YOUR SECULAR WEDDING
The concept of secular weddings comes from the USA. This celebration doesn’t have any legal value. It is first and foremost a symbolic and spiritual ceremony. It is the occasion to live a personal moment filled with emotions to celebrate your union.
WHERE TO CELEBRATE YOUR SECULAR CEREMONY?
You are free to choose where your secular (symbolic) ceremony will happen! Unlike civil or religious weddings that take place in a city hall or a place of worship, the symbolic ceremony can unfold anywhere you want as it doesn’t have any legal or religious value. Often, the future bride and groom choose to get married outdoors. For instance, your secular ceremony can take place in a garden or on a heavenly beach. However, you should think of a plan B if you plan on celebrating your wedding outdoors to have a solution in case of bad weather. The beautiful reception rooms of Italian masserias and castles are perfect places to host indoor ceremonies, in particular for winter weddings.
HOW DOES A SECULAR CEREMONY UNFOLD?
The organization of your ceremony depends on your expectations. Nonetheless, we recommend you keep it short (30 to 45 minutes) and to animate it so your guests will not get bored. To be wed couples generally organize their secular celebration according to the following pattern: entrance of the spouses, opening speech of the officiant, intervention of the family and friends (speeches, singing, etc.), symbolic ritual, exchange of wedding vows and rings, kiss, and exit of the newlyweds. Choosing music and songs for the key moments of the ceremony is important. The spouses usually plan at least to play a song for their entrance and exit. You are free to choose more songs to play during your symbolic ceremony.
CHOOSING A RITUAL FOR AN ORIGINAL SECULAR
CEREMONY
The symbolic ritual aims to celebrate the commitment of the spouses in a customized way. The next sections present some ideas to think of for your secular ceremony.
The bottle of wine in a sealed chest: before the ceremony, the future bride and groom choose a good bottle of wine. During the wedding, it is placed in a chest that is to be sealed. The couple can open it and drink the bottle on the occasion of their choice: for their first anniversary for example. This ritual symbolizes the strengthening of love with time as wine also gets better with age.
RITUALS FOR AN AUTHENTIC SYMBOLIC WEDDING
The sand ritual: for this ritual, both spouses hold a bottle filled with sand of different colors. The bride and groom pour the sand in the same vase to symbolize their union by the bond of marriage. The newlyweds are a new entity represented by the mixed sand. This ritual also embodies respect for differences as both colors of the sand remain intact in the same way that the spouses keep their own personality.
The ritual of the wishing tree: before the ceremony, the guests write a wish they make for the future bride and groom. During the ceremony, the officiant can invite the guests to hang their wishes on a tree dedicated to this purpose. The newlyweds can then take the tree back home and read the words of their loved ones.
A SYMBOLIC RITUAL FOR A UNIQUE CEREMONY
The ribbon ritual (also called “handfasting”): this is an Anglo-Saxon rite. The name “handfasting” refers to the fact that the hands of the spouses are tied with colored ribbons by the officiant or the guests during the ceremony. It symbolizes the eternal bond between the bride and groom. Traditionally, this ritual is undertaken with ribbons of different colors that carry various meanings. They can be red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, grey, pink, brown, gold, ... The goal is to find the colors and meanings that you identify with. For example, elaborate a ritual that symbolizes your common passions.
CHOOSING THE OFFICIANT OF YOUR SECULAR WEDDING
One of our advice when it comes to appoint the officiant of your ceremony is to choose someone who is comfortable with public orations. It can be one or several people that are close to you and know you by heart. A friend, a member of your family, or the person who introduced you to your future husband or wife. They can all undertake the role of officiant to animate your wedding ceremony and tell your story.
The most important thing for your secular wedding is to organize a ceremony that you will love and that will reflect your personality.
If you want to seal your union with a secular wedding in Italy or Corsica, Noces Italiennes will stand by your side from A to Z to deliver the wedding of your dreams.
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