Peace, love, nature, boho-flavors and ethereal vibes; if this is the stuff that inspires you, then you just may need to start planning a hippie wedding ceremony!
Unique and special, if you don’t know how to plan such a ceremony, we’re here to get you through it!
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What is a “Hippie” Wedding Ceremony?
A “hippie” wedding ceremony is more about the styling than anything else. Eclectic and organic in the decor, it’s not a celebration that takes place with a lot of luxurious accents or glamour.
Instead, you’ll be able to cut your budget and go with things that are more casual and relaxed. Your guests will feel welcomed and the bride and groom will be much more at ease.
Do You Need to be a Hippie to Have One?
Of course, you don’t have to be a self-proclaimed “hippie” to have a “hippie-styled” wedding or wedding ceremony. You just need to be inspired by the culture!
Do you love the outdoors? Do you love lush floral designs and mismatched decor? Do you love free-flowing fabrics and living your life at peace with your loved ones and well within nature too? If you answered yes to those questions, you fit the bill!
The Origins of the Hippie Ceremony
The “hippie” movement came pouring into the U.S. during the 1960’s among the youth, so it’s easily assumed that it’s also when the first hippie weddings started to take place as well.
Surrounded by peace, love, respect for nature, experimentation with art & music, the hippie lifestyle became not only a new way of life but a fashion trend and a style icon all its own.
Essential Components of a Hippie Wedding Ceremony
There are several “essentials” that one needs to successfully plan and execute a hippie-styled wedding ceremony. So, if you’re planning one of these boho-inspired celebrations, grab your pen and notepad and start taking notes.
Location & Venue
As for the wedding location & venue, you must know that hippie weddings usually take place outdoors. Therefore, a great idea for you would be to help your ceremony in a park.
However, you should check thoroughly and pay all the taxes required, since you are using a public place. If you want to avoid paying such taxes and if the garden of your house or a loved one’s allows you to hold such a ceremony, then you should definitely have your hippie wedding at home in the backyard!
Decorations & Flowers
Considering the decorations of your wedding venue, you should go for some natural flowers. You may create a colorful background, but, you shouldn’t exaggerate and combine more than three or four shades.
Focus on a lot of neutrals and a lot of interesting textures. Choose unconventional seats, such as: couches and chairs that don’t match.
Music
When it comes to music for your hippie wedding ceremony, it’s all up to you and what inspires you. Go with more ethereal sounds or earthy vibes. Some great choices include:
- Blackbird by the Beatles
- Light My Fire by The Doors
- Good Times, Bad Times by Led Zepplin
- Get Together by The Youngbloods
- Better Together by Jack Johnson
- Hallelujah by Jeff Beck
- Come Away With Me by Norah Jones
- 1, 2, 3, 4, by Feist
Invitations, Save the Date Cards, & Programs
Our first instinct for advice to give regarding the stationery of a hippie wedding would be to stick with something handmade. Get down and dirty with some crafts and personalize your own invitations, programs and the like.
But, if you’re not at all creative, then you can at least find something that gives off that same vibe and fits in that same cozy, free-flowing ethos. Neutrals, nods or homage paid to your outdoor venue, watercolors and more unique wording, these are all ways to transform tradition into something more bohemian.
Planning Your Ceremony
When it comes to the more serious or “official” part of the ceremony, we all have to remember that just because the style may seem more relaxed it doesn’t take away from the importance of the moment.
So, if you’re worried about which route to go when it comes to this part of the celebration, keep reading and taking notes.
How Formal is Too Formal? How Relaxed is Too Relaxed?
Formality is left up to the couple getting married. What are you envisioning? What are you comfortable with? Decompress a bit with this thought, you can have a hippie wedding that’s more formal or more relaxed, it’s completely up to what you want because it’s your wedding. Just use some common sense!
If you’re getting married in a field, you don’t want your guests showing up in black tie attire. But if you’re having a more ethereal event in a loft or an outdoor tent, you could have your loved ones show up in dressier clothes if you prefer!
Readings
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered here too. If you’re searching for some readings that coincide with the theme of your big day, check out these examples.
“love the life you live.
live the life you love.”
― Bob Marley
“Song of Songs”
“I am my Beloved’s
And he is mine.
Come my beloved,
Let us go forth into the field;
And lodge in the villages.
Let us go up early to the vineyards;
Let us see whether the vine has budded,
Whether the grape has opened,
And the pomegranates are in bloom;
There will I give thee my love.
The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
And at the door are all manner of precious fruits, new and old
Which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.”
—Anonymous
“May your love be firm, and may your dream of life together be a river between two shores—by day bathed in sunlight, and by night illuminated from within. May the heron carry news of you to the heavens, and the salmon bring the sea’s blue grace. May your twin thoughts spiral upward like leafy vines, like fiddle strings in the wind, and be as noble as the Douglas fir. May you never find yourselves back to back without love pulling you around into each other’s arms.”
—James Bertolino
Officiants
When it comes to officiants, again, this is completely up to the comfort level of the bride and groom. If you want something rooted in religion but nothing too specific or over-the-top, find a nondenominational minister that you feel comfortable with – if you don’t already have on in your life.
Of course, family or friends can head the ceremony as well. All they have to do is get ordained. Then you have the freedom of creating a personalized ceremony from the ground up!