Ceremony Certainty

Our Best Tips

The Dogwood Ballroom at Paramount Event Venue in Morrisville. Photo by Missy Loves Jerry Photography

Advice on how to plan a meaningful wedding ceremony

By Marie Muir and Rylee Parsons

Options for a personalized reception are endless, but don’t forget about all the ways you can personalize your ceremony! You may be hesitant to add your own touch for the sake of time or for the fear of public speaking, but a meaningful ceremony better communicates your love story to family and friends. Here’s some advice on how to do just that, from writing vows to incorporating cultural rituals:

Our top recommendation is to select a local wedding officiant who is committed to representing and honoring both you and your betrothed together in one ceremony. Professional officiants have the experience and knowledge to make your ceremony unique to your relationship.

Rev. Katherine Dupree specializes in ceremonies for all couples and values genuine conversations about love, family and spirituality. She aims to create ceremonies true to the couple’s backgrounds and beliefs by approaching each client as a friend and building a real relationship with them. “I take a connection-first approach,” Katherine says. “I spend however long it takes with a couple to get an understanding of the kind of ceremony that will feel meaningful and authentic to them.”

Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant Gwen Downs moved from New Jersey to North Carolina and has crafted and officiated wedding ceremonies since 2014. “As a celebrant, I use my specialized skills in ceremony creation and rituals to design a unique and memorable wedding ceremony reflecting the couple’s personalities, love story, beliefs, values and cultural backgrounds,” Gwen says. “I will customize every element of their ceremony with their collaboration, assist them on the traditional elements they’d like to include, write their love story, ask family and friends for their input, and tell it the way it happened to the delight of everyone in attendance.”

Rev. Katherine Dupree officiated a styled wedding with real-life couple Lindsey Tripp and Molly Robinson. Photo by Wendy Jade Photography Jayme Wappel and Clancy Mullan shared vows at The Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary. Photo by Morgan Caddell Photography

Ceremonies as unique as your love story

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raleighofficiant.com • 919.446.3388 • gwen@raleighofficiant.com