Weddings can take many different forms. Though there are plenty of people who decide to tie the knot in religious spaces like churches and synagogues, there are also a good number of couples who have no strong affiliation to any creed. If you won’t be infusing any heavy religious imagery or text into your ceremony, you might be curious how the event will unfold. An easy way to gain insight into this is by reviewing the basics of the secular wedding ceremony script. Dive into these points about the process and learn what you need to know.
Infinite Possibilities
The first thing to note about a secular script for a ceremony is that you have very few restrictions. When working within the confines of a specific religion, a wedding can only go so many ways. This means a priest or other spiritual officiant can deny your requests to customize the ceremony, especially if the religious order is particularly strict. Secular events don’t have the same rules or regulations. Instead, the couple can explore infinite possibilities while putting together the officiant’s speech, custom vows, and readings for the ceremony.
To put it simply: Religious weddings put an emphasis on the spiritual side of the ceremony, while secular wedding ceremony scripts are more about the couple and the love they share. This should give you enough to work with to get started.
The Officiant’s Role
The couple does not take on all of the responsibilities of creating the script for the event. In most cases, the officiant plays a significant part in the creation of the wedding’s structure and tone. Though it is most common for the officiant to be given free rein to write his or her own speech, couples might want to offer suggestions or input on how to focus the words. For example, you might want to keep the mood light and fun. In this case, you can mention to the officiant that he or she is welcome to infuse the speech with humor.
The Vows
Though not entirely unique to secular ceremonies, personalized vows are a highlight of weddings. This is the point at which the couple can express exactly how they feel about each other. Whether you keep it simple with a quick anecdote or list all of your partner’s endearing qualities, this is the opportunity to speak from the heart. Try to remember that your vows are as much for your significant other as they are for the guests. Don’t alienate the crowd by making the vows a string of inside jokes.
The Readings
Another exciting aspect of the standard short secular wedding ceremony script is the readings. With a religious event, readings tend to come from certain places. A Christian ceremony will have passages read from the Holy Bible. When there’s no particular religion governing the event, you can feel free to include whatever special texts you’d prefer. From poems to literature to letters written by loved ones, getting creative with this part of the secular wedding script is a lovely way to make the event feel like your own.
The Last Thoughts
The ceremony tends to be much shorter than the reception. This means that there is no need to pad time or feel like you need to drag things out. If the ceremony seems short, this just means that guests will be able to get to the dancing and eating sooner. If you feel like you might be rushing things, go over your vows again and read them aloud. In some cases, nerves can cause people to move at a faster pace. Reading through the vows a handful of times can help you better pace the flow of the ceremony.
The standard secular wedding ceremony script offers couples plenty of opportunities to infuse their personalities into the mix. Take a look at templates of secular scripts to gain a bit more perspective on how your own nuptials should go.
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