Marriage Vows For Blended Families - Whether you have stepparents, stepchildren or stepsisters, whatever your family consists of, you want to honor your loved ones and include your blended family in your wedding ceremony.
But how do you do that when so many wedding traditions involve only one set of parents and no children? You do your wedding, your way. It's okay to deviate from tradition when your family makeup isn't traditional! This is your chance to create your own traditions and create a ceremony that represents you and includes all your favorite loved ones.
Marriage Vows For Blended Families
Below we share 11 ways you can include your blended family in your wedding ceremony. We hope you find the perfect solutions for your unique family!
Borrow This Sweet Blended Family Wedding Vow Idea • Offbeat Wed (was Offbeat Bride)
Traditionally, the bride's father will walk her down the aisle (and in some cultures, the bride's mother is also invited). But if you are in a blended family, you can change that! You can have all your parents walk you down the aisle, ask your children to walk you down the aisle, or choose a special family member to do the honors. If you can't choose and your aisle isn't wide enough for a crowd, consider swapping up (eg your mom takes you halfway down and your stepmom takes you the rest of the way) or solo down. Come on!
While vows are traditionally shared between the couple, we are seeing more and more blended families choose to share vows with the whole family. It can look like one parent making vows to their new stepchildren, both parents making vows to their children, or the entire family pledging their commitment to each other.
A great way to include your blended family in your wedding ceremony is by giving them an official role. You can invite them to join the wedding party, ask them to walk down the aisle, or give them the role of usher or greeter. They may also say readings or marriage prayers during the ceremony.
You know the saying: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Besides being beautiful, it's a great way to include your blended family in your wedding day. Consider obtaining each of these items from your family members. For example, you can borrow your stepfather's watch or go shopping for new shoes with your stepchildren.
The Wedding Playbook Volume 11 By The Wedding Playbook
Traditionally, the couple's parents will sit in the front row at the wedding ceremony. With blended families, if people don't know where to sit, it can be a bit difficult. Alleviate anxiety and show your whole family how much you love them by designating special places of honor. You can also make small name cards to reserve their seats or decorate them with flowers.
If you're getting married in Canada (and many other places in the world), you'll need two people to witness your marriage and sign your marriage license. This important roll is perfect for honoring a member of your blended family! Especially if you already have other family members walking the aisles, making entrances, or doing readings, this is a great way to make sure everyone has an important job.
Make sure your blended family is included and looking their best when you invest time in their outfits for the big day. There are many ways to give VIP treatment to your family members. You can ask everyone in your family to wear the same color so they stand out. You can invite them all on a wedding dress shopping trip. Or you can give them a matching corsage and boutonniere to wear on the big day.
Not only can you ask a blended family member to pray during your wedding ceremony, but you can choose a prayer that speaks specifically to your family values. Check out our list of marriage prayers or write your own. Consider including blessings for a new family, or your wishes for your family in the future.
Ways To Blend Families With Children At Weddings — Smith Family Photography
Newlyweds usually exchange rings to seal their vows, so it makes sense to want to present your new family members with a symbol of your commitment. We've seen stepchildren receive necklaces, bracelets or rings. It's a great way to include your blended family in the wedding ceremony with a gift they can keep with them long after the wedding day is over.
You've probably heard of handfasting or sandcasting rituals, but what about a unity ceremony that involves every member of your family? We have enjoyed watching new families create their own traditions by contributing to a puzzle that includes all their names or all a group painting. A favorite includes a group bouquet, where each family member brings a single flower that represents them, which come together to form a complete flower arrangement.
While a wedding day is about a connection between two people, it's not just a couple coming together. Your families bond together, and this is even more true if you have stepchildren. So make the day not only for the two of you, but also for your blended family. Involve your family members in the planning process, say their names in your vows, let them choose the song they walk down the aisle to, etc.
There are a lot of big emotions when it comes to marriage, and those emotions can be complicated if you come from a blended family. Our advice? Leave enough room for emotions - both yours and theirs. Understand that your family members may feel differently before and on the big day. While we hope everyone is excited for you and on their best behavior at your wedding, negative feelings can arise if mixed family members feel left out or uncomfortable.
A Sample Wedding Ceremony Script For A Modern Family
Of course, everyone should leave the drama at home and it's not your job to take care of someone's feelings. But in our experience, it helps to think through family dynamics. Open the lines of communication during the planning process so that the wedding day can go as smoothly as possible. After all, a blended family means more people to love and who love you, and that's what your wedding should be all about! Sometimes one or both partners bring children from a previous relationship into their marriage. It is important to recognize that marriage is not only about the joining of a couple, but also about the creation of a new family.
Parents' vow ceremony for children is a way to celebrate and embrace the new family constellation, while including the children. By adding this element to the ceremony, the children show that they are a real part of the new family being created. It is also a way to give hugs to parents/spouses by hugging their children. These vows are usually spoken after wedding and ring vows.
I have included an example of a vow read to three daughters (ages 5, 7 and 10) of a recently married groom. Both he and his bride recited their vows to their daughters, after which they gave them necklaces. The girls were ecstatic and there were tears and laughter as their guests looked on with delight. Necklaces always remind girls of their honored place in the family as well as their special role in the wedding ceremony~
The ceremony not only marks the union of Grace and Joel as husband and wife, it also celebrates the creation of a new family with Anna, Paula and Johnny. I came across a message on Facebook late last year that completely and happily struck a chord. Take me out: My friend Kait is getting married, and she wanted to know if I would officiate her wedding. I realize that having a friend as your officiant is very popular these days, but my relationship with Cait has a few extra layers. To begin with, until her wedding this May, we only knew each other online. I first "met" Cait when she submitted an article for a parenting website I worked for, and I was immediately captivated by her story. We connected on Facebook and eventually Instagram. She always seemed sincere
Bride Addresses Groom's Ex And Son In Her Vows During The Wedding Ceremony
Kate and her then-fiance-now-husband (woo!), Bobby planned a trip from Oklahoma to Seattle for their wedding. They hired the ever-present, always-hilarious Jonas Seaman (and his gorgeous second shooter slash girlfriend, Mary) to shoot their wedding, and according to Kate, it only made sense for me to take on the responsibility. They didn't know another soul on the west coast, and I was getting married. I'm also good friends with Jonas and Mary, so they all got along really well. Well, until my initial excitement wore off and it quickly dawned on me that I would have to hold a ceremony.
I learned a lot about a ceremony with Kate and Bobby, and I'll share some of that with you later, but for now, here's what I came up with for this modern family:
"Love
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