We’ve recently written about classic wedding traditions and where they originated. But we like to think we’re pretty versatile around these parts so here are some nontraditional wedding ideas for those of you looking for something a bit different.
Not everyone wants the white dress or the church wedding. So what’s out there for unique wedding ceremonies?
You might remember that we had a ten year renewal of our vows in 2022. We flew to the California coast (wine!) and did a handfasting ceremony with an intimate circle of friends, all of whom played a role. (For more details about handfasting, go here.)
Now, the most unique ceremony you could have is one built totally by you. But not everyone is into writing their own wedding, so we’re here to help. There are tons of scripts out there available for free once you decide which direction you want to take. And of course, once you find your celebrant, they’ll be able to help you through the whole process.
Keep in mind, too, that you could do a more traditional ceremony and add a little spice from these nontraditional wedding ideas.
For ideas for unique ceremonies, you might also look to your own ancestral history. Then start researching what your culture’s weddings might have looked like long ago.
Let’s start with our handfasting.
Nontraditional wedding ideas:
Handfasting
This tradition comes from the pagan and wiccan world and it’s become pretty popular in the last so many years. The symbolism of tying a knot is quite beautiful and usually needs no more explanation.
It’s believed that this tradition originated with the Celts around 7000 BCE. ((whoa))
You might recall seeing an example of handfasting here (besides our own).
You can find something for the binding that has personal meaning to you both. For example, a scarf from your grandmother would work just as well as the usual bit of rope. This can be a really beautiful way to include ancestors in your unique wedding ceremony.
Humanist Ceremony
This is for anyone uncomfortable with the idea of a deity of any kind. That doesn’t mean these ceremonies are stripped of meaning. Instead of focusing on anything unknown, the ceremony emphasizes the beauty of this material life, including the amazing statistical anomaly of you finding one another!
If you want help with this kind of ceremony, again, a celebrant may be well versed in them already. Or you can check out this website for more ideas around scripting and ritual.
Tree Planting
Okay, this one might sound a little… hippie or it might sound very botanist, depending on your perspective. But what could be more symbolic of the life you’re about to build together than planting a tree!?
There are so many options with this too.
You could plant the tree on some family land. Again! The metaphors!
Or you could plant a sapling in a large pot so that it’s mobile until you buy a home together. Then have a wee ceremony to plant it in your yard.
This one is so extra beautiful, if you ask us. Which you kinda did by reading this. Right?
Unique Venues
One way you can create a unique wedding ceremony is to really think way outside the box for a venue. Do you have a shared passion that would be a no brainer for this?
But just think… there are beautiful aquariums that would make an amazing backdrop to a wedding. Or maybe you want to have a unique ceremony on the water… literally… in a boat.
If you decide to go with the uber unique wedding venue idea, these weddings are one thing for sure — totally memorable for you and the guests alike.
Picnic!
If you’re looking for casual and creating a sense of easeful community, there’s nothing quite like a wedding in a park followed by a picnic and games. Imagine yourself surrounded by people lounging on blankets or sitting in those cute low chairs and already drinking something lovely and eating summer fruit.
This could be a really playful wedding. What joy!
A Poetic Ceremony
Imagine a ceremony based on the best love poems of all time. You could construct an entire ceremony using Pablo Neruda alone but you could also mix it up and use a variety of poets.
Just imagine! You could hand write some of the poems and give them to family members who will be cued by the celebrant when it’s their turn to read.
Think about putting scrolls of poetry on the tables at the reception.
You could have a magnetic poetry station as part of the typical photo booth.
Unique ceremonies: Write your own
As we mentioned, this isn’t for everyone but the process in and of itself can be such a bonding experience.
Take some time to think about the following:
- your favorite stories of your relationship;
- your favorite things about your partner;
- what they bring to your life;
- what you want to bring to their life;
- what you hope to build as a couple.
Those questions alone will be great guides for writing your own nontraditional wedding.
But there are also a lot of resources out there that are super helpful.
Here you can find a whole library of words to use for your unique ceremony.
And this website is just full of ideas from the front page on. You can also use their search function to get more specific.
The whole point of going nontraditional is saying something about yourselves as a couple that just doesn’t feel like it can be said in a traditional wedding format.
So keep that in mind… this is for you and about you and should 100% reflect you.
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