5 Ways to Celebrate Your Blended Family During Your Wedding Ceremony

Blended weddings bring together more than just a bride and groom; they symbolize the bringing together of two families. When one or both halves of the couple have children from a previous marriage or relationship, including them in the ceremony can help smooth the transition and make them feel like they’re part of the celebration.

blended family wedding
Bringing two families together in marriage is about more than just the bride and groom. Discover our favorite ways to celebrate your blended family on your big day. Image via Aaron Willcox Photography

These days, it’s not uncommon for couples to add a special moment in their wedding ceremony or find a way to include their adult children in their wedding party. If you’re planning a blended wedding and want your children or your partner’s children involved, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading for five beautiful ways to celebrate your new family on your big day.

Blended Family Wedding | Include Them in Your Vows
Add a promise to love and protect your future stepchildren to your wedding vows to let them know how much they mean to you. Image via Ceremonies by Nanette

1. Include Them in Your Vows

Of course, you’ll write vows to your spouse that promise support and devotion — why not add a few lines about your new blended family too? Think of a favorite memory, something you love about them, or a wish you have for your future together as a family. No matter their age, your future stepchildren will feel the love when they hear your promises to them at the altar before reading your vows to your future husband or wife.

2. Let Them Write Their Own Vows

Do your children or future stepchildren have a way with words? A gift of gab? If so, consider asking them to write vows to read during your wedding ceremony before you read your own vows. Not only does the gesture imply their importance in your life, but it gives them the opportunity to share their feelings about what your new blended family means to them.

Celebrate Your Blended Family During Your Wedding Ceremony | Give Them a Role in the Ceremony
Your future stepchildren will never forget the role they play in your blended family ceremony when you include them in your wedding party. Image via Eder Acevedo Photography

3. Give Them a Role in the Ceremony

If they’re up for it, including your children or future stepchildren in your wedding ceremony is a great way to celebrate your blended family. You can give them a traditional role or create one especially for them. For teenage or adult children, ask them to be a (junior) bridesmaid or groomsman or even walk you down the aisle; for younger kiddos, ring bearer and flower girl are great go-tos.

Celebrate Your Blended Family During Your Wedding Ceremony | Add Them to Your Guest Book
A subtle way to honor your growing family at your wedding is to treat your guest book more like a photo album of memories you’ve shared together. Image via Shutterfly

4.  Add Them to Your Guest Book

Looking for a more subtle way to include your children and stepchildren in your wedding? Your guest book is a great place to honor them and give guests the chance to impart any wisdom to the family as a whole. Add family photos and pictures of the kids at different ages to your guest book — it’ll be your first official blended family album!

Celebrate Your Blended Family During Your Wedding Ceremony | Perform a Ritual of Symbolic Blending
Blend your families literally and symbolically with a special ritual during your wedding ceremony. Image via Lazzat Photography

5. Perform a Ritual of Symbolic Blending

You could also add a unique element to your wedding ceremony by including the children in a ritual that symbolizes the blending of two families. Have each member of the family pick a different color of sand and pour it all into a glass vase or jar; or fill an hourglass that you can turn over every year on your anniversary.

Let’s be honest: you don’t have to be the Brady Bunch to make a blended family work.

At the end of the day, the most important factor is love, and including your children and future stepchildren in your wedding ceremony is a guaranteed way to make them feel special. No matter how you choose to celebrate them, your blended wedding will be unforgettable.

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