SWAK Wedding Services
Weddings come in all sizes and when you're planning your ceremony there are a lot of options as well. For the most part, my weddings are small, intimate affairs held with the closest family and friends of the bride and groom.
SIMPLE CEREMONY aka ELOPEMENT
You and your loved one just want to get married!
Nothing too fancy, just the two of you and your witnesses gathered together.
When you're ready to tie the knot!
Additional Fees May Apply
ADD A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA
TO YOUR CEREMONY...
UNITY CANDLE
The Unity Candle is one of the most popular unity ceremonies used in weddings and one of the most traditional for church ceremonies with "the light" representing the light of God.
Candles are also popular with non-denominational wedding ceremonies, focusing on the couple, with each bringing their light to meet the others, creating one bright light of their union.
Unity Candle sets consist of two taper candles and one larger pillar candle, usually 6+” tall. There are ceremony sets out there for purchase, but if you’re on a budget, you can put your own together and even customize the candles.
The ceremony setup is simply laid out with the taper candles placed on either side of the pillar candle. The taper candles are lit by representatives of the couples’ families and then the couple uses those tapers to light the center pillar candle together. Very important to task someone to bring a lighter. As well, this ceremony is best performed indoors and without the help of small children.
Some venue’s are open and don’t have a proper space to accommodate your wedding props, be sure to take a table or stand to set everything on.
Is there a tradition or ritual you want to incorporate into your wedding ceremony?
I’m happy to do what I can to make your nuptials everything you’re hoping for.
You and your loved one just want to get married!
Nothing too fancy, just the two of you and your witnesses gathered together.
- Call to make an appointment - 360-517-0984 (LEAVE MESSAGE)
- Have your Washington State issued marriage license & packet
- Have fulfilled the *Mandatory 3-Day Waiting Period (see below)
- Have two witnesses present (18 years old or older) with photo ID
- Mon - Thurs $125.00
- Fri - Sat - Sun $150.00
When you're ready to tie the knot!
Additional Fees May Apply
- Travel outside of Port Orchard - fees vary, call for details
- MUST DO IT TODAY! - $50 (when schedule allows)
- Entrance fee to state parks - $10 (subject to change)
- Write Personalized Vows for you - $50
ADD A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA
TO YOUR CEREMONY...
UNITY CANDLE
The Unity Candle is one of the most popular unity ceremonies used in weddings and one of the most traditional for church ceremonies with "the light" representing the light of God.
Candles are also popular with non-denominational wedding ceremonies, focusing on the couple, with each bringing their light to meet the others, creating one bright light of their union.
Unity Candle sets consist of two taper candles and one larger pillar candle, usually 6+” tall. There are ceremony sets out there for purchase, but if you’re on a budget, you can put your own together and even customize the candles.
The ceremony setup is simply laid out with the taper candles placed on either side of the pillar candle. The taper candles are lit by representatives of the couples’ families and then the couple uses those tapers to light the center pillar candle together. Very important to task someone to bring a lighter. As well, this ceremony is best performed indoors and without the help of small children.
Some venue’s are open and don’t have a proper space to accommodate your wedding props, be sure to take a table or stand to set everything on.
Is there a tradition or ritual you want to incorporate into your wedding ceremony?
I’m happy to do what I can to make your nuptials everything you’re hoping for.
HAND FASTING / BINDING
Should you choose to incorporate Hand fasting or Binding into your ceremony you’ll need cords or ribbon of about a yard in length, long enough to wrap the hands and tie the knot.
Many brides choose the colors of their wedding and entwine different types of cording textures and ribbons like satin, velvet to create a colorful and tactile rope for their union.
Depending on your ceremony desires, the vows for binding can be combined so you are only using one multi-stranded, braided cord, or you may choose to have each vow represented by a separate cord, each wrapped individually and then tied all together with the final vows to create a love knot.
The ceremony begins by explaining the binding ritual, its origins and what it means to the couple; such as the notion of binding their lives together and the union of their hopes and desires.
The couple is invited to join hands, symbolizing their free will to enter into the marriage. From here, a series of vows are read as cords are wrapped around the couple's hands until they are tied.
After your hands are bound, you can proceed to exchange additional vows and exchange rings or use your hand fasting as the vows you'll exchange and move directly to the ring exchange.
It really is a lovely addition to any traditional ceremony.
UNITY SAND POURING
The Unity Sand Ceremony, a variation of the unity candle ceremony, is a tradition full of symbolism. The act of pouring sand from two vessels into one, thus forever combining the grains forever is symbolic of two lives coming together as one.
Having a Unity Sand Ceremony is a fun and easy way to bring a lot of meaning to any ceremony and there are no set rules about how to do it. While we often just think of two people participating in the pouring, it’s not uncommon to have children or parents included. In this way the bringing of two families together is symbolized not only by the pouring of sand into one container, but when you give each member their own color of sand, your creation is a collage of the colorful people who love you.
There are plenty of Sand Ceremony sets out there for purchase, or you can put your own together. You’ll need sand collected from the beach or purchased from a craft store and three vases or other glass or clear vessels, 2 full and 1 empty, and don’t forget to have a table for set up.
After the ceremony the couple has a beautiful reminder that symbolizes the marriage of both partners’ hopes, dreams, and values.
The Unity Sand Ceremony, a variation of the unity candle ceremony, is a tradition full of symbolism. The act of pouring sand from two vessels into one, thus forever combining the grains forever is symbolic of two lives coming together as one.
Having a Unity Sand Ceremony is a fun and easy way to bring a lot of meaning to any ceremony and there are no set rules about how to do it. While we often just think of two people participating in the pouring, it’s not uncommon to have children or parents included. In this way the bringing of two families together is symbolized not only by the pouring of sand into one container, but when you give each member their own color of sand, your creation is a collage of the colorful people who love you.
There are plenty of Sand Ceremony sets out there for purchase, or you can put your own together. You’ll need sand collected from the beach or purchased from a craft store and three vases or other glass or clear vessels, 2 full and 1 empty, and don’t forget to have a table for set up.
After the ceremony the couple has a beautiful reminder that symbolizes the marriage of both partners’ hopes, dreams, and values.