by Dusty King of King's Event Planning and Rebecca Norris

Yesterday I shared with you the wording my friend and I came up with for a "Branding Unity Ceremony". I decided to offer an alternative to my coworker in case the couple didn't have all the necessary supplies to do that ceremony (or in case there might be safety concerns preventing it). 

The couple has a fishing theme for their wedding. A little offbeat, but the decor that Reginna (my coworker) was telling me about, sounded very unique and beautiful. The centerpieces, for example, are bowls filled with river rock, water and fake fish, set atop flat pieces of log. I haven't seen photos yet, but I'm pretty excited to see how those came out!

Back to the unity ceremony. I found this river rock unity ceremony in my search for anything on the branding ceremony, and thought that this would be a great way to incorporate their current theme into the ceremony using supplies they probably already have! Again, there was no wording available for this, so we had to come up with our own. Here's what we created:

My coworker (from my day job) brought this concept to me yesterday and asked if I could come up with the wording to give to the judge that's performing her niece's wedding,  this Saturday. Not only had I never heard of this alternative to the unity ceremony, not many others had either. There was only one mention of it anywhere on Google! I was in for a challenge, that was for certain. Thankfully, I have friends who are completely awesome and creative, namely Dusty King of King's Event Planning. 

I mentioned this ceremony to her to see if maybe she had seen one before, or heard of it. She was just as oblivious as the rest of us, but she was up for the challenge as well. She came up with some wording in about 10 minutes, passed it along to me, and I tweaked it into what you see below. I cannot wait to share it with my coworker!

"Today, (GROOM) and (BRIDE), are starting a new tradition. As a sign of their love for each other, the intertwining of their lives, and the fire that burns within their souls for each other, gathered together among friends and family, they will brand this piece of wood. This brand will be on permanent display in their home to show their devotion to each other, today, tomorrow and the rest of their lives. To help them find their way back home, if ever lost in the turbulent storms of life. To remind them of the love and support that each of you have given them today and that you continue to give each and every day. As this brand cannot be undone, so shall their promise to each other stand the test of time."

If you've come across this blog and decide to use our ceremony, let us know! Comments are extremely welcome and we invite you to "Like" our pages on Facebook and share with everyone you know. We rely on social media and word of mouth to grow our businesses, so the more folks that are talking about us the better!

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*edited 8/23 to change title.
*edited 8/9/14 to add credit to StarRanch for the concept of the Branding Ceremony.
*edited 1/11/17 to add photo gallery of an actual branding ceremony, which used our wording. Thank you Amber Shaw for sharing!!

Kim & Hansel were married July 20, 2013 by Reverend Joe Ministries. They hired us through their wedding planner, which was a first for us, and which also taught us a few lessons that we will discuss in a later posting.

Their ceremony was a more traditional Christian script but kept short and sweet, with a scripture reading, unity candle ceremony and broom jumping. Note that we were not informed about the unity candle ceremony until we were at the venue, when we looked at the program and saw it listed. Reverend Joe created the wording on the spot and is similar to what I share with you on the next page (you must "Read More"!), though not exact.

Amy & Aaron were wed on June 23, 2013 at Bloch Cancer Survivor's Park on The Plaza in Kansas City, MO. Performed by Reverend Joe Ministries.

Their ceremony was a basic Christian script that included a sand ceremony and a special event where Aaron gave necklaces to each of his new step-daughters. 

A & A Ceremony 
by Rebecca Norris

Welcome and thank you for joining Amy and Aaron today as we celebrate their joining in holy matrimony. Marriage is a public declaration of one’s love and commitment for another. No matter what circumstances may arise, they will face them together. And so we rejoice with them this day.  Let us pray.

Father in Heaven, we ask that you look down upon Aaron and Amy with favor today as they join together in Holy Matrimony. Strengthen them and watch over them, in Christ’s name we pray. Amen.