Hello humans!

Planning a wedding or an elopement can be amazing, confusing, eye-opening.. but the moment you feel you’re not having fun is when you need to take a break and go get a Bloody Mary!

Most of our couples ask me for advice (Which I encourage, let me be your google search first!) when it comes to their joining ceremony. They aren’t sure what to do, what has been done, or ideas for something new.

Here is my breakdown of picking a joining ceremony…

1: Who are you two and how would you describe your love?
-Touchy
-Verbal
-Serving

I ask because don’t do something because you think thats the normal sort of thing, make it personal, and make it yourself. Stay true to your love, and your own morals.

2: What hobbies do you both enjoy as a couple?
-Wine / Food
-Nature
-Art

Is there something you two do together on the daily that we can bring into your wedding?

3: Is it something you can keep and use in your marriage?
-Wood / Metal
-Goals
-Art

Whether you can treasure it in your home, or use it as something to work for during the length of your marriage – Is it something that is going to be a one day thing or a life time?

4: Things we have Photographed that we love to see
-Wine blending
-Knot tying
-Tree Planting
-Cross building
-Glass Art
-Anniversary Letters

Wine / Food Joining ceremonies
-Blending two bottles and creating one class to sip, while keeping the new bottle to remind you of your joined love
-Sharing a piece of pizza after adding toppings

Knot / Rope Ceremonies
-Wrapping a rope and tying a knot around each others hands
-Braiding a rope to symbol strength together tied as one

Tree Planting
-Local parks or any area where you can donate a tree to give back to nature

Cross building
-Building a structure and show casing in your home

Glass Art
-Shattering art and melting into a work of art
-Sand or colored pieces and joining into a bottle of one color
-Paint mixing on canvas

Anniversary letters
-Write each other letters to open on your milestone anniversaries or even “first fight” letters to open and remind each other why you started this journey together
-1 / 5 / 10 / 25 / 50 year milestones

Write your own Vows
-Traditional vows are great, but they aren’t personal. They get the job done, but they don’t explain exactly what it is you feel for the other person.

-Write your vows, keep them, but also grow with them as you two grow as a couple

-When you say your own vows, that you mean, that you really feel, you might cry AND THAT IS OKAY. There is no shame in real emotion. It shows that you are human

Weddings + Elopements are my favorite thing to go to.. my favorite thing to photograph. Love is beautiful, love is hard, love is worth fighting for! Don’t give up, it’s okay to have an off day and it is okay to need a break from planning .. just know we are here for you and ready to help start your marriage on the right foot!

Love, jamie + mark