Every bride to be has, hidden somewhere in the deep recesses of the mind, a wedding fantasy that includes where the wedding ceremony will take place. Maybe you want a spring wedding with all the beauty and color of fresh flowers, summer warmth and outdoor festivities, the awesome beauty of fall colors or the winter wonderland wedding full of glitter and sparkle.
Fix your guest list before you do anything else. This is the rock on which you will build your wedding plans. Once you have your guest list you can make informed decisions about a lot of things. If all of your guests or at least 85-90 percent of them are from the same town as you, consider having the wedding in the off season to get better rates.
Choosing the wedding venue is a huge decision and one that is governed by many factors. After the guest list is
finalized, the next most important aspect to be decided upon is the venue. The type of venue you choose will depend on the sort of wedding you have always dreamed of having. For example, if you have always dreamed of a fairy tale wedding with a castle in the background and knight in shining armor carrying you off on his steed; well obviously you need to book a castle!
Another important factor for consideration is how religious are your beliefs. If both you and your partner are religious, a church wedding ceremony is the best way forward. Christians typically have wedding ceremonies performed in churches; Jewish tradition dictates the ceremony takes place in a temple or synagogue.
Every religion has its own beliefs and traditions that will need to be upheld. Then again, inter-racial marriages where two different faiths are involved will require a different type of planning. Many factors like religion, race and social standing can affect the wedding ceremony location. Most white weddings as they are referred to in the western world are generally performed in a church of the couple‟s choice and officiated by a religious minister.
For the people who are not too particular about having a church wedding, the ceremony can be held anywhere you please. All you need is an official who is authorized to perform the ceremony. You may find these ideas useful when deciding where to hold the ceremony.
A Civil ceremony is performed by the Justice of the Peace
or a judge, or in some cases the mayor. These people are authorized to perform a civil ceremony anywhere outside the church. The ceremony is very brief and does not involve any reference to God. It is a purely legal ceremony and can be held in City Hall or a courtroom.
If you want to have a civil ceremony, you can always have the ceremony in your own garden. In this way you can have lovely decorations, serve food and drinks and have an intimate wedding reception after the ceremony.
How about a cruise wedding, the official will first perform the wedding ceremony, which unfortunately cannot be performed while sailing. It has to be done in port on American soil so to speak. You can set sail once the official ceremony is over, to enjoy a wonderful cruise reception.
So you cannot afford to have a cruise wedding ceremony and reception, you can still have the ceremony on a dock, harbor, riverside, lake or beach if a water based theme is what you want. You can have the ceremony in a public park or botanical garden; you can choose a roof deck or a beautifully landscaped private garden.
Is your idea of the perfect wedding ceremony something rare? Why not have the ceremony against the backdrop of a natural wonder. Check out the geography of the place you plan to have the wedding. Find out if there are any mountains, cliffs, waterfalls, gorges or other natural wonders that will make a sensational backdrop to the entire ceremonial proceedings.
Ultimately, where you decide to have your wedding ceremony will depend on your religious beliefs and the budget you have. There is no shortage of ideas on where the ceremony can be held from castle to courtroom; you just need to be able to afford it.
