By Naome-Shyline Mutsunge; Mabusha Venue In-house Events Manager
Wedding Rings Photo courtesy of Morgan Harris
Every love story is different and so are the wedding rituals out there due to cultures, traditions, creativity and religious belief systems. Are you looking for wedding rituals to personalize your wedding ceremony; here are six cool rituals you may pick from that are sure to make your ceremony special and memorable.
Washing Of Feet
When Brianna and Chris Lindsay married in June, the evangelical couple added foot washing to the ceremony to demonstrate their mutual submission on September 25, 2014, Photo courtesy of Brianna Lindsay.
Washing of feet is one of my personal favorite ritual. It symbolizes selfless service to each other according to what is shown in the Holy scriptures. Feet are the lowest part of the human body so it showcases to your partner that I will serve you best even at your lowest. You can incorporate this in your engagement photo shoot if you feel it might not fit into your ceremony then settle for another ritual for the wedding day.
Unity Candles
Flower Pressed Unity Candles
In this ritual, each partner pre-lits a candle and they both light the middle candle. The candles can be of plain design tall or pillar style to being personalized by the couples names. The two flames symbolize the couple becoming one as the two flames join. The only downside to this ritual is that the candles do not last a lifetime if you are one who prefers something for keeps in your home. Check out our post on Eve & Babi’s wedding; they choose unity candles for their classy rustic wedding which was beautiful.
Sand Ceremony
Sand Ceremony Hour Glass
Two vases with colored sand are poured simultaneously into a larger glass by the bride and groom. The sand as it cannot be separated again symbolizes unity that cannot be broken. What we love about this is that the hourglass can be kept in your home forever. There is also another ritual similar to this which is the water blending ceremony. You can opt to do this instead of the sand mixing.
Tie The Knot
Rope Knot Photo courtesy of Dieter Kuhl
This is one of the oldest tradition where the couple’s hands are bound together to represent union. Also the couple can tie the knot (fisherman’s knot) to represent marriage strength and support through life. Like the knot, their marriage grows stronger under pressure; as stress is applied, the knot becomes stronger though spaces are left to encourage and nurture individual growth which is vital for the sanity of the couple and promotes a healthy marriage. Two cords also represents the joining of two lives coming together for common purpose
Holy Communion
Holy Communion Photo courtesy of James Coleman
This ritual is Christian based. The spiritual leader prays over the wine and unleavened bread then the couple drinks from the same cup. This is to symbolize Jesus’ death paying the price for the bride to represent love and selfless service.
Dove Release
White Doves by Awmleer
Pure white doves are released to represent the beginning of the couple’s journey in purity of mind, love and a journey of two lives working together for life’s happiness and adventure. Doves symbolize peace, love, happiness and prosperity.
These are some of the rituals most common at weddings. Look out for our part two post where we talk more about other less common rituals.