Take a moment to figure out type of wedding ceremony you want for your destination wedding.
What Type of Wedding Ceremony?
The ceremony for your destination wedding is an opportunity for a picture-perfect snapshot. You probably picked the site for your ceremony when you initially booked the wedding venue - i.e. the hotel or resort.
But what are your options for the type of wedding ceremony? Religious, interfaith, civil, symbolic, spiritual...what's the difference?
- A religious wedding ceremony is conducted by a religious officiant and includes specific religious rites. Some officiants are more rigid about incorporating certain requests for this type of ceremony - for example,the use of secular music.
- An interfaith wedding is the blending of two (2) different faiths and may require you to find two (2) separate officiants - one for each faith. Some countries may not recognize an interfaith wedding as legally binding, so find out!
- A spiritual wedding ceremony works if you neither of you have a preference for specific religious rites or permissions
- A civil ceremony has no religious elements and simply conforms to the local, legal requirements and rules. The service is conducted by a registrar or marriage official.
- A symbolic ceremony is not a legally binding ceremony at all.
Wedding Ceremony Ideas
Here are a few ways that you can personalize your destination wedding ceremony.
- For an island wedding, serve arriving guests with cool drinks prior to the ceremony start.
- Set-up personalized directional wedding signs so that your wedding guests know exactly where to go to attend the ceremony.
- Put some thought into creating a playlist for your wedding ceremony - incorporating local sounds for your destination wedding ceremony is an authentic and memorable touch
- Make sure you provide seating for a wedding ceremony that is scheduled to last longer than 20 minutes.
- As you exchange your wedding vows, consider including a local phrase of good wishes with your vow - another authentic, local touch.
- Keep track of local sunrise and sunset times as you decide what time of day you would like your wedding ceremony to begin.
