5 Ceremony Rituals for your Destination Wedding in Paris

My 5 favorite ceremony rituals for your destination wedding in Paris are romantic, meaningful and personal. I love wedding rituals because they are a beautiful gesture to express your love and unity during your ceremony. Your wedding vows consist of words, your wedding ritual consists of actions. The ritual can therefore complete your ceremony in a beautiful way. Plus: It’s a visual element – and that’s always good on photos!

However you are planning a destination wedding in Paris. So as your celebrant in France I recommend to choose a ritual that is easy to prepare and only requires materials/ items that you can easily transport and travel with.

Moreover I especially love ceremony rituals that you can customize to express yourselves: Meaning we can vary the ritual in order to bring your unique personalities, background, love story, shared passion in. Or why not a little reference to your wedding destination France?

So here are my 5 favorite ceremony rituals for your destination wedding in Paris France:

1. Handfasting

Handfasting is a Celtic tradition which symbolizes the binding of two people in love. As your Paris celebrant I will bind your joined hands with the handfasting cords. If you then pull the loose ends with your free hands you will literally tie the knot!
Material: 2 or more cords/ ribbons/ scarfs or similar

Personalize it: Use a fabric/ color/ pattern that has a special meaning to you such as the couples on the photos:
1. Jackie & Leo (see above) used the scarf of his mother who had passed away to honor her memory and to physically feel her presence on their wedding day.
2. David & Hazel (see above) came from Scotland and brought a ribbon of Buchanan tartan to honor their roots.
3. Florencia & Erik (see below) included her daughter into the ritual to symbolize the becoming of a family. They used 3 different colors for their ribbons, so each of them was represented by a different color and symbolic.

French Touch: As your Paris Officiant I use handfasting cords in the French national colors blue-white-red. If you’d like to use these cords for your ritual as reference to your destination wedding in Paris France let me know!

Include your loved ones: Make close family members or friends assist or even perform the ritual.
1. Remember David & Hazel (see #2 above) from Scotland? For their renewal of vows they wanted their son to be part of their ceremony. So it was him binding the hands of his parents.
2. Tanya & Tyler (see above) had each of their parents bring a cord and bless their union by wrapping the cord around their hands. The couples then had 4 cords and 4 different colors and tied the knot made of these good wishes.

2. Unity Ritual

If you plan your celebration in an indoor venue then the unity candles are a beautiful ceremony ritual for your destination wedding in Paris France. Especially for an evening ceremony or winter wedding when the light is rather dim.
Both of you are holding smaller candles and will together light your larger unity candle. This wedding ritual symbolizes your union – two become one.
Material: 2 small candles, 1 large unity candle. Candlestick/ saucers fitting to your candles.

OUTDOOR VARIATION: If you are planning your ceremony outdoors (and there is always a little wind that may blow off your candles!) then I would rather recommend the sand ritual as ceremony ritual for your destination wedding in Paris France. It has the same symbolic meaning but uses different materials.
You both are holding two small glass containers containing sand in two different colors. Together you then pour it into a larger glass container where the colors blend.
Material: 2 small glass containers, 1 large glass container. Sand in 2 different colors or from 2 different places.

Personalize it: You can purchase customized candles with your names and wedding dates on it (see above). You can find them for instance on Etsy

Include your guests:
1. Rhonda & Richard (see above) performed the unity candles together with their 2 children to celebrate the union of their family. (Read more about their touching story here: Eiffel Tower ceremony with family ritual!)
2. You can also ask 2 of your guests (e.g. parents, siblings) to light your individual candles in the very beginning of the ritual and to bless your union.
3. You can spread the light from your unity candle: One of your loved ones will inflame their candle on your unity candle and then pass it on to the person sitting next. This way your guests will one by one light their candles until your ceremony space is a sea of lights.

3. Time Capsule

During your wedding ceremony you put certain items into a box (e.g. letters to each other, a flower from your wedding bouquet, photos/postcard of your trip to Paris, a bottle of wine etc.). Then you seal the box and promise to only open it again on a certain date in the future (e.g 1st, 5th, 10th wedding anniversary).
Material: 1 box (or any other container that you can close), items to put into your time capsule

Personalize it: It’s all about the items you will put into your time capsule. Choose things that are meaningful to you and that will spark beautiful memories when you will open your time capsule again in the future.

1. Marilyn & Martin (see above) were putting the following items into their time capsule: Love letters that they have written for each other but will only read when opening the box again. A bottle of French wine as a keepsake of their destination wedding in Paris. A cotton candle because they decided to re-open their box on their 2nd wedding anniversary which is the cotton anniversary. So on their 2nd anniversary they will open their time capsule, drink the wine, light the candle and read their love letters.

2. Jen & Ivan (see above) were expecting a baby so they choose items that expressed their excitement expecting and best wishes for their future child. As a box they used a mini suitcase for kids because they wish to travel a lot as a family.
Into the box they put: An ultra sounds picture and the card they created to announce the pregnancy to their loved ones to remind them of this exciting time. A calendar of the Spanish artists Goya as reminder of the year of birth and to honor the groom’s Spanish roots. A soccer jersey to pass on their passion about this sport to their kid. A letter for their baby.
They decided to seal their time capsule until their child is big enough to understand. So when time comes they will re-open the time capsule together with their little one, share the gifts, read the letter and strolling down memory lane.

French touch: Don’t forget to get a nice bottle of your favorite French wine or champagne! Also add some post cards from Paris, make Polaroids during your trip and celebration! These will be beautiful keepsakes to rediscover when you open your box again after a few years. They will instantly bring back the memories and tastes of your trip to France and wedding in Paris.

4. Drinking ritual

Sharing a drink during your wedding ceremony is a fun way to celebrate your union. There are numerous ways to perform this ritual: You can drink from the same glass which symbolizes the cup of live – from now on you will be sharing all of lives experiences together, both bitter and sweet. You can make it a unity ritual, each of you pouring a different drink into a glass (e.g. red wine + white wine, gin + tonic etc.) and you then take a sip of your newly created drink. You can also simply cheer your glasses and drink with linked arms after the vows to celebrate your union.
Material: 1-2 glasses, drink(s) of your choice

Personalize it: Include cultural references or choose a drink which is connected to your love story.
1. Andrea & Dorian (see above) took shots of a certain Whiskey that is linked to their love story. The guests did not know about that and it was a fun surprise when the best man took out the whiskey bottle that he was hiding in his jacket.
2. Angela & Young-Min (see above) were honoring the Korean roots of the groom’s family by incorporating a Korean drinking ritual. First the bride & groom spill water from their 2 glasses over their shoulders to honor the ancestors. Then they take a shot to honor the guests. In the end they drink together from 1 cup of tea to symbolize their union.
French touch: Use your favorite French champagne or favorite French wine!

5. Intercultural customs

If you are a couple with different cultural background or roots feel free to dig into wedding traditions and ceremony rituals of your/ your families country/culture of origin.
As your officiant in France I can definitely help you research ceremony rituals for your destination wedding in Paris France. I would also encourage you to talk to your family and ask them about cultural customs. This is a great occasion to share and connect. And your loved ones are surely happy to help and will feel proud and honored about your interest.
I think especially for intercultural weddings and weddings with different religious or language backgrounds this element can strengthen the mutual understanding and connection between the bride & groom’s families and friends.

Examples of intercultural ceremony rituals for your destination wedding in Paris France:
1. Korea: Remember Angela & Young-Min Korean ritual with water, tea and alcoholic beverage? (Scroll up and review #2 of the drinking ritual)
2. Afghanistan: Helay & Pierre (see above) wanted to honor the bride’s origins as her family is originally from Afghanistan. So we decided to incorporate the following Persian ceremony rituals: The bride and groom’s heads are covered with a decorative silk shawl held up by female family members. The shawl is generally passed down through generations – Helay’s used the shawl her mother used during her own wedding. This canopy signifies that the bride and groom are now united under the same roof. The couple then picks up a holy or significant book and reads a few verses together. Helay & Pierre decided to read a Persian poem. The shawl is then lifted and the bride and groom intertwine their arms and offer each other a sip of a beverage, usually fruit juice to symbolize feeding each other sweetness throughout their life together.

Choose your favorite ceremony ritual for your destination wedding in Paris France:

Any questions, ideas, comments please don’t hesitate to contact me, your Paris Officiant. I’d be happy to support you creating a personalized ritual for your wedding ceremony. And I am always curious to learn about your culture of origin and the customs and rituals you know.

Vendors of these destination wedding in Paris France:

Photography: Paris Wedding Photographer Pierre Torset, Timeless Paris Photography, The Parisian Photographers in Paris, Studio Cabrelli, Stanlo Photography, Susanne Hyam, Skiss Photo
Planner: Perles d’Emotion, Estelle Monot Events, Noces du Monde, CTH Events Paris – Weddings in France
Venues: Chateau de Carsix, Culzean Castle, Chateau de Chantilly, Shangri-La Paris, Hotel Le Crillon, Le Jardin d’Epicure, Restaurant Steinsee Niederseeon, Pavillon de Musique de la Comtesse du Barry