Your wedding ceremony is the heart of your special day – the moment where your love and commitment take centre stage. With a celebrant-led ceremony, you can make it your own, weaving in personal touches that reflect your values, culture, and unique story. One of the most beautiful ways to personalise your ceremony is by including symbolic rituals.
Symbolic rituals are rich with meaning, visually stunning, and often deeply emotional. They go beyond words to express the depth of your bond and the journey you’re about to embark on together. From ancient traditions to modern twists, there’s a ritual for every couple, whether you want to honour your heritage, symbolise unity, or simply add a magical moment to your day.
In this post, we’ll explore a variety of symbolic rituals you can incorporate into your celebrant-led wedding. Whether you’re drawn to timeless classics like handfasting or unity candles or intrigued by unique ideas like a sand ceremony or tree planting, I've got something to inspire you.
You could even make up your own symbolic ritual! Did you do/drink/eat something on your first date that you'd like to do again with everyone? Let's incorporate it into your wedding ceremony! I welcome religious or cultural rituals, too!
Let’s dive in and discover how these rituals can transform your ceremony into a one-of-a-kind celebration of love.
Unity Candle Ceremony
Light candles together to symbolise the blending of two families into one. This one is a great way of involving friends and family. There will be a central unity candle, which you can have personalised with your names and wedding date, and together with your family or friends (or just yourselves), you will light the central candle with taper candles.
Ring Warming
Guests will pass your wedding rings around, holding them in their hands for a couple of seconds to 'warm' them and give their love and wishes for your future. They can be loose or in a box/pouch.
Handfasting
This is a Celtic tradition where myself or a friend/family member ties the ribbon around your hands to symbolise your union. You can use coloured ribbons which symbolise different values you want to instil in your marriage or you can choose your own fabrics and decorate them with things that are special to you i.e. family heirloom jewellery, shells or dried flowers.
Wine Box Time Capsule
You will choose your favourite bottle of wine (or another drink), and during the ceremony, you will each place a love note, written to each other before your wedding day, in a personalised wine box. You will seal it together and then open it on your first wedding anniversary, enjoying the bottle of wine together and reading your love notes from each other.
Sand Ceremony
You pour sand from separate containers into one central vessel to symbolise your union. The sand can be coloured, symbolising different values, or you can collect sand from your favourite beaches. This is a great ceremony to involve children as they can pour sand in, too, and you can give them the job of mixing the sand on your wedding anniversaries. You could even design your sand vessel at a local glass blower studio if you wanted something beautiful to display in your home.
Jumping the Broom
You will both take a 'leap of faith' over a broom to symbolise a new beginning. Decorate your broom with ribbons, dried flowers, shells etc.
Take a Shot/Champagne Toast
Celebrate your first drink together as Mr & Mrs/Mr & Mr/Mrs & Mrs with your guests out of personalised champagne/wine/shot glasses with your names and wedding date. If you're popping a bottle of champagne, write the date on the cork and pop it in your memory box from the big day.
Rose Ceremony
You will exchange roses to symbolise the giving and receiving of love. Chosen family members or friends will be given a rose before the start of the ceremony, and they will come up and put them in a central vase with yours, representing the merging of a new family. Dry out the flowers afterwards and put them in a deep box frame, along with your hair accessories/jewellery, veil, buttonhole, invitation, food menu etc.
Wine Ceremony
You will each have a glass of wine (either the same type of wine or different) and pour them into a glass to share. The blending is symbolic of showing your union and creating your new life together.
Tree Planting
Together, you will lay soil over a seed of your choice, it symbolises putting down roots, longevity and strength within your marriage. Watch your tree grow over the years.
Unity Cocktail/Mocktail
Mix your favourite drinks (bonus if it’s something colourful and unexpected, like a margarita and a whiskey sour). If you're going for a non-alcoholic version, you could mix coloured fruit juices/syrups with sparkling or soda water. Add herbs (such as mint or rosemary) and fruit, (strawberries, raspberries) for a delicious drink to enjoy together. The infusion process represents how their love grows stronger and more flavourful over time and shows the individuality you both bring to your partnership.
Tea Blending Ceremony
Each partner pours a different loose-leaf tea blend (peppermint, green tea etc) into a teapot for brewing, symbolising patience in your marriage. Both enjoy a cup of your blended tea whilst I tell everyone about your love story.
Sing A Long/Flash Mob
Sing your favourite song together with your guests. Brief a few guests beforehand so they can belt out the song confidently and get the party started! A good crowd-pleaser will be sure to get everyone smiling and in the mood! It could be retro, current, from your favourite film or musical, or an uplifting hymn - get creative!
Let me know which ideas take your fancy, I would advise 1-2 rituals during your ceremony as a way of reflecting your personalities and creating special moments for you and your guests. There are many ways to inject creative and lighthearted moments into your ceremony that will be entertaining for your guests to watch and special for you both to carry out, creating memorable moments for you all to take away and start your wedding day on a high.
If this sounds like a bit of you, send me a message to see if I am available on your wedding date!
Love Claire xXx
Photo Credits
Venue @brickhousevineyard
Photographer @maxiphotographydevon
Hair Stylist @hairfromtheheart_
Venue Decor @rusticlovehire
Hair Accessories & Jewellery
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