Planing a last minute wedding ceremony can be a little hectic to say the least.
You’ve said to yourselves ‘the ‘wedding’ can wait – we just want to get married!’ because you know that starting married life together is way more important than having an extended party.
After all, it’s the vows (those beautiful life-long promises) that you’ll make to each other, out of love, in your ceremony that are the heart of your marriage- nothing else.
If that’s you what you’re thinking – you’re incredible and I want to help you make your wedding ceremony plans come together as easily as possible.
So I’ve put together my top 5 tips on how to plan a last minute wedding ceremony. They are simple things you can do to personalise your ceremony that won’t take a lot of time to sort 🙂
PS I can tell you having shot several last minute wedding ceremonies this year, that they are some of the best weddings I’ve been to. They are no less joyous than a wedding with 10 times as many people there!
1) Have one simple floral arrangement
Most couples want to add a bit of colour up at the front and opt for an elegant floral arrangement. This will bring your venue to life a little more with some added warmth and vibrancy.
(If your ceremony will be in a registry office, they generally won’t allow time for a florist to come in and make everything look great prior to your ceremony)
You might have thought about other areas of décor like signage and programmes, but don’t stress about making when you are pushed for time – they are nice touches but they are not going to add much to your day in my opinion.
Or maybe you’ll decide to ditch the décor altogether? Your guests will only be in the ceremony area for a short time, so some couples like to save money here.
2) Choose music that means something to you!
When you walk down the aisle why not choose to do it with music means something to you both? Maybe it’s the melody from your favourite film or a song with lyrics that resonate with you as a couple – maybe it’s something you heard on your first date?
This doesn’t take long to plan and it will personalise your ceremony.
Maybe you could even have a family member that could play your song on piano?
3) Go Unplugged
Would your rather see your guests’ expressions and reactions as you come down the aisle or see their smart phones?
Allow your guests to stay in the moment with you. Ask them to leave their cameras to one side for the whole ceremony. Just ask for a quick announcement from the front to be made the last minute before the start of your ceremony- before you make your entrance.
That way, they won’t feel the urge to hijack the aisle and turn your procession into a mass photo-shoot!
You’ve hired a pro photographer to take care of your wedding photos, so you don’t need 10 poor quality photos from your guests of the exact same moment.
Your wedding photos will also thank you for going ‘unplugged’ because they won’t be filled with phones but joyous faces.
4) Ditch writing your own vows
Don’t pen personal wedding ceremony vows at the last minute if you don’t have time to think them through with the attention that they require.
The vows you’ll make are already deeply personal anyway because you’re only making them to your spouse and no one else. Ceremony vows include promises to love, honour and care for each other for all of your days together- you can’t get much bigger than that!
5) Throw confetti after
Nothing say’s ‘Woo-hoo! We did it!’ better than being doused in colourful confetti while everyone cheers you on Plus, it’s a great way to kick off the party!
Check with your venue before your ceremony where you can throw the confetti and let your guests know in advance that confetti is on the cards. Most venues will have an area where they’ll allow you to do it and it certainly should not be a problem if you are using bio-degradable confetti.
BONUS TIP – Ceremony Start Time
Wedding ceremonies typically last between 20-30 min including the wedding party’s entrance and exit. The duration may be longer if you are having a religious ceremony with hymns and an address as well as readings.
If you are getting married in the autumn/ winter, plan to hold your ceremony no later than 2pm because, depending on the length of your ceremony, you could only have hour before dark which will really constrain time for getting candid shots of guests, group shots and couples portraits!
In the summer, the reverse is true. You might want to have a mid-afternoon ceremony so that you are not getting married in the heat of the day (this is particularly something to consider if you are getting married outdoors).
I hope you’ve found theses last minute wedding ceremony planning tips useful. If you want to jump to the micro wedding page again just click here
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]