Bride’s Survival Guide: Wedding Ceremony Mistakes That Might Make You Feel Miserable

It is effortless to make a wedding mistake that might make you regret the rest of your life; starting with the choice of wedding dress.  In traditional weddings, the wedding ceremonies were not very different from each other, apart from cultural and religious practice. But in today’s world, they come in all styles, shapes, formalities, and sizes. It is something that might be exciting to both of you as a couple.

Nowadays, it is becoming very acceptable for you to come up with a wedding straight from the creation of your dreams.  A wedding that is personalized and unique to your relationship and that special love that you share.

Most wedding officiants are available to assist with the desires of the couples to have a ceremony that is personalized. It is not only a special day for the couple, but it is the start of your marriage life and the beginning of your life together as husband and wife.  If you want to forgo any traditional part of your wedding ceremony, you will be encouraged and supported in equal measures

For your wedding ceremony to go on smoothly and remain special the way you have always envisioned, the following are mistakes that you need to avoid at any cost.

• Not encouraging guests to find their seats: There is a reason why wedding ceremonies have timings for starting and ending. Even if most of your guests are present, it is the work of the officiant to encourage them to be seated. If not, you will run the risk of causing a lot of confusion and leaving some of your guests standing up until the end of the wedding ceremony. Though a small detail that is mostly overlooked, it can cause annoyance, embarrassment, and even throw off the otherwise positivity of the moment.
• Forgetting to ask the audience to turn off their cell phones: Remembering that, all your guests, from the young to the old, has a cell phone nowadays, it will be essential to remind them of switching them off when attending your wedding ceremony.

Even though etiquette requires them to do so, it is worth ensuring that your officiant announces officially that they put off their cell phones before the beginning of the wedding ceremony. You can also opt to have an unplugged ceremony where you have an entrance sign that requests guests to put off their cell phones.

• Not having to prepare the wedding rings in advance: It is a common mistake where the officiant realizes that the couples who are about to get married have forgotten to carry their wedding rings for the ceremony. Rings have to be checked, removed from the shipping packaging,  outer cover, and displayed for all to see at the wedding ceremony. When the ceremony is ongoing, you don’t want to start removing the ring out of the shipping box and start struggling to remove its price tag.
• Not moving out of the way for the first marriage kiss: It is the most intimate moment in the whole of the wedding ceremony. And thus, it needs to be done right with the couple taking the center stage without the officiant blocking guests and the photographer. It is best for the officiant to step aside immediately after announcing the famous line – it is now time to kiss the bride.
• Not allowing the couple to be the center of attraction: If a ceremony is generic, it can be for anyone. But when it comes to a special event such as a wedding ceremony, it needs to be personal. The guests need to feel as if they are learning about the couple through their wedding ceremony.

With that, it will allow them to understand why the couple chose to make it a huge commitment to one another, evoking genuine emotions and feel as though they are a part of their next chapter of life – the marriage life.

As a couple, you will need to speak with your officiant frequently so that they understand your relationship. The officiant has to wholeheartedly believe in your commitment to each other, just the way you do. When you achieve that, friends and family members will feel like part of something extraordinary.

• Not rehearsing the ceremony: If the officiant neglects reviewing the ceremony with you before the big day, it is likely to create significant issues. There is a possibility of relevant information or names not being appropriately conveyed and friends and relatives as well as you the couple, might take note of that.  It might end up taking away the personalization as well as the uniqueness of your wedding ceremony. Avoid such a situation by ensuring you review your wedding ceremony with the officiant a few times before the wedding day.
• When the ceremony turns to be lecture-based: Avoid an officiant who thinks that your wedding ceremony is an opportunity for them to give out a PowerPoint presentation about marriage. Nobody goes to attend a wedding to understand what marriage is all about. The officiant needs to be the voice of wishes and hopes that are in the couple’s hearts. If there is any guest who doesn’t know the meaning of marriage, they will not learn it in your presentation as an officiant.
• Forgetting to do a check for the mic: During the wedding ceremony, you have to ensure that the crowd hears what is being said. For that to happen, you have to check the mics before the beginning of the ceremony. You have to be familiar with the mic choreography and stand and decide if you are going to hold the mic when vows are being said, ensure it points in the right direction, or has the couple hold the mic.
• Avoiding to look at each other: When the wedding ceremony is ongoing, it is straightforward to focus your eyes on the officiant, but it is advisable that, the couple focus their attention on each other. It is one of your essential days in your entire life when you are making promises to each other in front of your friends and relatives, and thus, look into each other’s eyes without feeling awkward.

Hope you have learned about some of the mistakes you need to avoid during your wedding ceremony. Get to learn about other things you should avoid by checking the ultimate bride’s survival guide.

 

Photo by Dimitri Kuliuk

Photo by Studio Negarin