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Guide>>Ceremony>>Article
Planning
the Ceremony
By
Megan Mercer
Last Update:
October 16, 2005
Planning your ceremony
does not have to be an overwhelming task! Here is what
you should do...
1. Reserve the Ceremony
Site.
First and foremost
you need to secure the location, date and time
of the ceremony, as soon as possible! Don't make any
other
arrangements for the ceremony until you
have
these
details
established! Many places book
weddings over a year in advance. If you have your heart
set on a particular church or other venue, you may
need to be flexible with your date and time.
Find
a ceremony site near you
in our local services directory!
2.
Select your officiant.
If you are having your ceremony
in a church or synagogue, they will probably require
you to use their minister
or rabbi. However if you are having your ceremony
at another site, you will likely need to find an officiant
to perform the ceremony. In Michigan marriages may
be solemnized by any of the following:
-
Federal, probate, district, and municipal
judges, and district court magistrates, in their
court area
-
Mayors, in their city
-
Ministers
of the gospel, anywhere in the state, "if
the minister is ordained or authorized to
solemnize marriages according to the usages of
the denomination,
and is a
pastor of a church in this state, or continues
to preach the gospel in this state."
-
Non-resident
ministers of the gospel, anywhere in
the state, if the minister is authorized
to solemnize marriages
by his or her state's laws.
Find
a ceremony officiant near you
in our local services directory!
3. Plan the ceremony
with your officiant.
The details of the
wedding ceremony are planned with your officiant.
Most churches have certain guidelines that they follow so anything
out of the
ordinary
must be approved.
For example, if you want to write your own vows, you must
ask your minister or rabbi for permission.
Of course,
if your wedding does not incorporate a strong religious element,
you will have a great deal of latitude when it comes
to designing your ceremony. In this case, the
only limitations are likely to be your own imagination
and
the cooperative input of your officiant.
When planning the ceremony with your minister or
officiant you will need to discuss the following
things:
-
The date
and time of the wedding
-
The length of
the ceremony
-
The number
of guests you are expecting
-
Any restrictions
for flowers and decorations
-
Any restrictions
on music
-
Any
restrictions for photography and video
-
Any restrictions
for a reception held at the church/site
-
Suggestions
for music and musicians
-
The time the
florist may enter the church
to decorate
-
The time you
may begin pictures
-
The
dressing room
-
What substance
(such as birdseed)
is allowed
to be
thrown outside
the building
-
The parking
and traffic
situations - should you
hire a traffic
officer
-
Fees
for church, officiant,
music, etc.
-
Times
for
the rehearsal
4.
Premarital Counseling
Most religious officiants
will require that you both attend at least one premarital
counseling session in which you will discuss your feelings
about commitment, children, religion and other related
topics. In the first counseling session, some ministers
require that both you and your fiancé fill out a long
questionnaire in private. In the sessions following,
you will go over all of the questions and discuss in
depth those questions that you answered differently.
Some officiants require multiple
sessions of counseling that are scheduled up to 6 months
before the wedding, so make sure that you plan well in
advance to complete all of the requirements before the
wedding. 5.
Arrange for Music
Plan for all of the music
to be played before, during and after the ceremony.
Music can add a lot to your ceremony,
whether it is incorporating soloists or simple instrumentals,
music sets the mood and atmosphere for the ceremony.
Be sure to plan closely with both your officiant and
musicians in regards to music selection and appropriate
placement in the ceremony.
Check
out our
articles on Ceremony Music for
more information.
Again depending on your ceremony site and officiant your
musicians and music selection may be limited. Many churches
require you that you use their organists, musicians,
and soloists. Some churches restrict
the types
of music you can use during the ceremony.
Find
ceremony musicians near you
in our local services directory!
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