Non-Traditional Ceremony Ideas to Steal for Your Wedding Day

The ceremony for the bride and groom is a very important (and special) time on the wedding day! It is the moment when vows are exchanged, promising to love each other through thick and thin. In traditional weddings, wedding bands are placed on the ring finger, the “I dos” are said, and the now-married couple proceeds down the aisle holding hands! Traditional ceremonies are timeless– there’s no reason to mess with the classics. But what about non-traditional ceremony ideas?

For the couple who wants to shake things up, going the non-traditional route can be way more fun, personal, and unique. There are so many options to make your ceremony your own and do things in a less-than-traditional way!

Non-Traditional Wedding Ceremony Ideas

Below is a selection of ideas for your wedding ceremony that prove non-traditional options can be just as sweet, sentimental, and meaningful!

Play a Song Together

Photo via: Anna Kay

For a couple who is musically talented, including music is a no-brainer. Performing a song together at the ceremony can create a memory to last a lifetime!

Grandma as the Flower Girl

Photo via: Jason Domingues

Appointing the grandparents as flower girls is a creative (and loving) way to include more family members. We’ve also seen a recent trend of adult men as ring bearers, which makes for quite a spectacle.

Walk Down the Aisle Together

Photo via: Jen Fariello

What’s more meaningful than walking down the aisle together? If you want to make a statement with your entrance, proceed to the altar with your soon-to-be spouse. A sweet way to change things up while being intentional!

Include Your Furry Friends

Photo via: Ashley Izquierdo

Pets are family, so why shouldn’t your furry friends stand beside you on your big day? Though certainly non-traditional, it’s a fun idea to incorporate your pets in your wedding ceremony.

Incorporate Cultural Traditions

Photo via: Jenny Quicksall

To personalize your ceremony, incorporate traditions from your culture, or put a spin on them. Jumping the broom represents putting the past behind and starting a new life together as a married couple!

Write Personalized Vows

Photo via: PorterHouseLA

Writing your own vows is a way to show love to your future spouse, with friends and family as witnesses. Even if you use traditional wedding vows, writing each other love letters to read privately before the ceremony is extra meaningful.

Include Your Children

Photo via: Roxy Hotten

For the blending of families, including the children is a wonderful way to make them feel included in their parents’ marriage. A new family is being created so that makes it a special day for each parent and child. Invite your kids to be a part of your wedding party!

Use an Unconventional Venue

Photo via: ElectricSugarElopements

A famous non-traditional wedding venue in Las Vegas is actually considered a “junkyard.” It’s inexpensive and different from the normalized wedding venues and makes for a perfect colorful backdrop for small weddings or an elopement.

Use Creative “Bouquets”

Photo via: Addison Jones

Having the bridesmaids hold items other than flowers will turn heads and be loved by guests! Choose from lanterns, ornaments, floral hoops, or another creative idea to switch things up with a personal touch.

Have a Friend Officiate

Photo via: Dylan Howell

Having a friend or family member be the officiant eases stress and creates memories for couples. Someone who knows the couple well is perfect for the job of wedding celebrant!

Create Your Own Unity Ceremony

Photo via: source

Another unique idea for your ceremony is inventing your own unity ritual. A unity candle ceremony, sand ceremony, tying a rope into a knot, and mixing your own bottle of wine are all creative ways to show the joining of your lives.

Plant a Tree Together

Photo via: Anna Delores

A tree planting ceremony is one example of a unique twist on a unity ritual. Planting a tree together signifies starting a new life as a married couple that can be planted in your future home!

The wedding of you and your significant other can be whatever you want it to be! Non-traditional or not, always remember to create loving memories with the friends and family closest to you that will last a lifetime!

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