Wedding Ceremony Forms and Styles. Which Is Best For You?

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Few couples know there are many forms and styles of wedding ceremonies. Below you'll find a helpful guide to the various ceremony forms and styles available. Explore the options and discover what best fits your nuptial fancies.
Need a bit more help? Request a Personal  Online Tour and Ceremony Consultation with one of our Wedding Ministers.

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Rev. Allie

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Wedding Ceremonies, Forms and Styles.

Which ceremony form and style best fit’s your wedding desires and personalities?

 Let’s begin to break it down by addressing the basics of each wedding form and style.



Ceremony Forms:

Traditional. These are typically faith-based and culled from the tradition the bride and groom were born into.

Non-denominational. A spiritual ceremony that includes reference to God, but does not adhere to any particular religious protocol.

Non-religious. Usually includes no reference to faith and typically does not mention God. (Some people call it a civil ceremony, but in fact a civil ceremony often mentions God).

Interfaith. This is a blending of two or more faiths, by including aspect of religion or religious rituals or readings that are symbolic of each faith.

Intercultural. This is a blending of cultures – such as a Filipino veil ceremony with a Chinese red string ritual and yet can certainly also blend religious aspects.

Any Ceremony Form, for the most part,  may be applied to any Wedding Style.


What Are the Different Wedding Styles?

Black Tie, Formal, Informal, Casual and Elopement.
These are the terms used to dictate the level of formality, attire and ambiance of a wedding. Each style type plays an important part in the planning, direction and execution of your wedding as a whole.

Your preference will determine the ceremony style and direction, the reception, dining service, menu details and the capacity and ambiance of the wedding venue.

Of course, contingent on your personality styles, comfort zones and budget, each wedding style will have different levels of presentation, preparation and cost involved. When beginning to formulate your wedding plans it’s important to consider what you and your spouse-to-be will be most comfortable with.

The wedding style you select will also indicate what attire your wedding party and guests will wear. Everything about the wedding plans will hinge on your wedding’s overall level of style and level of formality, which should also be clearly indicated within your wedding invitations.

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 If you and your partner are usually on the casual side, then having a black tie wedding may not be comfortable fit for you. Then again, this is one time in your life when you may very well want to go all out, splurge and really crank up the formality and grandeur of your big day.
As you consider the elements of your wedding, strive to keep within the same level of formality and style throughout your wedding event so that entire day will flow with ease, grace and style.
Now, let’s take a look at what each wedding style typically entails.

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Formal Black Tie

 
A Black Tie Style Wedding

Traditionally, black tie attire marks a very formal event — one that takes place in a grand hall, a house of worship or an upscale hotel, the reception provides an elaborate menu, beginning with cocktails and a full service dining staff. The reception is typically 200 Plus guests and a large wedding party. Black tie weddings don’t have to be in the evening. Your wedding can begin in the late afternoon and still be very formal. Brides and bridesmaids wear elegant, full-length gowns (with a full train and veil for the bride), and grooms and groomsmen wear traditional black tailcoats and pants, white stiff shirts with white ascot ties, black socks and shoes. The average wedding budget would be approximately  $35,000.00 plus.

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Formal

A Formal Style Wedding

A formal wedding is typically held in a house of worship or hotel, starts in the afternoon or evening, has a sit-down dinner or buffet at the reception and features at least 150 Plus guests. The budget would be around $25,000.00

The bride and groom each traditionally have between three and six attendants. The bride at a formal wedding wears a full-length gown with a sweep or chapel train, and a fingertip veil. Grooms and groomsmen wear tuxedos: black coats, black pants, white shirts, black vests and black ties. Bridesmaids match in full-length dresses. 

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Semi Formal

A Semi-formal Style Wedding

A semi-formal wedding can be held in a house of worship, but you can also have one in a home, an outdoor location or another spot. It traditionally starts in the afternoon, has a simple meal or refreshments at the reception, with a guests list of 100 Plus. Most budgets would range  between $15,000.00 to $8,000.00.
The bride wears a full- or cocktail-length gown with a short train or no train at all and a fingertip veil. The groom and groomsmen wear matching tuxedos or dark suits, and bridesmaids wear matching full- or cocktail-length gowns.

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Casual

The Casual Style Wedding

A casual wedding is usually held during the day in a hotel, home, garden or another location that isn’t a house of worship. It has a simple meal or refreshments at the reception and  the guest list of 100.
The bride and groom typically have   two to three attendants each.
This style of ceremony offers a good deal of flexibility both in presentation and budget. Budgets can be a little as $2,500 to $5,500.00 plus.

Informal brides may wear a knee- or cocktail-length wedding dress with no veil or anything from a pantsuit to a linen sundress. The men might wear suits and ties or shorts and flip-flops, depending on the occasion.

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Simple

The Simple Wedding

 This  Wedding Style generally consist of gatherings of 75 to 100 guests. Wedding Budgets would range from $1,000.00 to $2,500.00.
The ceremony style is very relaxed and casual. No rehearsal is necessary for this comfy cozy informal wedding style. This ceremony style is most  popular for Second Marriages, Blended Family Weddings, Theme Weddings and Vow Renewal Celebrations. It's  a lovely, heart warming, casual ceremony style that is very well suited for homes, gardens, parks, hotels.

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Mini Wedding

 Mini Wedding
   This lovely little "Just Marry Us" style ceremony is perfect for small intimate gatherings of 35 guests or less.
A Simply Sweet Short Ceremony, no rehearsal necessary. Your budget would be about $250.00 to $500.00.

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Elopement

 Elopement Ceremony

A romantic little ceremony with 2 to 20 guests.
A Simply Perfect Little Romantic Elopement.
  Just right for B&B's, hotels, homes or parks.
There are several wonderful ceremony locations we can suggest to you.
Wedding Budgets would range from $295.00 to $595.00.





Copyright © 2013 My Life's Precious Vows and Celebrations

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See our Venue Suggestions

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Ceremony Music

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Live Ceremony Music Suggestions.
To help you on your way to exceptional live music choices, here are my favorite Live Music Vendors, all tried and true. Visit the links provided below to listen to samples of their music.

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