Wedding Ceremony Ideas & Scripts for a Ranch Wedding
A wedding at Sundance Trail Guest Ranch offers a unique, intimate, and nature-filled experience for couples looking to tie the knot in a memorable way. Whether you envision a traditional ceremony, something spiritual, or a lighthearted and fun exchange of vows, we have wedding ceremony ideas to fit your style. Below, we outline four distinct ceremony scripts to inspire your special day.
The Cup Sharing Ceremony
The Cup Sharing Ceremony is a meaningful way to blend your lives together through the sharing of wine. You can customize this ceremony by mixing and matching the examples provided or create your own unique version. You may bring your own wine or purchase it from our retail store.
This ceremony can also be used to include family members in blending two families or involve friends in the celebration.
Cup Sharing Ceremony Example #1
Officiant: Some wines are sweet, and some are dry—just as life brings moments of both joy and challenge.
[Partner 1] and [Partner 2] now blend their two wines, symbolizing the union of their separate lives into one.
(Partner 1 pours white wine from their carafe into the shared cup. Partner 2 adds red wine from their carafe into the same cup.)
This shared cup now holds a mixture of sweetness, representing joy, hope, and happiness, and dryness, symbolizing the challenges life brings. This blend represents your journey together—all the experiences, both joyful and difficult, that you vow to face as one.
Just as a fine wine ages and grows richer with time, may your marriage also grow, deepening in love and understanding.
Taste this shared cup with an open heart and a spirit ready to embrace the future.
(Officiant passes the cup to Partner 1, who takes a sip, then to Partner 2, who does the same. They may choose to share the cup with family and friends.)
Officiant: By sharing this cup, those who partake commit to supporting and encouraging this marriage, through both the joyful moments and the challenges.
Cup Sharing Ceremony Example #2
Officiant: The blending of two wines—one sweet and one dry—symbolizes your commitment to share the fullness of life together. The sweetness represents joy and hope, while the dryness acknowledges the challenges and sorrows you will face.
Until now, you have lived separate lives. Mixing these wines together symbolizes your shared future, and the experiences you vow to embrace together.
Like a fine wine, may your marriage grow richer, more complex, and full of love with each passing year.
Taste this shared cup with an open heart, ready to face all that the future brings.
(Officiant passes the cup to Partner 1, then to Partner 2. They may also share the cup with family and friends.)
Officiant: By sharing this cup, those who partake commit to nurturing and supporting this marriage through the highs and the lows.
Cup Sharing Ceremony Example #3
In this variation, the couple drinks from two glasses of wine while their arms are locked.
Officiant: Your separate lives are deeply connected, and this ceremony symbolizes your interdependence. Neither of you can drink without the support and cooperation of the other.
There will be days when one of you is stronger, and other days when the other will be. Marriage isn’t about losing yourselves, but learning to bend, to be kind, and to support each other through thick and thin.
As fine wine ages, it becomes more complex and rich in character. May your marriage age in the same way.
Taste with an open heart, ready to embrace the future together.
(The couple interlocks arms and drinks from their glasses.)
Hand Tying Ceremony
The Hand Tying Ceremony is a beautiful and meaningful tradition that symbolizes the unity of two lives coming together as one. The act of binding the hands is rich with symbolism, representing the connection, strength, and devotion shared between partners. This act is a physical representation of the promise to stay united through all of life’s joys and challenges. By intertwining the hands, the couple acknowledges their commitment to work together as a team, supporting and uplifting each other throughout their journey. It’s a moment that emphasizes the deep bond between two people, built on trust, love, and a shared future. In this simple yet powerful gesture, the couple creates a lasting memory that speaks to their partnership’s foundation, reminding them of the strength that lies in their unity.
Hand Tying Example #1
Officiant: _________ and ________, you have chosen to include the tradition of hand-fasting in your wedding today. Hand-fasting symbolizes the joining of your lives together in a sacred and eternal bond.
Do you still wish to enter this ceremony?
Bride and Groom: “Yes.”
Officiant: Please hold your hands together, palms up, as you prepare to see the gift they are to each other.
These are the hands of your best friend, the one who will stand by your side through thick and thin, through all the joys and challenges life may bring. A witness will now gently tie your hands together with a length of ribbon.
These are the hands that will help build your future, that will comfort and support you in times of need. A witness will now tie your hands with a second length of ribbon.
These are the hands that will love you passionately, that will wipe away your tears—whether in sorrow or joy. A witness will now tie your hands with a third ribbon.
These are the hands that will provide comfort in times of fear, and strength when you need it most. A witness will now tie your hands with a fourth length of ribbon.
These are the hands that will continue to hold you, even when time has passed and the years have left their marks. A witness will now tie your hands with a final ribbon.
Officiant (optional blessing): May these hands be blessed this day, may they always hold each other, and may they provide strength and tenderness as they face life together.
Hand Tying Example #2
Officiant: _________ and ________, you have chosen the tradition of hand-fasting to symbolize your bond of love and commitment. The promises made today bind your lives together in a union that will endure through all the seasons of life.
Do you still seek to enter this ceremony?
Bride and Groom: “Yes.”
Officiant: Please hold hands and look into each other’s eyes.
Will you honor and respect one another, never breaking that trust?
Bride and Groom: “We will.”
(Officiant ties the first cord around their hands.)
Will you share each other’s pain, seeking to ease it?
Bride and Groom: “We will.”
(Officiant ties the second cord.)
Will you share each other’s burdens, growing stronger together?
Bride and Groom: “We will.”
(Officiant ties the third cord.)
Will you share each other’s laughter, looking for the brightness in life?
Bride and Groom: “We will.”
(Officiant ties the fourth cord.)
Officiant: As your hands are now bound, so too are your lives, joined in love and trust. May this knot of love remain forever tied, strong and enduring.
Unity Candle Ceremony
The Unity Candle Ceremony is a beautiful and meaningful tradition that symbolizes the merging of two individual lives into one shared journey. During this ceremony, each partner typically lights a separate candle, representing their own individual paths, values, and experiences. Then, together, they use those two flames to light a single central candle, symbolizing the creation of a new life and future together.
This act is not just a visual representation but also a powerful statement of love, unity, and commitment. It shows that while each person brings their own identity and history to the relationship, together they create something stronger and more enduring. The Unity Candle Ceremony serves as a poignant reminder of the vows exchanged and the partnership they have committed to building, with each flame reflecting both their uniqueness and their bond.
Unity Candle Example #1
Before the ceremony begins, a friend or family member from each side lights a taper candle, symbolizing the love and support of both families. These candles are placed beside the unity candle.
Officiant: _______ and ________, as you take the flames from these two separate candles, know that the flame of the unity candle you are about to light symbolizes the light of your love—unified and strong. It represents your commitment to each other and the promise to keep this light burning brightly throughout your lives.
Please light the unity candle now.
May your love deepen, may you share joy and laughter, and may you cherish each other with an open heart.
Unity Candle Example #2
The bride and groom each light their own candle from side candles, then together light the center unity candle.
Officiant: As you light the center candle, know that this flame symbolizes your love, now united as one. Just as the flame of the unity candle needs both of you to keep it burning, so too will your love require nurturing, commitment, and care.
May the flame of your love shine brightly for all to see.
Sand Ceremony
The Sand Ceremony is a deeply symbolic ritual that represents the merging of two separate individuals into one shared future. It beautifully illustrates the coming together of two distinct lives, each with its own unique qualities, experiences, and histories. As the couple pours different colored sands into a single vessel, it signifies the blending of their individual selves into a unified partnership. Each grain of sand represents the personal attributes, dreams, and values that each partner brings to the relationship. The act of combining the sands not only highlights the harmony and strength that emerges when two people commit to building a future together, but it also emphasizes the idea that, while they remain individual and distinct, their bond creates something new and beautiful. Just as the sands are forever intertwined, so too are their lives, now irrevocably connected, creating a lasting symbol of love, unity, and shared destiny.
Sand Ceremony Example #1
Officiant: The two separate bottles of sand symbolize your individual lives, families, and histories. As you pour them into this vessel, your separate lives merge into one, symbolizing your union today. Please pour your sand, alternating between the two, while repeating after me:
“You are my love for eternity.
I blend with you.
My heart, like these grains of sand, merges with yours.
I am yours, you are mine,
Together forever, like the sand,
We are one.”
Sand Ceremony Example #2
Officiant: Today, your two separate bottles of sand represent your individual lives, families, and experiences. As you pour them into this third vessel, they will merge into one, never to be separated again.
Just as these grains of sand cannot be separated, so will your marriage be—forever intertwined.
Family Sand Ceremony
If children are involved, they may each have their own colored sand, joining in the ceremony with the bride and groom to symbolize the unity of the entire family.
Each child pours their sand into the vase, followed by the bride and groom, representing the joining of both families as one.