1. The Needs Of The Audience Come First. Every one of your
invited guests has a need and a right, to see you, to hear you, and
to be entertained by what you have invited them to. If your wedding
ceremony is not enjoyed by everyone present- you fail. Also, it is not
enough to simply recreate for your guests every wedding ceremony they've already
seen a dozen times. The typical wedding ceremony - which has the
couple's backs turned to their guests, and which is virtually inaudible to all
except those in the first row, uses predictable music etc.- is so numbing
that 10% to 40% of those invited will skip it and attend the reception.
I'll show you how to change all of this by using a ceremony format that's
fun to watch and listen to, as well as emotionally evocative. The
success of your wedding ceremony lies in engaging your guests; everything
else is secondary to this.
2
Feelings Make Weddings. The ceremony must evoke feelings in your
guests for feelings are what move us- not mere words. Intellectually based
ceremonies, where love is explained or where the minister bases his
ceremony on telling anecdotal stories about the couple make for marginal
affairs indeed. One month after your wedding day, very few people will be
able to tell you what was said during your ceremony- that's human
nature. But ten years from now they will still be able to tell you how
they felt at your wedding ceremony. The success of your wedding
ceremony will therefore be measured in smiles and tears. Don't let it be
measured in yawns.
3. Poise Makes A Bride And Groom.
Even though I have 90% of the speaking role in your ceremony, you and
your bridal party are going to do a lot more talking than I am. And
you're going to do by the way you conduct yourselves. Despite my
beautiful presentation of your ceremony, your guests will be intently
studying you, not me. And therein lies an immense opportunity for
the both of you. By conducting yourselves in a focused, calmed, at
times lightly affectionate manner, and by taking your time when
interacting with loved ones during your ceremony, your poised performance
will bring rave reviews. Don't worry, you may not know how to give
such a performance right now but my thorough rehearsal session with you,
typically between an hour, to an hour and a half in length, will have you
well prepared and confident for a stellar performance.
4. Your Ceremony Must Use
Effective Visuals. In every wedding ceremony- the eyes have it.
In other words, what your your guests see will far outweigh what they
hear. It follows then that 'story telling', as when a minister
attempts to explain the meaning of love, or give the history of your
relationship, will fall far short as a means of conveying what the day
truly means to you. Learning is work. Do you believe your guests
would rather read the book
or watch the movie?
In wedding planning, I make extensive use of visuals. A
visual might be the lighting of a unity candle; the use of readers; the
giving of a long stem rose to your mothers and grandmothers; the lighting
of a candle before the picture of a deceased loved one; wine sharing by
the bride and groom; or a great finale
involving your guests in a balloon release as you walk down the aisle between them. Your ceremony must
be strong in it's visual appeal. You'll not only delight your
guests, but your wedding video and photo album will be rich in imagery as
well as
exceptional.
5. Your Ceremony Must Use
Effective Subliminal Messaging. A subliminal message is a
communication that takes place without the use of words- and your wedding
ceremony, regardless of who performs it, will be full of these silent,
implied messages. In a common wedding ceremony, many of the
subliminals are good and just as many are bad- which means half are
working against you. Understanding subliminal messaging is so
important to the success of your wedding that I have devoted an entire
section to explaining its impact.
See
Subliminals. |