I drew inspiration from Mother nature, ancient cultures and my personal and professional experiences to write a free guide for couples, their loved ones, other photographers and wedding vendors.
With intent to inspire you all for adding a deeper meaning to your wedding. To marry with the fullest intention. bookmark this page, you will want to return.
For the newlyweds
Plant a tree together! This can be done with your partner or with your guests - have them write their wishes and congrats or you two write love notes for each other. Place the written wishes under the roots of the tree you're planting. Make sure you're allowed to plant the tree at your chosen location. If planting isn't possible, place the tree in a large pot, this way it can be transported. Remove any tags from the tree before planting or potting it.
P.S. Don’t stress if the tree doesn’t grow well. What matters is the intention! If you know you WILL stress over it then maybe skip it hahaha!
Create an anniversary box. Write a letter to each other the night before and read it in the morning or during the ceremony. Write another letter to read a year later. Or actually, write one every year and read it next year! How cool would it be to read like 10 of such letters at once? Or 20?
Choose one object that travels with you through life and is blessed on your wedding day. I suggest a crystal, shell, acorn or dry flower but don’t stop there. You know what is most yours.
Create a shared playlist ahead of time with songs from each stage of your relationship and play it throughout the day.
Design a small ritual only the two of you know — a sign or object that marks your promise privately. Don’t even tell your photographer and don’t worry that it won’t be in the photos.
OH MY GOD I can’t say this enough! Write your own vows, ditch the script you have to repeat after the officiant! If possible, memorize your vows and say them from the heart. But reading sincerely is better than reciting it “exactly correct” from memory.
Share a whole fruit like a pomegranate, persimmon, mango, or orange. Or some really amazing grapes. Bonus aura points if you choose a fruit that matches the tree you're planting! Bite into the fruit together, let it be messy and funny. Pick ripe, sweet, high-quality fruit, it makes such a difference!
Record separate videos where you are talking about what you love about each other. Save the video in a private folder or on a thumb drive with a handwritten label and rewatch it each anniversary or when life gets tough and you need a reminder of your foundation. We all do sometimes.
To share with guests
Give disposable cameras to your guests, especially kids. Encourage them to photograph what they find beautiful.Label or tag each camera so you know who took which photos.This will be so much more fun than the identical phone pictures. By the way, consider having your guests leave the phones out of the ceremony and speech. I once took a photo during the vows and half of the guests had their faces obstructed by their phones… I didn’t like the “Black Mirror” vibe.
Set up a group painting activity for your guests. It can be abstract, playful, or symbolic, I recommend that you prompt the guests before the start. For example: “Everybody paints a flower for us” or “We are creating an abstract painting in the palette of the wedding day”. By the way, this one doesn’t have to match the wedding decor and you are free to include the colors of the water, the sunset or even the color of someone’s outfit. I love this idea so much it’s almost vulnerable to share. I was saving it for my own wedding one day!
Create a mosaic tile using naturally colored pebbles. See the pictures, I saw this decor approach in Bali and it’s so lovely, I can’t have enough! Make one with the guests, one just the two of you and decorate your yard, garden or interior.
Invite your guests to write down their well wishes and congratulations. Read the wishes out loud if you feel comfortable. Your voice has power so I highly recommend reading at least some of the kind words. Plant them with your tree so they may grow and multiply.
Set up a small storytelling corner where guests can record short voice or video notes using your phone or a mic. Some examples to get you started: mom is sharing how she wants to see you all in 10 years from now, your grandfather is sharing his wisdom, your best friend sharing their experience of realizing you have found your soulmate in your partner. If the person who helped you meet is present, have them share their feelings about how it all turned out. Your ex-boyfriend crying… Just kidding!
Might not be for everyone but look how precious! Include a hands-on craft like flower crown making station to wear right there. The easiest way would be to use fresh flowers, a variety in separate containers and the crown base with a thread or floral wire. Have a group photo wearing your cute flower crowns!
Sensory connection with nature
This! Frames your entire experience if you ask me!
Invite everyone to go barefoot and connect with the Earth for the ceremony. I mean everyone, even the guests and vendors. I can totally visualize how our energies all connect in the Earth and hold us together as you are saying your vows or as the guests say their speeches.
If you're in nature, feed the birds or animals nearby — like seagulls at the beach, they are pretty easy to find. Well I didn’t think about how to get rid of them after you run out of bird food, so take this advice at your own risk!
Releasing butterflies might be easier. Double, triple check if they belong in your climate and aren't invasive. Or the bees! No, don’t release the bees. Too much fun for one night.
Pause together for a moment of stillness and listen intentionally to the bonfire crackling, birds, or waves, even if it’s just one minute. I mean actually announce it like: “We are suggesting everybody to get comfortable” you can even name the things to listen to to help your guests ground. I think three minutes is a sweet spot.
This is a nice one: bring soft wind chimes! What else can I say? Place them a few yards away, so they would sound in a background.
Creative & DIY Expression (continues)
Create simple décor using natural materials. Try twigs with small crochet flowers or blooming branches. Or bring in a blooming branch if the season allows. They can look so impressive, and if put in the water the blossoms keep coming. This is especially easy to find around spring when the trees are pruned!
Float candles or tealights in the contained water outdoors to create a magical atmosphere. By contained I mean something that won’t float away and become a fire hazard. So, a pond, a still fountain, basin or bird bath etc.!
Use plant-dyed fabric for altar décor, arches, or table setups. I especially have a soft spot for linen and similar textured fabrics. Did you know you can dye the fabric yourself? There are plant dye bundles available online to make it easier!
Display your favorite photos along a clothesline using twine and wooden pins. Don’t limit yourself with just the engagement photoshoot, use all your favorite photos throughout your entire relationship!
This one is called “Unity sand”, you take turns pouring colored sand into the bottle or jar. It creates unpredictable patterns and makes a nice keepsake that doubles as a décor! Bonus points if your sand colors are entirely natural or dyed in the wedding palette. Another good way to use it is to represent the couple’s different cultures.
Sound, music and atmosphere
Burn natural incense or herbal bundles (if allowed outdoors) to create a calm layer. Consider essential oil mist that matches the season and setting.
Arrange quiet time into the timeline — no music, just twilight, candlelight, and the sound of the evening arriving.
Sing together, maybe even with acoustic instruments. Prepare a playlist of your favorite, meaningful songs that you can also sing or just play with a good old Bluetooth speaker. Pro Tip: print out the song lyrics, or even better, make them a stylized card that your guests can keep.
Set up a small area for dancing, even if it’s just for two.
Bonfire > firework.
Record ambient sounds from the day (waves, wind, laughter, music) and turn them into a short audio keepsake later. Does it make you feel the feels?
Meaningful traditions
I understand this topic is a slippery road but my heart won’t let me just scratch it out. Consider ancient wedding rituals from your culture or from traditions you genuinely resonate with.
Handfasting. So, you clasp your hands tightly and then the fabric or ribbon (or lace, cord, beads etc.) is tied around in a ceremonial manner, binding your hands (and lives) together. This is an old Celtic tradition that I also witnessed at Ukrainian and Indian weddings.
Breaking the bread loaf. I grew up with this one! Korovai [koroˈwɑj] is a Ukrainian traditional wedding bread served with salt is a traditional way to demonstrate abundance and hospitality. Bread represents food and plenty (so you “never go hungry”), and salt represents wisdom and resilience to life’s hardships. In some traditions, the bread is salted or broken in front of the couple, and they each eat a piece. Also it is always made round and this is to symbolize the sun!
Henna ceremony (Mehndi). The key element is the henna paste (from the henna plant) applied in intricate designs on the bride’s hands and feet and sometimes the groom’s hands. This looks gorgeous and I love when couples do this together! There are so many amazing designs that use flowers and vines, and some look like complex fine lace. Stunning! Often associated with India but also loved in Pakistani, North African, and Middle Eastern cultures.
Washing hands or feet to represent purification and the new beginning. This I see in so many places, and it makes perfect sense that we all are drawn to water. To name a few this tradition is represented in Indian, Hawaiian, African and Native American cultures. Also, following the example of Jesus, some Christians include this ritual symbolizing humility and service.
This custom comes from Ukrainian folk tradition. The rushnyk [roosh-nik] is a sacred textile in Ukrainian culture, used in many rites of passage. It is an embroidered cloth that symbolizes a path, protection and commitment. Traditionally the bride would hand-stitch all the embroidery before the wedding but nowadays not many people have the time to do that. So if you get a hand-embroidered one that is an extra flex! If you make one yourself – this is a super flex! I am your fan! All the embroidered patterns also have their meanings and can be customized for your unique story. By the way, I know the people who would create a custom rushnyk by hand or machine, I will gladly refer you to them!
“Jumping the broom” or stepping over it is a rite symbolizing the couple’s entrance into a new life together. Some sources say that in African-American tradition it became a way for enslaved people to marry when they could not have church weddings. I can see how doing this today is honoring the ancestors. Also the broom can symbolize a new home, bonus points if your wedding comes with a new place to live!
Here is another one I grew up around! Throwing wheat, rice, flower petals, sugared nuts or even small coins at the newlyweds to wish for fertility, prosperity and good fortune. I have just found out while researching for this guide that this exact tradition is antique! It came from ancient Rome. Did you know that? I sure didn’t. Modern weddings often pick just flower petals and herbs, I guess it’s not as inconvenient as rice and sugared nuts in your hair! But the point is that the tradition of “showering” newlyweds in the symbols of abundance is nearly universal, like the hand washing ritual.
Yep, you may have figured out by this point that I am leaning towards Eastern European, Celtic and Indian traditions. But you do your own research too and explore your own culture, there is a high chance you will find a perfect alignment! Don’t do any tradition just for the aesthetic. Listen to your heart — does it respond to it?
Create your own modern ritual by combining elements like lighting a handmade beeswax candle during vows and relighting it each year on your anniversary. Exchange crystal bracelets selected with intention. Take an Instax photo of each other.
Invite a grandparent or elder to offer a traditional blessing or saying in their language.
Use an embroidered or handcrafted cloth from your homeland or heritage as part of your altar or ceremony table.
Let your guests write a one-line blessing in their native language and tie it to a tree branch, ribbon, or keepsake object.
Helping couples bring depth and spirit to their wedding day is one of the most fulfilling parts of what I do. I am Liza Marin, a small intimate wedding photographer with a big love for meaning and intention. I love beautiful photography (of course), glamping, foreign movies, shiny gemstones and warm home cooked meals. I connect to people through photography, nature and the shared sense of living a human life.
Currently based in Jacksonville, FL.
If any of these wedding ideas spoke to your heart, let’s connect!
Free guide by Liza Marin. Not to be copied and shared on other platforms without the author's written consent.
