“...Will thou respect him and value him as thou respect and value thyself?
If thou walk through dark places, will thou light his way? If the cold beats upon thee, will thou warm
him? If sickness threatens, will thou give him thy healing love? Does thou pledge thy fealty to
him for thy life's length?...”
— from a modern handfasting ceremony designed by Ingrid Heyn
There is quite literally no end to the beautiful and original vows that can be created for a bride and groom (as long as the minimum legal wording required in Australia is spoken).
For the bride and groom wishing to have personalised vows, they can create their own, or put forward ideas so that the celebrant can create vows specifically designed for them - or non-traditional vows from a variety of sources can be used. Your ceremony can be short and simple, or more elaborate, just as you wish.
The vows should be - as always - the centre of the ceremony. The rest of the ceremony should be designed around the vows that declare not only the taking of the bride and groom of each other in marriage, but also their values and lifestyle, the things that mean something to them, and the most beautiful way to express all of this.
If you want to combine elements from a Russian wedding, from a Thai wedding, from a Japanese wedding, from a Vietnamese wedding, from a French wedding, from a Persian wedding, or from any culture or tradition, to create something beautiful and unique for you, it can be done!
You can base your wedding theme upon films, books, fantasy, history, and more.
You can include the traditional with the different.
You may even want everything in your wedding to be created specifically for you. Your ceremony may not resemble any other wedding that's ever taken place, but it will be beautiful and perfect for you.
Remember that you don't NEED to include readings, have a best man or bridesmaids, exchange rings and wear a veil. These are options... but you can choose entirely new options. As long as the legal requirements of marriage are complied with, the rest of the ceremony is yours.
I will be happy to design your ceremony with your wishes in mind. I'll be giving you ideas and elements that could be wonderfully incorporated with your general idea of the ceremony, and with your input such ideas will be whittled down to a draft that is finalised after you're completely happy with it.
