Gina and David (not their real names) had a traditional Catholic wedding. That was important to them. But they also wanted a way to create a memorable wedding celebration.
They succeeded - big time.
You see, I was a guest in that wedding. I sat in the congregation and watched all of the pageantry of their tradition with the interest of a friend to whom their tradition meant little.
To this day I remember very little of the traditional part of their ceremony. I could not tell you what the priest looked like or what he wore. I do not know if the church was full or empty. I do not remember the wedding favors or the wedding cake topper. I remember a beautiful dress on a gorgeous bride standing next to her tall, dark, husband-to-be in his tuxedo as essentially the same nuptial ceremony I had seen in every wedding droned on.
I do remember, though, this one thing they did to set their wedding apart from every other wedding: They had taken the time to put together a slide show and narrative of their own personal love story which ended as David sang a song that he had written for the occasion.
That slide show, complete with music that was meaningful to them, did more to draw me into the moment than anything else at that wedding. It drew the congregation in and allowed the couple to savor the moment.
When I think back on that day several years ago, I think first of the bride and groom standing in the front of the church with pictures they chose to share with their friends and family on that day projected on the screen behind them. Some of the pictures were hilarious. Some were tender, but they all shared a little more of the couple than any of us beyond the family had known before.
You don't have to use a slide show to accomplish this same objective at your wedding.
In my own wedding, my sister wrote a story about the development of our relationship which was read at our reception - but she wrote it in the vein of the old ways of our own family traditions, as if it had been written a hundred or more years ago. It was hilarious, and it has spawned many more similar events.
Consider your situation. Is there some way that you can share the story of your romance that will draw your friends and family into the story?
Perhaps for you it's making a U-tube style video to play at your wedding.
If one of you is an accomplished musician you could write and perform a special song for your wedding ceremony and / or reception just as David did.
Maybe you have some talented friends you want to engage to put together a sketch to entertain your wedding guests and share your story at the same time.
Maybe you want to hire a minstrel to write a witty song about your story and entertain your guests at the reception.
Maybe you have an even more creative idea to personalize your wedding...
The possibilities are really only as limited as your imagination and the dividends in creating a memorable wedding celebration can be great.
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