Extending Your Wedding: Creative Ways To Lengthen The Ceremony

Planning a wedding ceremony can be challenging, especially when it comes to timing. While some couples prefer a shorter ceremony, others may want to extend the celebration. Here are some ways to make your wedding ceremony longer:

- Include additional elements: Consider adding symbolic unity ceremonies such as a sand ceremony, ring warming, or candle lighting. These rituals can add a meaningful touch to your wedding.

- Readings and music: Invite family or friends to do readings or play meaningful music. You can also include cultural traditions or personal touches such as a favourite song or a funny poem.

- Pre-ceremony activities: Host a cocktail hour or provide snacks and favours for your guests before the ceremony. This adds time for mingling and ensures that latecomers don't miss the main event.

- Processional and recessional: If you have a large wedding party or multiple family members, the process of walking down the aisle and back can take extra time.

- Location change: If your ceremony and reception are in different locations, factor in the travel time for you and your guests.

- Photos: Allow extra time for taking photos with family, the wedding party, and just the newlyweds.

Include a ring blessing

A ring blessing is a wonderful way to extend your wedding ceremony and involve your guests in a meaningful way. Here are some ideas to incorporate a ring blessing into your special day:

Ring Warming Ceremony

A ring warming ceremony is a unique and inclusive way to extend your wedding ceremony and actively involve your guests in blessing your marriage. Before the ring exchange, the wedding officiant will ask all guests to participate in warming the rings with their love and well-wishes. The rings are passed around, and each guest holds them briefly, infusing them with their silent prayers, blessings, or wishes for the couple's future. This ceremony is a beautiful way to connect with your guests and create a lasting memory.

Blessing of the Rings

Including a blessing of the rings is another way to extend your ceremony and imbue your wedding bands with symbolic meaning. The officiant can recite a blessing, such as:

> "May these rings remind you that your love, like the sun, warms all that it touches, like the moon, brightens up the night, like the eye, is a gateway to your innermost soul. And your love, like the arms that embrace you, makes everything right with the world."

Timing and Logistics

To ensure a smooth ring blessing, consider the following:

• Assign a trusted person to oversee the ring blessing and ensure the rings' safe passage.
• For larger guest lists, consider starting the ring blessing before the ceremony or during guest arrival.
• Use a string or ribbon to secure the rings and prevent them from being dropped. Alternatively, place the rings in a small dish or box.
• If you wish to include everyone, run a string or ribbon down the rows of seats and pass the rings along.
• For a more intimate blessing, involve only the parents and wedding party before the ceremony.

Benefits of a Ring Blessing

A ring blessing adds a personal and heartfelt touch to your ceremony. It allows your guests to actively participate in your celebration and express their love and support. This tradition is also inclusive, accommodating religious and non-religious guests, as they can offer silent blessings according to their beliefs.

Including a ring blessing in your wedding ceremony is a beautiful way to extend this momentous occasion and create lasting memories with your loved ones.

Add a unity candle

Unity candles are a relatively new tradition, primarily found in the United States. They are a popular and beautiful way to symbolise the joining of two people and their families.

The unity candle ceremony involves two taper candles and a larger pillar candle (the unity candle) placed in the middle. The ceremony begins with two representatives, often the mothers of the couple, coming forward to light their respective taper candle. Later in the ceremony, after the vows, the couple will each take their taper candle and together light the centre pillar candle. This symbolises their new unity and the joining of their two families. The taper candles are then placed back in their holders and left to burn.

You will need two taper candles and holders, and a larger decorative candle with a holder or plate. You can customise the candles with colours, scents or shapes. You will also need a table or stand to hold the candles and decor, and a lighter or matches.

The unity candle ceremony usually takes place after the vows or ring exchange.

Who lights the taper candles?

You can decide who lights the taper candles. They might already be lit when the ceremony begins, or you could ask a parent or friend to light them as a way of involving more people in the ceremony.

The officiant will talk about the meaning of the two candles and the symbolism of the two flames joining as one. They might say something like:

> "These two flames represent all that you are as individuals – the spark and light that you bring to life. The two of you bring such joy to the people in your lives. You burn brightly, shining with an unstoppable curiosity and passion, hope, and determination. Today, the light and joy you bring to life is doubled. As you light the unity candle together, let its warmth remind you that neither of you outshines the other. You are two twin flames, dancing, daring, and burning brightly. As you join together, let the flame you create light your path forward in happy and harmonious union."

Have a sand ceremony

A sand ceremony is a great way to lengthen your wedding ceremony and make it more personalised. It is a tradition full of symbolism, representing the joining of two individuals and the creation of a new union.

Decide Who Will Participate

Traditionally, a sand ceremony involves just the couple, with an officiant overseeing and explaining the ritual. However, some couples may want to involve their parents or children to symbolise the unifying of families. Discuss with your partner and/or your officiant who you would like to include and ensure you give them enough notice to practice.

Choose Your Sand and Containers

You can use two colours of sand, or more if you wish to include other family members or friends. The sand colours can be chosen to match your wedding colour scheme or can be selected based on their personal significance. For example, you could use sand collected from a beach or spot that holds a special memory. The sand can be purchased from a craft store or online, or collected from a meaningful location.

For the containers, you will need two smaller vases and one larger vase. These can be regular glass vases or something more sentimental, such as a family heirloom or a meaningful gift. The containers should ideally be clear or transparent so that the sand can be easily seen.

Select the Timing

The sand ceremony should take place during the wedding ceremony itself, after the couple has exchanged their vows. Agree with your partner and officiant on the exact timing so that you are aware of when to start pouring the sand.

Prepare the Set-Up

Before the ceremony, place the sand in the smaller containers and set up a small table or platform with the containers and a copy of the script for the officiant.

Perform the Sand Ceremony

When it is time for the sand ceremony, the officiant will read a script explaining the symbolism of the ritual. The couple will then pour their sand simultaneously into the larger vase, creating a unique blend of sand that symbolises their union.

Save Your Unity Vase

Once the sand has been combined, you can either pour it out or cork the vase to save as a keepsake of your special day.

The sand ceremony is a simple yet meaningful way to lengthen your wedding ceremony and involves your loved ones in a beautiful and memorable ritual.

Include a reading

Including a reading is a great way to lengthen your wedding ceremony and involve your family and friends. You could opt for a religious reading, a poem, or an excerpt from a novel, film, or song. Here are some ideas for readings to include in your wedding ceremony:

Religious Readings

If you are having a religious ceremony, you could include a reading from the Bible. Here are some examples:

• 1 Corinthians 13
• Matthew 19:4-6
• Ecclesiastes: 4:9-12
• Genesis 2:24-28
• Mark 10:6-9
• 1 John 4:10
• Romans 12:9-16
• Colossians 3:12-17
• 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:8

Poems

Poems are a popular choice for wedding readings. Here are some examples:

• "Love Sonnet 17" by Pablo Neruda
• "Untitled" by R.M. Drake ("You will be the clouds and I will be the sky...")
• "Untitled" by R.M. Drake ("But dear, don't be afraid of love, it's only magic.")
• "The Art of Marriage" by Wilferd A. Peterson
• "Always" by Lang Leav
• "How Do I Love Thee" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
• "Love's Philosophy" by Percy Bysshe Shelley
• "Untitled" by Christina Rossetti ("What is the beginning? Love...")
• "Buried Light" by Beau Taplin
• "Sonnet 116" by William Shakespeare

Excerpts from Novels

If you share a favourite novel, you could include a romantic excerpt. Here are some examples:

• "From Beginning to End" by Robert Fulghum
• "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" by Louis De Bernieres
• "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez
• "Jasper Jones" by Craig Silvey
• "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
• "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah
• "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
• "Daisy Jones & the Six" by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
• "The Mistress of Rome" by Kate Quinn

Film and TV Quotes

If you are movie buffs, or have a favourite TV series, you could include a quote. Here are some examples:

• "When Harry Met Sally"
• "The Notebook"
• "Grey's Anatomy"
• "Up"
• "The Princess Bride"
• "Friends"
• "The Muppets"
• "The Big Bang Theory"
• "Sex and the City"

Song Lyrics

Music is the way to everyone's heart, so why not include some romantic song lyrics? Here are some examples:

• "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake
• "I Choose You" by Sara Bareilles
• "There Will Be Time" by Mumford and Sons, featuring Baaba Maal
• "The Book of Love" by Stephin Merritt, featuring The Magnetic Fields
• "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake

Children's Books

If you have a favourite children's book, you could pull a quote from it. Here are some examples:

• "Winnie the Pooh" by A.A. Milne
• "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams
• "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
• "Tell Me" by Shel Silverstein

Humour

You could add a touch of humour to your wedding ceremony with a lighthearted reading. Here are some examples:

• "Love Me When I’m Old" by Bee Rawlinson
• "Yes, I'll Marry You My Dear" by Pam Ayres

Add a musical interlude

Music is a great way to add a personal touch to your wedding ceremony and make it longer. Here are some ideas on how to incorporate a musical interlude:

Choose Meaningful Songs

Select songs that have a special meaning to you and your partner. These can be instrumental versions of your favourite songs or modern tracks played by a DJ or wedding band. Film and series soundtracks are also a great source of romantic music. Ensure that the music matches the vibe and tone of your wedding ceremony playlist so that there is a coherent flow from beginning to end.

Timing is Key

Strategically place your interlude songs to improve the flow of your ceremony. Use them to slow things down, giving everyone a chance to relax and reflect on the proceedings. Play them during moments with minimal talking, such as during rituals like a unity candle lighting or when signing the marriage license. They can also be used to emphasise certain moments, such as after a reading or the exchange of vows and rings, allowing guests to reflect on the significance of these moments.

Involve Your Loved Ones

A musical interlude is a perfect opportunity to involve your loved ones in the ceremony. Invite musically talented friends or family members to perform during these interludes. If you already have hired musicians for your processional and recessional, you can also take advantage of their services during these lulls.

Suggested Songs

• "One Hand, One Heart" by Leonard Bernstein from West Side Story
• "Clair De Lune" by Claude Debussy
• "The Prayer" by Andrea Bocelli & Celine Dion
• "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack
• "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson
• "Ave Maria" by Franz Schubert
• "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds

Frequently asked questions