The wedding ceremony sets the tone for the party

I was on the beach in Miami last week when a rowdy bachelorette group sat down behind me. Clearly well healed, these guests of the Soho House Club partied on tequila and tacos under the umbrellas protecting their recently injected faces. Instagram was overloaded with their posts of a spectacularly sunny day, as they showed off their new skimpy swimwear and their Pilates perfect abs.

Excusing myself for disturbing them, I asked the bride how she had gone about finding a wedding officiant for her ceremony. She looked at me blankly. Did she even know what a wedding officiant was? Did she realize that the wedding ceremony was the basis of the festivities? Not from her answers. Her bestie on her right intervened and suggested that she carefully screen candidates as an officiant can make or break the ceremony. The bride still showed no sign of interest, clearly more concerned with the dress, the venue, the flowers, the guest list and the party.

This was sobering. Clearly a high budget wedding and yet the bride had not even remembered that she actually needed someone to pronounce them husband and wife. Not only that but it seemed the wedding planner had not mentioned it either and here they were a month away from the wedding itself.

Alert: The Marriage Ceremony is the most important part of your wedding. This ceremony is where you get to express your commitment and love for your partner. This is the moment in the festivities where you share with your guests why your relationship is special and why you want to commit to a marriage. Personalized ceremonies and unique vows underscore the love between the two of you and lay the foundation for your life together. Do not diminish the importance of your Wedding Ceremony. Make it unique or traditional but make it yours.