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Unique Rituals to Personalise Your Civil Ceremony: Adding Meaningful Touches to Your Special Day

While civil ceremonies offer flexibility, incorporating rituals can infuse your wedding day with profound meaning and personalisation. Let's explore diverse rituals that couples can include to elevate their civil ceremony and make it truly unforgettable.


  1. Handfasting Ceremony:

    Originating from ancient Celtic traditions, handfasting involves the binding of the couple's hands with ribbons or cords, symbolising their union and commitment. Consider using meaningful colours or fabrics to represent your shared values or heritage.

  2. Unity Candle Ceremony:

    Light represents unity, and in a unity candle ritual, the couple lights a single candle together using two individual candles. This act symbolises the merging of two lives into one. You can also involve family members by inviting them to light the initial candles, signifying the support of both families.


  3. Wine Box Ceremony:

    Encapsulate the essence of your love by sealing letters to each other and a bottle of wine in a box. During the ceremony, you both place the items in the box and seal it, to be opened on a future anniversary or milestone. It's a beautiful way to reflect on your promises and journey together.

  4. Tree Planting Ritual:

    Symbolise growth and rootedness by planting a tree together. This ritual involves nurturing a sapling or planting a tree in soil collected from each of your childhood homes. As the tree grows, so too will your love and life together.

  5. Ring Warming Ceremony:

    Involve your guests by passing your rings through their hands during the ceremony. As each guest holds the rings, they impart their blessings and good wishes upon them. This ritual imbues your rings with the love and support of your community.

  6. Sand Blending Ceremony:

    Pour different coloured sands into a single container, symbolising the blending of your lives. Each grain represents a unique aspect of your individuality, forming a beautiful, inseparable union.

  7. Love Letter Exchange:

    Before the ceremony, each partner writes a heartfelt letter to their future spouse, expressing their feelings and promises. These letters are sealed in envelopes and exchanged during the ceremony, to be opened and read privately later on, serving as a timeless reminder of your love and commitment.


  8. Hand Casting Ceremony:

    Create a lasting keepsake by making a hand casting together. This involves dipping your joined hands into a moulding material to create a sculpture, symbolising your everlasting bond and unity.

  9. Breaking the Glass:

    Embrace this Jewish tradition by breaking a glass underfoot at the end of the ceremony. This act symbolises the fragility of life and the commitment to stand together through joy and sorrow.

  10. Quaich Ceremony:

    Hailing from Scottish tradition, the quaich is a loving cup shared between the couple. Drinking from the quaich together signifies the union of your lives and the sharing of all experiences, both bitter and sweet.

  11. Ring Blessing Ceremony:

    Invite guests to bless your rings before they are exchanged. Pass the rings around, allowing each guest to silently impart their well wishes and blessings onto the rings, infusing them with collective positive energy.

  12. Book Ceremony:

    As avid readers or lovers of literature, choose a significant book together. During the ceremony, exchange the book or a passage from it, signifying your shared values, dreams, and a commitment to building a life together.

  13. Balloon Release:

    Have guests write their well wishes for your future together on small pieces of paper, which are then attached to helium balloons. During the ceremony, release the balloons into the sky, symbolising the support and good wishes of your loved ones.

  14. Unity Puzzle Ceremony:

    Incorporate a unity puzzle, where separate puzzle pieces represent your individual lives. As you fit them together, it symbolises the creation of a beautiful, unified picture—a metaphor for your life together as a couple.


Your civil ceremony is an opportunity to weave together traditions, creativity, and personal touches. Incorporating rituals adds depth and significance, creating a unique and unforgettable wedding experience.

In summary, these diverse rituals offer a chance to craft a ceremony that resonates deeply with your love story and values. Choose rituals that speak to your hearts, ensuring your civil ceremony becomes a beautiful reflection of your commitment and unity. Embrace these unique rituals to infuse your wedding day with meaning and create treasured memories for years to come.

based in Sydney and Perth

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