Shell Ceremony

[TropicLover]

So beautiful!  I think I'm going to steal this idea ;-)  Do you think it would still work if there was a stone sitting on each chair holding down the programs?  Or would guests end up throwing them in the sand.  Lol it might be funny to see how the guests react when the minister says, "When you entered today, you received a stone on your chair." I could see a bunch of people scrambling trying to find it ;-)

 

Originally Posted by jennyatk 

This is part of the ceremony I found on the forum somewhere and I thought it was just wonderful! I am using part of it and like I said I changed the stone to a seashell. I have the whole ceremony but i wasn't sure if you wanted all of that so I included some of it with the seashell part.


On behalf of Anthony and JenniferI would like to thank everybody for having traveled to this beautiful location in tulum to witness the ceremony of union between them, to surround them with our love, and to share in their joy. You have been invited today because you are special to them, special as family and as friends. It is in this beautiful place, with all of you gathered here, that these two people have chosen to make their vows of commitment.

When you entered today, you received a stone. Anthony and Jennifer ask that you hold this stone in your hands throughout the ceremony and put your blessings for them on it. At the end of the ceremony they ask that you put them in the vase at the back. This vase of stones will be in their home as a reminder of all who were present today at their wedding and it will hold your good wishes for them.


Anthony and Jennifer - you are here surrounded by friends and family. Some people here have known you your entire lives and some for only a few years, but no matter how long or in what circumstances they know you, I can guarantee that everyone here knows what remarkable individuals and what a remarkable couple you are. As individuals, you are remarkable for the breadth and passion of your interests and for the fact that you both have an extraordinary understanding about who you are and what you stand for. As individuals you have shined throughout all of your unique and colorful endeavors. That might have been enough had you never found one another, but you did find one another and this is cause for further celebration, because as a couple you are able to bring out the best in one another. You have the opportunity to create a relationship that is beautiful, original, and meaningful. You've impacted each other and those who surround you on this happy day. Now we surround you, Anthony and Jennifer, and return the favor with our good wishes and our loving thoughts, as you state your intentions and declare your commitment to one another.


And when a commitment this strong is made by two people, the force of that commitment, of that love, of that courage, reaches out and touches all of us around you, so that our lives are changed and we share a part of your love. Like a stone dropped in a small pond, the ripple of the love from this celebration extends and changes the world we live in.

Marriage is the promise of hope between two people who love each other, who honor each other as individuals, and who wish to unite their lives and share the future together. In this ceremony, you dedicate yourselves to the happiness and well-being of each other, in a union of mutual caring and responsibility.
Each family is enriched and enlarged as our sons, daughters and siblings find partners and find homes for the next generation. Would the parents and siblings of the bride and groom please stand.

 This occasion is a special celebration for you, the parents who have brought these children into the world, and the families who have nurtured them into adulthood. Today you are witnessing another stage in the lives of your loved one. Your continuing support and encouragement will be needed as Anthony and Jennifer unite in marriage. As they join their lives in marriage, they also bring you together in a new relationship, creating new bonds of trust and ties of affection.

Will you who have loved and nurtured these two, with the greatest love and wisdom you have, support this new couple and help in every way? Answer: Yes!

The affirmation of family and friends:
Now, in the spirit of joy and affirmation, I want to ask your families and friends a question:


Do you the families and friends of Anthony and Jennifer give them your blessing and support, wishing them a wonderful life together as they marry? If so, please show them your support by saying "we willâ€.
I will now ask that everyone please take out the stone you have been given and pause to make a wish or blessing for happiness and goodwill for the couple for the future of their marriage.
[[Moment of silence to place blessings on stones.]]

 

[TropicLover]

One more question....how does it work for the wedding party?  Do the bm's walk up with a bouquet and shell/stone?  I wonder if you could have a table upfront where they pick one up for the blessing?  Hmmm any suggestions?

[tndrheart]

Why not incorporate one to their bouquet?
 

Originally Posted by TropicLover 

One more question....how does it work for the wedding party?  Do the bm's walk up with a bouquet and shell/stone?  I wonder if you could have a table upfront where they pick one up for the blessing?  Hmmm any suggestions?

 

[heavenone]

I absolutely love this idea. I've been searching for something that would make our ceremony unique -- this might just be it. Thanks!!

[Jber713]

Great idea!

[trivera5521]

We are doing something similar however with Sand dollars.  I will have a table set up with a bunch of sand dollars and fine point sharpies. The table will be dressed with our wedding colors, a net, a treasure chest and shells just for decor.  The instructions will be printed on aged parchment paper and framed indicating that our guests are to write a lil msg/wish to us and at the end of ceremony we will all walk down to the shore and throw it in. I'm pretty excited abotu it and thought it would be a great way to incorporate our guests into our beach ceremony =)