Module 10 : Types of Wedding

Religious ceremonies Civil ceremonies Location
weddings

Non-traditional weddings

By the end of this module, you will know about the following types
of weddings:

Religious ceremonies

Civil ceremonies

Location weddings

Non-traditional weddings

10.1  : Introduction

In reality,
there are dozens of different
types of wedding.

However, like many aspects of wedding and events planning,
they'd require a whole other book to cover adequately. Instead, the next chapter is going to cover the four main types of wedding, and as you'll soon realise they all split into sub-categories.

10.2  : Religious Ceremonies

The western world is becoming increasingly more secular, but religious ceremonies still play a central role in the married world.

From Catholics getting
married in their local church to the less traditional Buddhist ceremony, each one will come with its unique quirks.

Today, it's not so common that both members of the couple will be practicing members
of the religion they follow, particularly where Christianity is concerned. Further to this, it's common to find that both members of the couple follow a different religion.
Or, one may declare them as being religious, while the other isn't religious
at all.

As a wedding
planner, you don't exist to make sure the couple can sort out their religious differences. You may, however,
find yourself liaising
with different types of religious
leaders. Depending on the church or religious
building they wish to get married in, you may find that the couple has to have attended there for a while.

Wedding planners should always be mindful of the different
ways a religious ceremony can affect the timing of the day. Why is it important
to know this? Because it helps you schedule the rest of the day.

Further to this, if a client comes to you wanting to know if you can plan their wedding for them and they announce
that they're a part of a particular
religion, it helps to know a little about what the ceremony
entails. Even better, try to learn something
about the religion
itself.

Small pieces of knowledge can make a
big difference to the way you carry out your duties as a wedding planner.

For
example, knowing that certain
types of meat can't be served to certain religious parties will prevent you from causing offence when
selecting caterers and putting them forward to the happy couple.

10.3  : Civil Ceremonies

Civil ceremonies don't always mean the ceremonies that same sex couples used to have to take on.

Instead, they can mean using a registrar who does not have a vested interest
in religion.

As mentioned, the Western world is becoming
increasingly more secular.
Because of this, 
many couples may choose to forgo the religious element
of their ceremony
altogether. When this happens, it is usually
the case that a superintendent registrar  or  justice 
of  the  peace 
oversees  the proceedings, as opposed to a priest, imam, or someone similar.

While some couples
may assume that this means they're restricted to local registry
offices, this isn't always the case. More and more hotels, stately
homes, and other non-religious buildings
and organizations are able to host wedding
ceremonies. They often replace the beauty that many couples
lose when they choose not to get married in a religious
building.

Knowing which buildings
in your area will allow a happy couple to get married
without a religious
element can make your life as a wedding planner much easier.

Some couples may feel as though they like the 'ritual' element of weddings,
but that they still don't want a religious ceremony.
When this happens, you may want to suggest that they consider a 'humanist' ceremony.

Humanism is a form of atheism. Rather than simply rejecting religious
beliefs, it focuses
on how there is an element of good within everyone. As a replacement for religious leaders,
humanist officiates are available. A humanist wedding ceremony can retain much of the 'traditional' feel associated with a religious
wedding, but meets the needs of those who don't want any religious involvement.

If you do choose to offer your clients a humanist wedding,
do be advised that such ceremonies hold no legal status in most countries

10.4  : Location Weddings

More and more couples
are starting to reject the idea that they need to have a large ceremony that involves everyone
and anyone they've
ever known.

When this happens, many instead choose to have a location wedding. From Las Vegas through to Venice,
location weddings can be found all around the world.

If you do assist a bride and groom with planning their location wedding
and it's based abroad, your role is likely to be quite limited.

Many hotels and travel agencies
offering such weddings
usually feature their own planners,
which means you'll probably be involved in the aspect of planning
that can take part in your client's
country of residence.
This may include engagement parties, a party for when the couple comes home, outfits, and a registry
ceremony to make sure it's official.

On the flip side, you may find that a couple comes to you from somewhere
else in the country, or maybe even somewhere else in the world, to plan their location wedding.

As already mentioned,
location weddings are very popular.
However, one of the biggest problems associated with them is that couples cannot see venues and source the essentials for themselves.

As a wedding
planner, you're able to do this. You still run all the key details past the couple concerned, but you act as an extra pair of eyes for them when they can't be there.

10.5  : Non-traditional Weddings

Finally, not everyone likes to do things the way people expect them to, and that's perfectly okay!

Non-traditional weddings come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, which means this is a very broad category indeed. Some choose to get married at festivals, others in the middle of a forest,
and some couples
have even chosen to get married underwater.