My Fiance and I are both atheist... but my parents, who are footing most of the bill, are very religious... The wedding is in a garden gazebo, how can I keep them happy by including a little bit of religion but not have it really obvious, or take over the ceremony?

Great question. We feel that you have options to work with for your big day. You could incorporate a unity candle ceremony, with a slight religious twist, that integrates with your program. Some of our unity candles can incorporate to your wedding theme as well, so that the moment appears flawless with the rest of your ceremony.

Here are some other ideas that might help you:

+ Choose a wedding theme that can be construed as religious or non-religious, like a particular flower (calla lilies are perfect for that) or symbol (like the peace dove).

+ Add a moment of silence at some point in the ceremony to allow your religious parents to say a personal prayer. If you are uncomfortable mentioning the word "prayer," due to your beliefs, you could ask for a "moment of reflection."

+ Pick one popular "religious" song as part of your program. For example, Amazing Grace is a nice, simple song.

+ If you're interested, you might want to consider giving your parents a moment in your wedding to either say a prayer or do a short reading. This is not unusual for weddings where the beliefs vary wildly, and doesn't detract from the rest of the ceremony.

Hope that helps!!!

Thank you so much.. my parents are footing the bill so I want to include there beleifs.. but I don't want to do that at the cost of my own.. Those are some good ideas