Five Heartwarming Ways to Involve Family Members in Your Wedding Ceremony
Your wedding day is a celebration of love not only between you and your partner but also between families coming together. Involving children and family members in your wedding ceremony can make the day even more special, creating beautiful memories and strengthening the bonds that tie you all together. Here are five heartwarming ways to include your loved ones in your wedding ceremony…
Family Hand-fasting: Tying the bonds of love
Hand-fasting is an ancient Celtic tradition that symbolises the joining of two people in marriage. However, you can adapt this tradition to include your family members and make it a truly memorable experience.
In a family hand-fasting ceremony, you and your partner would hold each other's hands, and family members can take turns adding ribbons or cords, each representing a different blessing or wish for your marriage. As each ribbon is added, the bonds of love and support from your family grow stronger, culminating in a beautiful tapestry of colours and sentiments that encircle your hands.
This ritual not only invites your family to participate in your wedding but also allows them to impart their blessings and well-wishes, making your union even more meaningful. After you have ‘tied the knot’, you can frame your interwoven cords and keep them forever. Just lovely!
2. The Sand Ceremony: Blending Two Families into One
A sand ceremony is a symbolic and visually stunning way to involve family members in your wedding. It represents the merging of two families into one. Here's how it works:
You and your partner each have a different colour of sand in separate containers. During the ceremony, you, your partner, and select family members can take turns pouring your sand into a central container, often a beautiful glass vase. As the sands mix, they become inseparable, illustrating the blending of your lives and the unity of your families.
This ritual is not only visually captivating but also a powerful representation of the coming together of your families, forming a strong foundation for your new life together. It also leaves you with a gorgeous keepsake commemorating your special day. Cute right?
3. Ring Warming: Sharing Love and Good Vibes
A ring warming ceremony is a beautiful way to involve your family members in your wedding, giving them a chance to infuse your wedding rings with love, blessings, and positive energy.
Before the ceremony, your wedding rings are placed in a small pouch or dish, and it is passed around to your family members, who hold the rings for a moment and silently make a wish or offer a blessing. By the time the rings make their way to you and your partner, they will be charged with the love and warmth of your nearest and dearest.
As you exchange the rings during your ceremony, you'll be wrapping each other in the love and good vibes from your family, creating a deep and lasting connection.
4. Unity Candle Ceremony: Lighting the Path Ahead
A unity candle ceremony is a classic way to denote the union of two families. In this ritual, two individual candles, each representing you and your partner, are used to light a larger candle together.
To involve your family members, consider having two additional candles representing each of your families. Before you and your partner light the unity candle, you can invite representatives from each family to come forward and light their respective candles. This act not only demonstrates the unity of your families but also the love and support they provide as you begin this new chapter of your life together.
5. Tree Planting Ceremony: Growing Love and Roots
A tree planting ceremony is a wonderful way to involve family members and create a lasting memory of your wedding day. Choose a young tree that holds significance to both you and your partner, and during the ceremony, have each family member take turns adding soil to the tree's base or watering it.
This act epitomises the growth of your love and the deep roots that your families provide. As the tree grows over the years, it will serve as a living reminder of your wedding day and the love and support of your family.
Involving your family members in your wedding ceremony through these meaningful rituals not only makes your special day more memorable but also reinforces the bonds between you and your loved ones. Whether you choose the sand ceremony, hand-fasting, ring warming, unity candle, or tree planting, these heartfelt gestures will create cherished memories that you'll carry with you throughout your married life. Choosing a celebrant led wedding ceremony means that you have the freedom to include symbolic rituals that are perfect for you and your family. Get in touch if you’d like to find out more about how your ceremony can be personalised and all about you and your story.
