Top Trends for Personalising Your Wedding Ceremony
By Caitlin Hoare
Couples are increasingly breaking with tradition to create wedding ceremonies that reflect their personalities, values, and sense of fun. From splitting the legal and celebratory components across different days to choosing a best friend as officiant, the possibilities for personal touches are endless. Unique venues—be it a favorite restaurant or a scenic outdoor spot—help set the stage for décor that matches your style, whether boho rugs, candles, or festival-inspired flags. Pre-ceremony cocktails, rethinking the processional, writing your own vows, and including meaningful rituals all add depth and individuality, making the ceremony truly a reflection of your love story. Ultimately, a handful of carefully chosen elements will ensure a memorable celebration that centers on your commitment to one another.
Your wedding ceremony is the heart of your big day, but that doesn’t mean it has to feel formal or predictable. More and more couples are ditching tradition and injecting personality, fun, and creativity into their ceremony to make it a true reflection of their love story. From unique venue choices to personalised vows and non-traditional rituals, there are endless ways to craft a ceremony that feels authentic and unforgettable. Whether you're planning a grand celebration or an intimate elopement, here are some of the top trends for making your wedding ceremony as unique as your love story.
The ceremony might be at the heart of any wedding day, but let’s be honest, it’s sometimes seen as the “boring” bit before the real fun begins. With traditional ceremonies lasting up to 90 minutes, it’s no wonder they get a bad rap! Luckily, Gen Z is here to shake up all things wedding planning - if you want to create an awesome ceremony that’s engaging, fun and reflects you as a couple, here are just a few ways to personalise your celebration.
Have a separate legal ceremony for double the fun!
Having a separate legal ceremony before your official wedding date means you can really let your imagination run wild when it comes to your wedding day—Do you want to get married at your favourite festival, at the top of a mountain, or during a skydive? Anything is possible! Having a legal ceremony on a different day means that you can have the best of both worlds - an intimate family ceremony and a fun-filled wedding party with all your friends and family! Plus, you get to wear not one but two show-stopping outfits if you want!
Ask your ride or die to officiate
What better way to create a wedding ceremony that’s totally unique to you than to have your bestie run the show?! Another bonus to having a separate legal ceremony is that you can choose whoever you like to officiate the ceremony on your wedding day, and they don't even have to get ordained! Having a loved one officiate can make for a ceremony that feels intimate and heartfelt - just make sure you choose someone who is super comfortable with public speaking! If they're not up for it, working with a wedding celebrant can give you an equally personalised experience.
Choose the right wedding location
When it comes to choosing your ceremony location, don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Traditional wedding venues are great, but if you want to have a really memorable wedding day, then consider the places that mean something to you - what about that old building with a family connection, your favourite restaurant, or an outdoor location you both love? If you’d rather hire a wedding venue for the whole celebration, then look for one that really reflects your personal style or that offers a blank canvas for you to unleash your creativity on!
Personalise your wedding decor
Whether you’re having a casual backyard ceremony or saying your vows in a luxury hotel, you will likely put a lot of time and energy into your wedding decor. While it might not seem as important as your reception decor or table arrangements, carrying your wedding aesthetic through to your ceremony decor is a great way to add a personal touch to your nuptials.
If there’s one thing that Pinterest shows us, it’s that the possibilities are endless when it comes to wedding ceremony decor! There are so many options, from boho-chic with trailing greenery and a bunch of eclectic vintage rugs to luxe romantic with pillar candles and a custom ceremony backdrop, or even an all-out festival with flags and festoon lights - the choice is yours!
Kick things off with cocktail hour
It might be tradition to save the drinks for the wedding reception, but this is your wedding, and you make the rules! Greeting your guests with a signature drink upon arrival is a nice way to welcome them to your celebration and help them relax and get into party mode! Choose a welcome drink that matches the vibe of your wedding, be that waiters serving classic cocktails or a wheelbarrow full of bottles of craft beer - and don’t forget something tasty for the non-drinkers!
If you want to go all-out non-traditional, then why not join your guests for cocktail hour before the celebrations get going? You’ll cram in more time with the people you love and can lead them in a procession to the ceremony together rather than walking down the aisle.
Buck tradition on your wedding day
You might want to stick with the traditional giving away of the bride, but if you're a same-sex couple or just looking to eschew tradition, then there are lots of ways to make this part of the ceremony your own. One of the most popular alternatives is to do a “first look” just before the ceremony and then walk down the aisle together. Still, you could also be accompanied by your pet pooch, your bestie, or even a bridal party conga line - after all, why should one person have all the fun?!
Writing your own vows
For some couples, traditional wedding vows are an important part of their celebration, but for others, the wording can feel old-fashioned and impersonal. Writing your own vows is one of the most popular ways to personalise your wedding ceremony, and the good news is you don’t have to be Shakespeare! Personalised wedding vows give you both the opportunity to share your love story with your friends and family whilst also making promises that are meaningful to the two of you rather than generic vows.
Include an extra special ritual
The exchanging of rings is one tradition that most people are keen to keep, but what if the symbolic ritualism didn’t end there? The wedding ceremony is the perfect time to share a personal ritual that speaks to both of you and the commitment you’re making, whether it’s a unity ceremony, having a traditional handfasting, or having your guests bless your wedding rings.
There are many reasons to include a personalised ritual in your wedding ceremony, from honouring lost loved ones to marking the beginning of a new chapter as a blended family. The key to making your ritual feel personal and intimate rather than performative is to choose something that really feels aligned with your beliefs and to avoid cultural appropriation at all costs!
These are just a few ways to add a personal touch to your wedding ceremony - if you want to find more, then wedding websites and Pinterest are your friends! Ultimately, your wedding ceremony is all about the commitment you're making to each other, so to avoid detracting from this, just pick a handful of ideas and do them well!