Next-Gen: The ReImagined Wedding Ceremony

Announcing a complete re-think of what a wedding ceremony can be. A wedding in tune with your 21st century values. A wedding ceremony in which patriarchal values are no longer embedded.  The wedding ceremony you thought you couldn't have because that's not the way wedding are done.

The structure and content of current non-religious ceremonies, despite multiple changes to make them more contemporary, continue to cling to their roots in the religious marriage services of mediaeval times.

Lengthy recounting of your relationship journey, your love-story, and deep philosophical musings on marriage (which I call the lecture, because they usually are peppered with totally unsolicited advice on how to run your marriage), are the homily or sermon delivered by the clergyperson, reformed, but not eliminated. The processional, where one party is led towards the other, remains largely unchanged, despite replacing flower girls with flower nanas, flower dudes, or beer boys. Contemporary music replaces religious anthems. Readings and rituals replace extracts from the Bible. But the DNA is still discernible.

It's time for a change, so if all or any of the above isn't quite your style, then hold onto your veils and bow ties because I now offer a ceremony with a difference, one that might just be perfect for you: Next-Gen: The ReImagined Wedding Ceremony.

Why did I develop the Next-Gen ReImagined Wedding Ceremony?

The subliminal messages of current civil ceremonies (and of the religious ceremonies they evolved from) have always made me somewhat uneasy. An issue I explored in detail in a article published in June 2022 in an international journal for celebrants in which I explored the ways in which wedding ceremonies have continued to be shaped by multi-layered and multifaceted cultural influences that underpin the inherent whiteness of the ceremony. Class Culture, Christian Culture, Consumer Culture, and Celebrity Culture, liberally laced with Patriarchal Values,

The Next-Gen ReImagined Wedding Ceremony is the culmination of my 18 years of analysing these subliminal messages by looking closely at both words and choreography, and the history behind both.

Progressively over the years I have emphasised to couples that there are far fewer rules than we are led to believe, particularly rules about the "proper" way to marry and have shown them the power that subtle changes to the ceremony script has to address the gender role stereotyping taken for granted in times past.

But that process could only go so far. A new approach, a new vision of what a marriage ceremony between two people, regardless of gender, was needed.

What is a Next-Gen ReImagined Wedding Ceremony?

A Next-Gen ReImagined Wedding Ceremony is a complete break with the past.

Next-Gen, or Next-Generation, is a term borrowed from the IT industry, where it is used to describe a product that has been developed using the latest technology and will probably replace an existing product.

Over the years the wedding ceremony has been  "modernised" by either taking something away, or tweaking something, or both. Most specifically recasting religious content as non-religious, and/or personal. And substituting the unexpected for the expected. It's a glass half empty approach because it does not change the underlying values that have remained unchanged for 1000+ years.

And it doesn't reflect the reality of the civil wedding ceremony in Australia. Where the only requirement is that the ceremony complies with the Law, as set out in the Marriage Act.

Picture this: a wedding ceremony that highlights the heart and soul of your commitment—the vows. Unlike the usual non-religious ceremonies that might include a detailed retelling of your relationship or a celebrant's lecture on the nature of matrimony, with vows kept short, a Next-Gen ReImagined Wedding Ceremony keeps things simple, sincere, and deeply personal. The spotlight is on you and your partner, as you exchange the promises that will define your marriage.

A Next-Gen ReImagined Ceremony works by building the ceremony from the minimal legal requirements by enhancing what is required by the Marriage Act, or adding to it.

This isn't to be confused with a "legals only" ceremony either, where the legal vows mandated by the Marriage Act are the main event and it is all over and done with in a heartbeat. In a ReImagined Wedding ceremony, your personal commitment takes centre stage, but with the necessary legal vows seamlessly woven in. It's a beautiful blend of heartfelt emotion and legal necessity that is also

• infinitely scaleable
• inclusive of your guests
• suitable for all couples, regardless of gender
  
• not in any way dependent on the personality of your celebrant
  

Would a Next-Gen ReImagined Wedding Ceremony be a good fit for you?

Pros

• Personalisation
  This ceremony is all about you and your partner's love, without any extraneous elements. It’s a chance to express your deepest feelings and promises in a setting that feels intimate and genuine, regardless of how many guests you have
• Gender Neutral
  Unlike traditional weddings, the ReImagined Wedding Ceremony requires no adjustment to be a comfortable fit, regardless of your gender. It is totally gender neutral and therefore the epitome of equality and inclusion
  
• Flexibility
  A ReImagined Wedding  Ceremony works with any number of guests, and every style of wedding, from the ultra casual backyard ceremony to the grand black-tie affair in a luxe venue. So, whether you want a grand affair with hundreds of friends and family or a cozy gathering with just your nearest and dearest, or even just you and your witnesses, this format works wonderfully. And an added bonus is that, without extraneous competing content in the ceremony, or a celebrant competing for your guests' attention, there is no pressure to keep your vows short! But that's not to say you have to forgo personally meaningful rituals. So if you want to include a handfasting, ring exchange, or other ritual, it works.
  
• Reduced decision-making
  There are fewer things to make decisions about
  
• Time-Saving
  Without additional rituals or lengthy readings or monologues from the celebrant, the ceremony is concise, leaving more time for celebrating with your loved ones. And, with fewer ceremony-related decisions to make, you'll won't be juggling to find the time to focus on writing your vows (with lots of help from me along the way! I have written a guide to how to write vows for a ReImagined Wedding Ceremony. There are differences.
  
• Money-Saving
  The pared-down format means fewer things you need to purchase or supply.

Cons

• Less traditional
  For those who love the pomp and circumstance of a more traditional ceremony, a ReImagined Wedding Ceremony format might feel too minimal.
• Limited content
  If you're looking to include various readings, an assortment of rituals, or a detailed narrative of your love story, this might not be the right choice for you.
• Public speaking
  With the focus on vows, there's an added pressure to craft and deliver meaningful words, which might be daunting for some.
• Need to educate other vendors (eg photographers) and venue coordinators
  It may required detailed education of others to achieve understanding about how different the ceremony is - from the processional, all the way through to the signing and beyond.
  

Making it legal

Nothing changes legally. That's the one thing that is a constant.  I'll make sure that all the legal boxes required to make your marriage legal are ticked. Which means all the pre-ceremony paperwork, and, before your say your vows, I'll recite the Monitum, the required statements about my authority to solemnise your marriage together with the definition of legal marriage as documented in The Marriage Act.

On the day, you will have a wedding ceremony that highlights the heart and soul of your commitment, a ceremony that is all about the two of you and the promises you choose to make to each other. So, if you're ready to celebrate your love in a way that feels genuine and true to who you are as a couple, this might just be the perfect fit, and I will very definitely be playing an unobtrusive supporting role!

Related Information

• The Power of the Subliminal: Celebrant-Led Ceremonies and Cultural Bias
  
• The Legal Vows - A Must Do Requirement with Leeway for Personal Choice
  
• What's a Legals Only Wedding?