Cultural elements in your ceremony

We welcome couples to include cultural elements in their ceremony. Marriages and civil partnerships are the perfect way to celebrate who you both are and to express two families joining together.

Here a few examples of how you can add cultural elements into your big day:

• pick a date that is culturally significant
• include Mehndi/Henna tattoos
• wear traditional clothing
• add cultural music to your playlist
• integrate cultural influences as visual elements on the day e.g. significant colours or certain flowers
• lighting a candle
• pass the rope – passing around a rope to each attendee allows each person to part in the ceremony and signals their commitments to supporting the marriage. After the last guest has held the rope, it is returned to the couple who will then braid it together to symbolise their union
• sand ceremony – each person pours a container of sand into a larger vessel to symbolise their coming together as a couple