A symbolic wedding ceremony that reflects your personality
You're in the middle of preparing for your wedding: caterer, dress, wedding rings, reception hall, even the hairdresser has already been chosen! Now it's time to think about the ceremony itself: for whatever reason, your wedding won't have a religious dimension. And yet you would like to celebrate your love with more solemnity and emotion than the few minutes of a civil wedding at the town hall. You would love to be able to write a ceremony in words that speak for you, in your dream location, with rituals and symbols that appeal to you, that correspond to you, that mean something to you. A "secular" wedding ceremony is made for you! Whether you choose a professional officiant (call them a celebrant or ceremonialist, it's more original!), or one of your loved ones to celebrate your romance, this text has been written for you.
Photo Barbara Lusynska
Who are such symbolic ceremonies made for?
For anyone! Indeed, everyone will find a good reason to go that little bit further than the minimum required at the town hall, without having to choose a religious ceremony. Humanist ceremonies cannot be held in France, since you have to fulfill the legal requirement at the "Mairie" for your marriage to be acknowledged. Yet you're madly in love with each other, but you don't share the same religion? Are neither of you religious? You were married in a church in a previous life, and for this new life you want a beautiful celebration, despite the impossibility of a church mass? Is it a late wedding? In the presence of your children? Are you a gay or lesbian couple? Or are you simply dreaming of a tailor-made ceremony, because you want to get married in a different way? Whether you're an eco-fan, a Games of Thrones fan, or very traditional at heart, whether you want a 'nature' wedding, or one that's linked to the stars, a retro, medieval or rustic wedding, or even a luxury wedding: a secular ceremony can be adapted to suit all your desires, because you're the one who chooses the content and creates it so that it reflects you and your true love.
A non-religious ceremony designed to reflect your identity
First of all, the venue: you can choose to celebrate your union outdoors, whether in your garden, in the rose garden of a château, in a forest clearing, in a park, on a beach or in a meadow: depending on the theme of your wedding or the touch you want to give it, choose your dream venue! If you opt for an indoor venue, there's no limit to what you can do. A cabaret or a jazz club, an opera house or a museum, restored stables, an old mill, the ruins of an old chapel... Any beautiful venue can host the celebration, and the spirit of the place will certainly have an impact on the atmosphere of your ceremony. The decorations you choose will give the venue a romantic feel: baskets of flowers, a few ribbons, a flower arch, all depending on your colours and tastes.
You can personalise the entire ceremony so that it reflects who you are, and so that this unique moment is one of 'togetherness' with your loved ones. I use the word 'togetherness' here without any religious connotations, but simply a note of spirituality that will be the one you choose, with symbols that correspond to you and rituals that make sense to you. You can give it the tone you want, perhaps alternating more solemn moments with others marked by humour, emotion or tenderness. There is no code, no rules for the creation of your wedding ceremony, so you can invent it in your own style, to go outside the box or stick to it as you please. The only limit is your imagination!
So, are you also considering a secular wedding ceremony?!
So if you're looking for more than just a civil ceremony at the town hall (which is a legal requirement for your marriage to be recognised by the law), if you're dreaming of a unique moment that will make this day "the happiest day of your life", don't hesitate, embark on the adventure of a secular ceremony! Your wedding will be all the more romantic!
