My ritual page is always in the process of being built. When finished (if ever finished) I hope to have a variety of religious and cultural rituals displayed (including materials needed, ceremonial words, and possible music selections). The rituals shown here are among some of the rituals which I have used or researched. If you want to do something and do not see it listed among my rituals (or if you want to do a ritual in a different way) let me know

The symbolic gesture of tying a cord of family unity may follow the exchange of vows and rings. The officiant may take up a length of corde and present it to representatiives of the bride's and groom's families with these or siilar words:

"This cord represents an unbroken chain of life: given by God to our first parents, sustained by God through tghe generations of our ancestors, flowing to our families today. I invite you to tie this cord in tghe presence of God and these witnesses as a sign that you are joining the life of your two families"

Then addressing the representatives of each family in turn:

"Are you prepared to be joined to the family of (name of bride/name of groom)?

The family representatives respond:

"Yes, we are."

The family representatives tie a knot in the cord. They then pass the cord to the bride and groom, who tie another knot, saying:

"We have together tied a knot with this cord. Our families are joined into one family, our peoples are joined into one people.

The bride and groom select a box that locks, a good bottle of wine, and some fancy stationary.

The bride writes a letter to the groom expressing her love and the reasons why she wants to marry him. the groom does likewise. The letters are sealed without being read by the other person.

During the wedding ceremony the bride and groom place the letters and the wine into the box and lock it.

Following the ceremony the box is displayed in their home. It remains locked until one of two things occurs: the marriage is a shambles and in danger (it is then opened as an effort to recapture the love of the wedding day in the hope that things can be put right) or the happy couple reaches their 25th/50th wedding anniversary (it is then opened as a time capsule experience to share in the love with which they began their union).

Some tips if this ritual is utilized:

• buy a very good bottle of wine that will last (and age) over time -- there is nothing worse than opening the wine and finding that all you  have is vinegar
• if the box opens with a combination, frame the combination and hang it on the wall near the box (so that you do not forget it)
• if the box opens with a key put the key on a large ribbon and hang it on a hook near the box (so that you know where to find it)
• place the box so that the cork on the wine is kept moist (so tha the wine does not spoil because the cork got dry)

This is a fun ritual that stretches over time as a reminder of the love of the wedding day.

A pillar is placed near where the bride and groom stand, with a chalice, vase, or candle stand on it. A candle burns within.

Prior to the service the bride and the groom, individually, write their fears, worries, thougvhts and qualms on a small piece of paper.

Following their vows the bride and the groom step to the candle and set their paper on fire, thereby symbolically purifying their union of all impediments. 

This ritual is performed in a variety of ways. Common to all of them is that one color represents each person that is engaged in the ritual.

Materials needed are a large glass vase or jar and sand to represent those who are ingaged in the ritual.

In some rituals white sand is used as a representation of God, and this sand is poured in first in order to make a foundation for all of the sands that will come after -- symbolizing that the marriage rests within the care of God.

Ii is common that all of the colored sand representing the bride and the groom is poured next, so that it intermingles as it settles within the container, creating a "sand tableau". This symbol of unity is then sealed.

Alternatively, when children are present (from a former marriage) they may also engage in the ritual -- with their own color of sand, symbolizing the place that they have within the new family which is being created.

Rather than pouring in all of the representational sand (as if all of life is over and what there is now is only the oneness of marriage, I prefer to have the bride and groom pour only a portion of their sand. This symbolizes that they are bringing all of their past experiences and committing who they are to their new union, but that they maintain their individuality (with more sand to be added at a later date as more experiences in life are garnered).

The same can be done for any children who are represented within the sand ritual.

In this way the sand ritual becomes an ongoing tableau of the family life -- with new sand being added as new experiences take place.

1. Wardrobe Change

In modern China, brides pick not one wedding dress, but three. First, there's the traditional qipao or cheongsam, an embroidered, slim-fitting frock that's usually made red for weddings, because red is considered to be a strong,m lucky color in Chinese culture. Next the bride might swap into a white poufed ball gown that wouldn't look out of place at a traditional American wedding -- a bridal nod to the popularity of Western trends. fionally, the bride ducks out of the reception to change into a third dress, this one a gown of her color choice or a cocktail dress.

 2. Painted Hands

Before an Indsan bride gets married, she and her female friends and family decorate their hands and feet with elaborate designs called "menhdi". These temporary designs are made from the plant dye henna, and they last just a few weeks. The menhdi designs are incredibly intricate and take hours to apply, not including the time the bride must wait for the henna paste to dry and stain her skin. Turning the occasion into a "mehndi party" makes the process more fun -- and provides some friends and family to help the bride out if she needs anything while she's being adorned.

 3. Jumping the Broom

A number of cultures, from Celts to Roma (Gypsies) have incorporated some sort of leap over a broom into their wedding traditions. Today, broom jumping is most often found in African-American weddings, the tradition rooted in the days of slavery when marriage between enslaved men and women wasn't legally sanctioned. During the antebellum period, enslaved men and women would declare their union by jumping over a broom together.

 4. Ransom for the Shoes

While Russian grooms are ransoming their brides, Pakistani men have to pay up if they want to keep their shoes. After a Pakistani wedding, the couple returns home for a ceremony called the "showing of the face." Family and friends hold a green shawl over the couple's heads and a mirror as the bride removes the veil she wears throughout the wedding ceremony. While the newlyweds are busy gazing at one another, the bride's female relatives make off with the groom's shoes and demand money for their safe return.

 5. Ransom for the Bride

Russian grooms have to work for thir brides. Before the wedding, the groom shows up at the bride's home and asks for his beloved. In jest, her friendsa and family refuse him until he pays up on gifts, money, jewelry or simple humiliation. Grooms are forced to do sillly dances, answer riddles, and perform goofy tests of worthiness like diapering a baby doll. Once the groom impresses friends and family with this bridal ransom , or "vykup nevesty," he is allowed to meet his bride-to-be.

6. Joyous Processional

Lebanese style weddings kick off with music, dancing and joyful shouting right outside the groom's doors. This is the "zaffe," a rowdy, traditional escort made up of friends, family, and sometimes professionals musicians and dancers. This group escorts the groom to his bride's house, and then sends them off in a shower of shouted blessings and flower petals.

 7. Slaughtering a Cow

Traditional Zulu weddings are marked by vibrant colors and dance-offs between the bride and groom's families. L:ike amny brides across the world, Zulu brides might start the day in a Western "white wedding" dress, but change into traditional tribal clothing after a church wedding. In a traditional ceremony, the groom's family slaughters a cow to welcome the bride. The bride places money inside the stomach of the cow to symbolize that she is now part of the family.

 8. Peruvian Cake Pull

In Peru, single female guests take part in a tradition a little sweeter than a bouquet toss. Charms attached to ribbons are tucked between the layers of the wedding cake. Before the cake is cut, each woman grabs a ribbon and pulls. At the end of one ribbon is a fake wedding ring. The guest who pickes that ribbon is said to be next in line for marriage.

 9. Baby Bridesmaids

Royal weddings in the United Kingdom do bridesmaids a twist. Usually, the bride's attendants are young girls rather than contemporaries. At Queen Elizabeth II's wedding in 1947, there were eight bridesmaids, most younger than the 21-year-old bride. Diana had five bridesmaids, the youngest of whom was 5. The oldest was 17. Royal bride, Kate Middleton took it even younger in her 2011 wedding, inviting her husband-to-be's goddaughter and Camilla parker Bowles' granddaughter, both 3, down the aisle.

 10. Mazel Tov!

The breaking of the glass in Jewish weddings, in which the groom crushes a glass under his foot at the end of the ceremony, is a tradition with murky roots. Some hold that the breaking glass symbolizes the destruction of the great Temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, while others say that the broken glass is a reminder that joy should always be tempered. Either way, breaking the glass is usually undertaken in the spirit of happiness today, with wedding guests calling out "mazel tov" (good luck!) after the glass shatters.

 Ritual Descriptions from Shutterstock

Any of these traditional rituals can be adapted for your wedding. If you are interested in having this happen, just ask.

Pastor John