Weddings that are held around a holiday can be extremely festive since the celebration tone has already been set by the holiday itself.  Whichever holiday you’re planning your wedding around, you’ll want to incorporate part of that holiday’s essence, not only into the decorations and reception atmosphere, but also into the wedding ceremony.  Let your vows reflect that holiday’s spirit and meaning.

  ~  A New Year’s wedding is perfect for focusing on new beginnings.  Your vows can communicate the wonderful anticipation of what is to come; a new journey to be traveled together. 

  ~  A Valentine’s weddingis already the perfect backdrop for a romantic’s dream.  Vows can incorporate selections from any one of a thousand classic poets. 

  ~  A Thanksgiving wedding lends itself nicely to expressing the immense gratitude you feel for the gift of your spouse.  You can also extend that thankfulness to your family, friends and guests as well.

  ~  A Christmas wedding brings with it a wonderful picture of God’s blessed gift to mankind and to you as a couple.  Acknowledging your commitment to Him and to each other in your marriage reflects the absolute love and commitment which was manifested on that first Christmas day.

Personalizing your ceremony is a great way to keep the tradition and yet have a wedding that is uniquely your own.  You can personalize a wedding ceremony several ways. 

The most common is through your wedding vows.  As long as you feel comfortable expressing yourself in front of all of your guests, this is a perfect way to let the ‘real you’ shine through.  The trick is to totally ignore everyone else in the room ~ easier said than done, however. 

You can also personalize your ceremony through music or specific readings during the ceremony.  Choosing a poem or song that has special significance to the two of you is a wonderful way to bring extra meaning to the whole ceremony.

Symbolic gestures or ceremonies can also be added to reflect your personal style.  The unity candle is very popular but you can also do a variation on this idea.  Handing both mothers a flower from the bride’s bouquet can also symbolize the unifying of the two families.  I recently attended a wedding where the parents and grandparents were invited to the front to form a circle around the couple and participate in a blessing of the bride and groom.

How ever you decide to personalize your wedding ceremony, be sure to check with your officiant first.  Some denominations may have restrictions that you’re not aware of.

Writing your own wedding vows is a very special time of reflection, but here’s a fun way to bring a little levity into the wedding rehearsal.  Take a break from the serious heartfelt emotions that will be given at the actual ceremony and write separate vows for the rehearsal.  Include some of the sillier times you’ve spent together, or the quirky little habits that you love about each other.  

The rehearsal is meant to be fun and these mock wedding vows can help to lighten the mood and set the tone for the remainder of the evening.  With your fiance’s permission, you can even write about the more embarrassing moments of your dating experience.  However, don’t go overboard and start insulting or making fun of your fiance.  After all, this is a wedding rehearsal, not a ‘roast’.  Even when writing these ‘practice vows’ you’ll want to keep ‘love, honor, and cherish’ in mind.

Here’s a sampling of some wonderful quotations that are perfect for use in wedding vows or wedding toasts. 

“The love we give away is the only love we keep.” ~ Elbert Hubbard 1927

“Where love reigns the impossible may be attained.” ~ Indian proverb

“Unable are the loved to die, For Love is Immortality.” ~ Emily Dickinson 1864

“To me, fair friend, you never can be old, For as you were when first your eye I eyed, Such seems your beauty still.” ~ William Shakespeare 1600

“All thoughts, all passions, all delights, Whatever stirs this mortal frame, All are ministers of Love, And feed his sacred flame.” ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1799

“Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery 1943

“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave.  It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.  Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.  If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.” ~ Song of Solomon 8:6-7

If you use a quotation or a Bible verse in your wedding vows, consider copying that verse onto a small die-cut piece of parchment card-stock and attaching them with ribbons to your wedding favors.  This not only gives your guests a wonderful keepsake, but they will also take home a reminder of the vows you shared.

Deciding to write your own wedding vows is a big step.  Putting your feelings into words that you feel comfortable sharing with a group of strangers can be daunting to say the least.  Here are a few suggestions to help you get started.

1.)  Try looking through pictures of times you and your fiance spent together.  Recall the feelings you felt during those times and jot down simple words or phrases that you can later put into sentences.

2.)  Focus on your first impressions when met and how those impressions have grown and changed.

3.)  Where and when was your first kiss?

4.)  Where did he/you ‘pop the question’?  How did you feel? 

5.)  Analyze the reasons you know this person is ‘the one’ for you.  What are some of the things your fiance does or says that you particularly love.

6.)  How does this person make you feel during your special times together?  During sad times? 

7.)  How do you think your life will change after you’re married?   

8.)  Spend an evening together discussing your feelings and what you would really like to say to each other in your vows.  You could like to include a quote or a Bible verse, and build on that idea that it represents.

Above all, be yourself; genuine and sincere.  Speak from the heart and let the love you feel be expressed in your words. 

Trying to think of that perfect wedding gift for your husband or wife-to-be can be difficult.  Here’s an idea that may just be what you’re looking for. 

Write a special poem, or if you’re writing your own wedding vows, you can use that.  If you know how to cross-stitch, or know someone who does, have it cross-stitched and framed.  You can even create an open space in the cross-stitch which can be used as a frame for your wedding picture.  Be sure to include names and your wedding date.

This not only makes a wonderfully sentimental gift, but it will be a lifelong reminder of those all-important vows you made on your wedding day.