Last week, a wedding officiant in one of my online groups, described her most recent wedding. At the point where most officiants prompt the ring bearer or best man to come forward with the rings, a golden hawk swooped from the sky, perched on the best man’s arm, and delivered the rings. Wow.
Certainly not a DIY feature, but it clearly illustrates just how creative couples can be in exchanging their vows and in this case, their rings.
[youtube mOqU9fbudfY Owl Ring Bearer]
Most of my couples tend to be reserved in their ceremony planning. Occasionally, the location is unusual or they have a theme wedding, but golden hawks descending from the sky to deliver rings is certainly over the top unusual. Perhaps the best man was a trained falconer and was able to do this for the couple without it being cost prohibitive. And this is my point, that although not exactly falling under the DIY category, couples have greater resources at their fingertips than they can imagine, if only they do imagine.
Sure, couples ask cousin Lilly with the great voice to sing during the nuptials, or Uncle Henry the awesome florist to provide the flowers, but what about your friends or family who can really shake things up a bit? I’m not talking about the reception, I’m talking about the ceremony itself.
Obviously, I agree that a wedding ceremony is a significant moment in the lives of a couple, and perhaps that is why most couples stick to the norm, rather than risking a three-ringed circus event, but we’re not talking about clowns and acrobats here, although I’m certain it’s been done!
My point is that there can be aspects within each couple’s reach that can make their ceremony stick out in everyone’s mind as being unique and memorable. Most couples don’t cross over that line and stay within what is considered the safe norm zone. But it doesn’t have to be overly distracting or in bad taste. (And whoever said that “A little bad taste is like a nice dash of paprika” was spot on!)*
Planning a beach wedding? Why not have talented friends sculpt in the sand to define your wedding space with something uniquely you? Or have a scuba diver emerge from the depths with a mermaid bride to give away to her groom? (OK, I admit that I’m one wedding officiant with an over active imagination.)
Even a theme wedding, in which guests arrive in theme clothing or in one particular color, would put a fun twist on the day.
Sometimes, you may even be able to get your officiant to dress the part or participate in some capacity as part of your theme or idea. All you have to do is ask and you’d be surprised by how flexible your guests and wedding vendors might be in order to participate in a fun concept.
Often, humor saves the day and relieves tension built up over the weeks preceding the wedding. Why not interject a little bit of fun and creativity into your wedding ceremony? After all, it isn’t a funeral.
