Each wedding ceremony is unique because every love story is unique too. However, weddings have certain uniformity because of the pattern that they follow. This pattern is the order of the various sub-ceremonies of the wedding ceremony. Outlined below is the order of events in an official wedding ceremony. 

·      The Procession. Always the first part of the ceremony, this is when the parties to the wedding walk down the aisle in front of the gathering. This signals the beginning of the ceremony and the crowd quiets down and watchs the graceful walk of the bride with her father, followed by the flower girl.

·      The Officiant's Opening Remarks. The officiant welcomes the gathering and pronounces the purpose of the assembly as the wedding.The officiant takes a moment to tell the couple the significance of the vows that they are about to exchange. The officiant may also talk about their duties to each other.

·      The Exchange of Vows and Rings. The wedding vows are exchanged with dignity and also joy. The couple may write their own vows. They also exchange the rings that they will wear for the rest of their lives.

. The Sand Ceremony .  At its simplest, a sand ceremony involves a symbolic blending of two different-colored sands into a single vessel. The meaning is clear: The blending of two different beings, the bride and the groom, into a single, inseparable unit that is their marriage - the joining of their lives. As hard as it would be to separate out those grains of sand, that's how difficult it is to separate these two people. The vase is yours to keep forever. 

·      The Pronouncement of Marriage. The marriage is made official. They are now pronounced husband and wife. They then kiss as married couples.

·      The Closing Remarks. The officiant closes the wedding ceremony with a few remarks and/or a blessing.

·      The Recessional.The opposite of the first sub-ceremony, the crowd watches as the couple departs in all grandeur.

·      The Wedding Party. The wedding is all done and now it's time to party with the couple and the other guests.

Brandy and Eric’s Gulf Shores Beach Wedding