First of all – congratulations! Getting engaged is such a magical moment in your life. Once the giddiness has worn off it is time to start planning your wedding. Wedding planning is such an exciting process, but it can be easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices and time constraints.
Along with cake tasting, dress shopping and finding the perfect venue, you will need to decide what will be in your service. Here is a rundown of things to consider.
Religious or civil ceremony
The first thing you’ll need to decide before printing your order of service is the type of ceremony you want. If you are choosing to have a religious ceremony, you will be require to select a couple of hymns and religious readings. If you do opt for a hymns, it is often recommended to have the words printed in your service booklets so as to save the trouble of distributing hymn books to all of your guests.
Civil ceremonies tend to be shorter as there are fewer components. Often, they are made up of the officiant welcome, your vows, your all-important first kiss as a married couple and the signing of the register. Sometimes couples do add readings in, but this can be in the form of a poem rather than a religious passage.
Talking with your officiant
Your officiant will be such a key person when it comes to guiding you through the process. Many will take time to sit down with you and your soon-to-be spouse and go through exactly what is needed, the order in which things will run, and anything that is unachievable.
Don’t be afraid to voice any worries or concerns as they will be able to put your mind at ease or come up with a solution.
Photo by Beatriz Pérez Moya on Unsplash
Musical details
Along with the words to any hymns, a nice touch to add to your order of service booklet is any special musical details. For example, if you are walking down the aisle to a special song or have a certain soundtrack when you are signing the register, you could always note it in the booklet and explain why you have chosen it.
Personalisation
Personalising your order of service booklet adds a nice touch. One thing you could do is include photos of the happy couple at various stages of their relationship on each page. This can be a great memento to look back on once you are married and remind yourselves of that stage in your life.
A key part of the booklet is the front cover. You can show your guests the essence of yourselves as a couple in the way you design it. A loving or funny photo of the two of you can be front and centre, with your names emblazoned around it.
Messages of thanks can enhance an order of service as it allows your friends and family to see how you feel about them and help them to realise that their help is greatly appreciated. Adding these can also help to remind you how lucky you are years down the line when you reminisce.