I have never attended a wedding where I didn’t cry. Granted, I’ve only been to a handful of nuptials in my life, but all it takes is seeing that look of love in the couple's eyes and I become emotional myself. I know my own wedding will be no different (I'll likely be a watery-eyed, red-nosed mess!). My fiancé Corey and I want our ceremony to be meaningful and personal without getting so carried away that I cry away all of my makeup.

The challenge? Corey and I have chosen to have a non-religious ceremony. That means legally, all our ceremony must entail is a few signatures and an “I do.” However, we don't want it to be quick and impersonal. Many couples I’ve spoken with tell me the whole wedding day flies by; we don’t want our ceremony to be two minutes long! Recently, we hired an officiant who is helping us figure out how to personalize our event. Here are a few ideas we are considering incorporating into our ceremony to make it longer and more memorable:

1. Anniversary box: Prior to the ceremony, the bride and groom write a love letter to each other. The letters, along with a bottle of wine or champagne. are taken out and placed in a box, not to be opened until the 1st, 5th or 10th anniversary (or really, whenever you want). I don’t know if I’m patient enough for this one! I struggle to read books without flipping to the last page and finding out what happens, so I’m afraid the box might taunt me. I can only imagine how excited I would be to read that letter 5 or so years from now and relive the love from our wedding day with Corey.

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