Always options!

When a recent wedding couple booked their wedding ceremony in Sydney Botanic Gardens, that meant there was to be no confetti, flower petals or rice to be thrown as they came back down the aisle. Was that a problem? Not at all. There are always options.

The options often work themselves out if you take into consideration your own history as a couple or in this case the heritage of the family/families involved. In this case, the groom has Irish heritage and they had hit upon a quite beautiful alternative. Wedding wands. All the guests were given a wand or stick with a small bell on the end and decorated with ribbons to ring as the couple came back down the aisle as husband and wife.

As with all old traditions, it comes from a superstitious time when the bells were believed to ward off evil spirits. It also gave the wedding ceremony a beautiful vibe as the guests naturally fidgeted or moved and accidentally rang the bells. Throughout the ceremony we were hearing the occasional chime and it was beautiful.

Unlike confetti or rose petals, there was also nothing to clean up and I heard one woman comment that her cat was going to LOVE playing with it later. The children at the wedding definitely enjoyed it.

If you are stuck with restrictions on an element you wanted for your wedding, look at yourselves as a couple for inspiration on alternatives or look at your heritage. There are always options.