Weddingbee Blog

So, here’s the thing about our ceremony: as it stands right now, it’s going to be short. And I mean short.

Our good friend will be officiating for us, and Mr. S and I drafted a ceremony script that we’ve sent to him to review and revise. I read the whole thing out loud—slowly—to time it, and it took less than four minutes. We’re having a totally secular ceremony, so there isn’t even a prayer or blessing to fill the time.

When we first decided to create our ceremony, we agreed that a brief one would be best. But as it happens, our definitions of brief differ. I think that fifteen minutes is a perfect time. It’s not long, but we can have some really meaningful, special stuff going on in that short time. Mr. S, however, was totally cool with having a four minute ceremony.

I tried to talk him into having a reading or two, but he wasn’t into it. I also wanted to write our own vows, but when I first brought this up to Mr. S, he vetoed that as well. He was a writing major in college, so I was surprised that he didn’t want to write his vows, but I have the sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t the writing of the vows, but the reciting of the vows, that was freaking him out. My guy is a shy one.

Over Christmas, Mr. S’ mother tried, without any prodding from me, to convince us to write our own vows.

She knows how much he likes to write, and how talented he is, but even she couldn’t convince him.

So, a four-minute ceremony. Blink and you’ll miss it! Sigh.

And then, over this past weekend…a glimmer of hope! We attended the wedding of my old high school friend, and the ceremony was just amazing. The grooms wrote and recited the most heartfelt, honest, sweet, loving and funny vows I’d ever heard. And immediately after the ceremony, Mr. S turned to me and said, “You know, maybe we should write our own vows.”

Awesome! Now, maybe our four-minute ceremony will be seven minutes.

Next stop - trying to convince him to do something cool and interactive, like ring-warming or handfasting. And we might make it to twelve whole minutes! Wish me luck, y’all.

Is anyone else trying to figure out how to lengthen your ceremony while keeping it interesting and meaningful? What are you doing to fill the time and make your ceremony special?