Many couples tell me they want their wedding ceremony to be fun, not a serious affair. In days gone past, the idea of incorporating humour into a marriage ceremony was considered sacrilege! Marriage was serious business. Nowadays, couples have more options to customise their ceremonies to reflect their personalities. Including humour is a challenge. It is not a matter of telling jokes, as they are generally not appropriate, and guests may be offended or disrespected. Save the standup routines for the reception.
It is difficult to script humour. More often than not, opportunities just present themselves, and experienced celebrants are looking for these opportunities. Humour heals tension.
Other ways to include humour:
- Include a funny poem, eg “The Places You will Go” by Dr Suess, “He Never Leaves the Seat Up”, by Pam Ayres.
- Include an amusing line in your promises or vows
- Adapt/personalise a line or two in a chosen reading or poem
- Have your celebrant include some of your personalised story
- Your theme could present an opportunity for humour to be added
However you decide to incorporate it, humour can be an integral part of your wedding ceremony. Make it fun, make it light, make it about who you are as a couple. It will leave you relaxed, your guests energized and conclude with you feeling, “Wow! That was really “us!”