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Your
ushers are to seat only your immediate family members and
VIPs, not your guests. Showing 200 guests to their seats
could take up to an hour. Upon joining us, your ushers should
welcome your guests and invite them to sit wherever they
wish. In this way your audience will have a balanced look,
not favoring either family. |
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Let your groomsmen
escort their bridesmaids. Don't use the Chippendale entrance
of a gaggle of tuxedoed guys entering with a groom, only
to leave the bridesmaids to make unescorted entrances. This
defeats the male/female nature of the ritual. Each groomsman
will escort his lady to place, and then will walk over to
the groom and congratulate him before his on looking guests. |
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Confident, poised,
and elegant, are just some of the words your guests are going
to use to describe how you made your entrance. Whatever anxiety
you may have had about walking down the aisle, my thorough
rehearsal is going to remove it. I'm going to extensively
coach you, and your entrance is going to be smooth baby,
just like an actress. |
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I will begin your
ceremony by speaking to you and your guests about what your
marriage means to all of us. This commentary is spoken from
the center of the audience, allowing everyone to hear me
while they are treated to seeing you and your magnificent
bridal party fully arrayed before them. For guests and photographers,-
this format has no equal. |
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This is a series
of questions whereby you are Declaring what
you are Intending on doing- namely joining
your lives in marriage. The Declarations of Intent are the
mission statements of a wedding ceremony. You both answer
my questions with "I Do." The Declarations of Intent,
along with the exchanges of Vows and Rings lay the foundation
for virtually all wedding ceremonies. |
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The use of readers
is very important stagecraft for your ceremony. They connect
you with your guests because they come from the audience,
not the bridal party. Their presence is photogenic and thereby
develops your photo album. The reading should be brief; no
one wants War And Peace! After their reading, the reader
will give each of you a hug. A perfect contribution indeed! |
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Here you verbally
commit your lives to each other. I use some very beautiful
vow sets but I enthusiastically invite you to consider composing
your own! Your guests will be delighted with you and this
act alone will take your ceremony to the next level. Write
your words on an index card and while holding hands, read
them to him/her. Your guests will be enrapt! |
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I am a very big
advocate of using two readers in any given ceremony. One
reader associated with the groom; the other the bride. You
can find these readings on my website, on the Internet, on
blogs, or your reader can compose his or her own. Some love
to do
this! If only one reader is used during your
ceremony, he/she is used here and not in position 6 above. |
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Here you give
each other a physical expression of fidelity. A bridesmaid
and groomsman each are given a ring before the ceremony begins.
It matters not who gets which ring as your guests do not
study this. Do not give your bridal party members the rings
in their boxes or pouches. Also, do not give rings to children,
give them costume jewelry on the ring pillow. Only adults
hold rings. |
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Choose
one of these options to be the focal point of your ceremony.
Highly entertaining to watch and eminently photogenic, these
five options are the heart and soul of my ceremonies. Guests
70 rows deep will lean forward in their seats to watch you
do this. No other event- in any "traditional" wedding
ceremony- can rival these. Typical primary options are: The
Unity Candle, Wine Sharing, The
Sand Ceremony, The blessing
Tree, and Tasting the Elements. |
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As the Primary
Options shown above join the two of you in marriage, so the
Giving of Roses joins each of you to your new families. The
greatest expressions of joy for a bride and groom can be
seen in the faces and body language of the attending guests
at this moment. The Giving of Roses is the emotional high
ground of my ceremonies. |
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Your marriage
will touch many lives just as your lives were touched by
many. Family and friends (living and deceased), your children
and your culture start the list. If honoring these contributors
belongs in your ceremony there are many photogenic and meaningful
ways of doing it. These five are but a sample list. There
are dozens you can choose. Typical supplemental options include: Actions
In Memoriam, Parental Vows, Using
a Photo Montage, Signing
a Marriage License and Ketubah Signing.
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I can see it in
the faces of my brides and grooms when I speak these final
words of their ceremony. It's the look of joyful expectation
infused with triumph. They know they have aced the test,
that their ceremony has well exceeded their guests expectations,
and that the richly deserved compliments of those guests
await them. |
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Your married life
begins with affection! What could be more fitting? And yes,
during rehearsal you both will learn correct posing and arm
placement for this embrace. I leave nothing to chance in
my ceremonies. This photo is a one shot deal; we don't get
to repeat it. |
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I'll ask all
of your guests to come join me in center aisle. With photographers
in place, and a great choice of music playing, you both,
hand in hand, will begin slowly moving through these well
wishers. They will applaud you, or toss petals, or ring
hand bells as you kiss again in the middle of it all.
Imagine the photography! |
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The compliments
begin here, and they will go on all night long. If you haven't
done so, please read the Letters of Appreciation page of
my website to read what my couples said their guests told
them
about
their
ceremonies.
Make every effort to include time for a reception line after
your ceremony. Your guests are dying to tell you how happy
they are for you! |
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