plus-one.” And finally, be sure to visit our Coupons and Specials Center to find some great deals for your wedding.

That’s it for now. Hope you had a great Halloween, and that you’re enjoying the wonderful Fall weather!