Commitment Ceremonies: Why You should seriously Consider saying “I Do” Differently
You’ve heard about elopements, weddings, and everything in between, but have you ever heard of a “commitment ceremony”?
A commitment ceremony is a rad way for you and your adventure partner to say I DO without all the paperwork.
Legally speaking, you can still have the official paperwork done if that’s what you and your adventure partner want. You can also just have a commitment ceremony, or you can choose to do BOTH (note: most elopements are commitment ceremonies because paperwork takes some time to process).
Remember, this day is for you and your adventure partner to celebrate your forever love to one another (hence “commitment ceremony”).
First, you need to decide where you want to have your commitment ceremony (hint: you can have it anywhere because locations don’t need to be licensed! HELL YEA) and then decide if you want to invite any guests or if you want it to be just the two of you.
Now to the fun part where you can get creative or as traditional as you and your adventure partner want; Choosing what special activities you want to include for your extra special day!!
Need Some Inspiration?
Check out these ideas for some unique and fun ways to make your commitment ceremony just that much more awesome (but really, what’s more awesome than pledging your love to your favorite person?)
The first kiss as adventure companions for life
You can include the exchanging of vows and kisses of course on top of other things (or just keep it simple if you want to).
The fact of the matter is the simplest and most traditional way to seal the deal is to seal your commitment to your favorite person with a kiss.
Why not get to smoochin with an absolutely EPIC view behind you?
Do an activity makes your heart beat just a little bit faster…
…with the person who makes your heart beat just a little bit faster
Adrenaline junkies? Looking to start your greatest adventure by trying out something new together?
Think rock climbing, rappelling, snowboarding, bungee jumping—the sky’s the limit!
IMO this is the best way to say I DO but jumping in to adventure with an adventure. Committing yourself to a life of new experiences with the one you love.
write letters to be opened a year from now
I dont know about yall but I have many a friend that wrote letters-to-self as angsty teenagers to be opened when they were ‘mature adults’. For the majority this meant when they turned 22 years old and were fresh out of university with a shiny new job title….I think we all know how that REALLY goes
Now most newly weds, all brown-eyed and bushy-tailed enter into the honeymoon phase….la vie en rose as it were…but the reality is that marriage has its ups and downs and sometimes its really great to have a reminder of how much we love each other and how much we've grown. So write some letters on top of your vows to open on each anniversary as a sweet ode to beautiful and constant change together.
bury a time capsule
This is pretty similar (and can include!) writing letters to each other but a bit sweeter. Include photos from your time together, trinkets that remind you of one another and inside jokes to really make cracking open the capsule a way to crack up and remind each other how much fun yall have together in years to come!
do a first look (yes, elopements and commitment ceremonies have “first looks” too),
If anyone ever told you that a you can’t do a first look just because it’s not a traditional ceremony is telling you a big ol fish of a tale (sorry y’all, i’m from the south)
You see, no matter if your commitment ceremony is in wedding attire or jeans in a t-shirt, this is your first look at the person who is going to be your adventure-buddy-for-life
I mean, just think about it….you’ve seen this person a 1000 times, more…but now there is a different meaning, your making a promise, a vow to take care of this person and be there side as they evolve as a person and you evolve as couple…lines will form on yalls faces from laughter and tears through the years, you will fight, make up, laugh, experience…all of the wonderful feelings of YOUR ADVENTURE TOGETHER.
So take a good look at your person…let the energy between you emanate and make the world better…
thats a first look.
bring your puppy (or kitty, bird, bunny, unicorn, etc) and include them in the ceremony
(and have a first dance cliffside surrounded by a beautiful landscape)
I really don’t think this one needs much of an explanation. What is more filled with love than dancing with your furry family and your lover in a gorgeous place?
Bust out some fun outfits and pop Champagne
Did I ever tell y’all about the time one of my badass couples wore flashing heart-shaped sunglasses while they popped champagne in front of a glacial volcano at 6am?
Yea, that happened.
You see, having a bit of fun, being silly, and laughing your butt off on your day is pretty stinkin sweet.
Personally I’m a floatie girl and I would want to pop my bottle on the river on a giant flamingo.
Still your time with something distilled—-to open on an anniversary
Again, Im from the south so forgive me if this is too “ho-dunk” for y’all.
Did you know that many distilleries will make a custom batch of bourbon (or whatever your poison is) with its own etched bottle, box, and label with your names, batch number, wedding date and even a quote for you to bust out for extra special occasions (50 anniversary goals yall?!)
There is also the tradition to bury the bottle in the ye ol south
The tale goes that if you bury a bottle of bourbon one month before the say you exchange vows at the place where you will exchange vows, you will ward of rain on your day.
Now I don’t know about y’all but Im totally down for rain (mud-enthusiast here) but any excuse for a sip of some good Kentucky bourbon sounds right to me!
Build-your-own-wedding scavenger hunt
Okay y’all, maybe I didn’t come up with this but I’m sure I’ve perfected this.
I’m literally just a big ok kid and scavenger hunts are SO MUCH FUN
So why not commit yourself to the love of your life with a wacky, weird, and fun way to DIY your wedding?
If you book a package with Adventure Pact and want to add this we will hook you up with THE LIST of things you need for your day (as well as a budget, fun money, a polaroid camera to capture the chaos, and more) but the basic idea is you have 2 hours to get 15 different items and set them up in a designated spot before exchanging vows. This is the wedding planning equivalent of cramming for a test after a night of partying.
ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO GET HITCHED
DIY—your own rings
So this might be one of the coolest things EVER
I’m not talking about designing your own ring (no shade here…I love a good customized ring) but im talking melting down, carving, and shaping your ring with your own bare hands.
No here’s to really putting in effort at the start of your marriage!
In the Asheville area? Check out one of our favorite places to do this: