Wedding Ceremonies

While traditional wedding ceremonies are still popular, many couples today are choosing to have non-religious, alternate, secular and themed wedding ceremonies.

An important role of your wedding officiant is to guide you in planning and creating a memorable and personal wedding ceremony. This overview of different wedding ceremonies will assist you in finding the starting point to the creation of a personal and memorable wedding.

Religous Wedding Ceremonies

Denominational; A denominational religious wedding ceremony includes the rituals and prayers that are traditional to your religion and it's beliefs, such as Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Lutheran, etc.

Non-denominational; A non-denominational religious wedding ceremony uses wedding elements, prayers and traditions that are common to all (or most) Christian religions.

Inter-faith; An inter-faith religious wedding ceremony uses a combination of the elements, prayers and traditions from one or more religions. It is also known as a multi-faith or interdenominational wedding ceremony.

Spiritual Wedding Ceremonies

A wedding ceremony that is spiritual but not religious typically uses wording and elements that reflect the couple's values through spirituality instead of religion. Some spiritual wedding ceremonies use rituals or passages that are specific to alternative beliefs, such as Paganism, etc.

Secular Civil Ceremony

A secular civil wedding ceremony does not use religious or spiritual references. It often contains elements and rituals that have significance to the couple. Often, a secular civil wedding ceremony will have an underlying theme of love, romance and partnership.

Cultural Wedding Ceremonies

Single Cultural Ceremony; A single cultural wedding ceremony uses the traditions of one specific ethnic or cultural group, such as a Hawaiian, Italian, Celtic Wedding, etc. A single culture wedding can be religious, spiritual or civil while maintaining the traditions of the relevant culture.

Multi-Cultural Wedding Ceremony; A multi-cultural wedding combines the traditions of more than one culture, typically the heritages of the bride and the groom. Like a single culture wedding, a multi-culture wedding ceremony can be religious, spiritual or civil.