Sample Wedding Ceremony Outline

Here is a short sample wedding ceremony for you to use. Add or subtract elements, personalizing it to fit your needs. Have fun!

This is the most basic outline with the necessary elements for a Christian wedding. You may or may not wish to add music, special songs, the lighting of a Unity candle or sand vases. You could also add special readings, the cord of three strands and your own vows that you and your husband-to-be have written.

First, there is the marching of the bride down the aisle with or without attendants and alone or with her father or mother. I have been to weddings where this has been done with and without music, with and without shoes, with and without attendants, and even on horseback!

When the bride arrives at the altar, or just wherever her groom and minister are waiting, the ceremony begins with the minister giving a call to worship, normally started with the words, "Dearly Beloved."

He may or may not have a short prayer at this point.

Next in the sample wedding ceremony, there is the giving away of the bride, the charge, the pledge, and then the wedding vows. A short reading of Bible verses and/or a sermon may also be done prior to the vows.

After the vows comes the exchange of wedding rings. In some ceremonies, only the bride gets a wedding ring. It is all up to the bride and groom.

Special music and/or the lighting of the Unity candle may be performed.

Then the minister pronounces the couple husband and wife, they kiss, and then the minister introduces them as Mr. and Mrs. Whoever and they march down the aisle with or without music.

The ceremony can be just a few minutes or you can really stretch it out by adding special elements that have special meaning to you and your husband-to-be, along with your families.

Sit down with your families and find out what is important to them as you plan your wedding ceremony. Don't ignore their traditions unless you are totally opposed to them. It is good to include family traditions and to start some new ones.

The wedding ceremony order of the basic outline can be changed around according to the tastes of the bride and groom, as long as it is okay with the officiant.

For instance, you can have a solo prior to the bride walking down the aisle. You can have more than one solo during the ceremony as well. The solo can be sung in between segments of the wedding or it can be sung during the lighting of the unity candle or the pouring of the sand.

A slide show can be shown during special music of the bride and groom as children, teens, and all through their dating time. This is a nice touch. There will be a lot of ooohs and aaahs, along with laughter and tears from family members as they remember their children growing up. This can evoke beautiful memories and make the day seem all the more special. A slide show is also a great wedding reception idea.
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Your officiant can read scripture throughout the ceremony or just at the beginning. I have attended weddings where family members and friends have stood to read scripture or other readings at various times during the ceremony.

Doing things just a little differently in the wedding ceremony order can make your wedding stand out and be remembered by all of your guests. Don't be afraid to keep things lively and to have elements just a tiny bit different from every other wedding.
If you do, yours will not be the standard boring wedding if you do things just a little differently.

Consider having a group of your friends read some Bible verses or a romantic play, either up in front of everyone or while sitting in a pew, using microphones. Show some slides at this time as well for a nice change.

Choose special music that is out of the ordinary for a Christian wedding. Think about using a secular song and have the soloist change up some of the wording.

I think it would be a fun twist to have a barbershop quartet come and sing some love songs from the early 1900s. Wouldn't that be great? I love the sound of barbershop.