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Start & End Well - Opening & Closing Words in a Wedding Ceremony

Published Monday, Sep. 23rd, 2019

Written by Lewis King

The first and last words are the most important part of a wedding ceremony, learn why!

Learn the importance of opening and closing words in a wedding ceremony

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AMM Audio Articles · Opening & Closing Words in a Wedding Ceremony

In our line of business, you’ve got about one sentence to grab your readers and keep them interested in what you're talking about. So, for the sake of keeping your eyeballs glued to this blog post, let’s just say that the rest of this article will be about turning you into a charismatic, compelling, and popular wedding officiant. Because guess what... It is!

It’s all about getting folks hooked, and keeping them interested!

When writing a wedding ceremony, the way that you start the ceremony and end the ceremony are both very important.

In fact, the opening words are the most critical part of the ceremony, since they're what grab the guests' attention and pull them into the ceremony. Botch this part, and you’ll be dealing with folks nodding off… checking their phones… daydreaming…

Think about your opening lines as if they're an amazing scene at the start of a movie or TV show… After the opening, are you paying attention and wanting to find out more?

If you don’t grab them with the opening words, you're losing the golden opportunity to both capture everyone’s attention and start the ceremony with a tone and sentiment that reflects the couple. Personally, I have some favorite words that I use, but with some couples I mix it up and will start the ceremony with a quote or a short piece that really fits the couple.

A meme showing a man in a helmet eagerly awaiting more information on how to craft opening and closing words for a wedding ceremony

Of course you want to know more!

Your closing words are also important, since they bring everything together. In the case of a wedding ceremony, they should reiterate the sentiment of the opening words.

For example, if the opening is discussing the importance of supporting each other in a marriage, then the closing should reflect the same thing… of course always using “positive” words and phrases.

Create opening words that draw people in, and send the message right away on how the couple feels about marriage and views their commitment. Then echo the same sentiment and tone in the closing. Do this and you are well on your way to creating a great wedding ceremony.

Looking for examples of opening words to add to your script? Read:

Offbeat Wedding Welcome & Opening Remarks: Examples for a Non-traditional Ceremony!

If you want to dig a little deeper into opening and closing remarks, and other ways to create a legendary wedding ceremony, you'll want to grab a copy of our popular guide to ceremony writing and delivery: Asked to Officiate.

We've got chapters dedicated to this stuff, and if you have any reservations about officiating, this book will dispell them!

Image is a copy of Asked to Officiate, a wedding ceremony planning book, the cover is blue with white lettering and the AMM logo, it's sitting next to a ceremony script