Most wedding services in Christian churches consist of a number of common elements, including prayers, readings from scripture (the Bible) and blessings.
All weddings include a declaration of consent, marriage vows or promises, and the exchange of rings.
Different church denominations may have particular orders of proceedings and traditions which may also be included, such as the crowning of the couple (particularly in churches of the orthodox traditions).
Various local customs may also appear in the service, such as the binding with cords.
In some denominations such as Catholic, Anglican, Episcopal and Lutheran and Orthodox, the wedding service may also include the celebration of the Mass (also referred to as Eucharist), or Holy Communion.
You should discuss this with your celebrant to determine if this is an advisable option for you.
Once you have worked out all the details for your service, its now time to consider preparing an Order of Service, or a program of your ceremony.
This is an important feature of your Wedding Service for a number of reasons.
It provides: o An historical record of the proceedings which occurred on your wedding day.
In years to come, you will be able to refer back to this document and see in detail, information which will not have been recorded in photos, videos or even the official marriage papers.
o A memento of your wedding which your guests can take home with them, and some of your friends will even refer to it when arranging their own weddings! o A helpful guide for the guests attending your wedding service, who may be unfamiliar with the liturgy of your church and its protocols.
Most of your guests will be interested in the service you have designed, especially if they can peruse it in printed format.
They will also feel much more comfortable about participating in your service if they know the details of what is happening and when.
Your Order of Service can be a detailed document or a simple outline of the main points in your weddings.
A good Order of Service should contain at least the following information to ensure that it is a useful document, o Details of the Bride and Groom, and the names of attendants.
o Details of the Date, Time and venue.
o Names of the Participants in your service - such as the Celebrant, readers, other members of the bridal party, names of your musicians, ushers etc.
A Simple Order of Service should also contain at least the basic structure of your service, such as o Entrance of the Bride (with name of accompanying music).
o The Scripture readings, name of readers and the biblical reference.
o An outline of the Rite of Marriage - E.
g.
Giving of Consent, Blessing and Exchange of Rings, General Intercessions, Lord's Prayer, the Blessing, Signing of the Register (including music details) and Recessional (music details).
o It should also give simple instructions to your guests of when to "STAND" or "SIT" during the service.
Download a sample of a Simple Order of Service A more detailed Order of Service may contain the following; o Words of hymns and songs which the congregation are invited to sing.
o Melody lines of hymns and songs to enable better and more confident participation, especially if your guests are not familiar with the tunes.
o Texts and Translation of songs or choir motets and anthems which may be in another language e.
g.
Latin or French.
Your guests would like to know and feel more included when that know what it is that is being sung! o Short explanations of the symbols used in your marriage service.
A well prepared Order of Service will prove to be a useful aid to your wedding guests and a memento of your big day!