Wedding traditions offer richness and color to enrich your wedding ceremony and transform your life! And what’s more fun is that they can be remade to fit your life.

The tradition behind scattering flower petals before the bride is rooted in the notion that no dirt should adhere to it before it reaches her groom (unblemished!) Quaint, but not so appropriate for today’s world . So why not flip it?

Leave your wedding ceremony on a carpet of flowers. Walk towards your future on a path of petals. That those flowers symbolize the love (and its beauty) that protects you from the harshness of the road and that transforms each path into one of joy? Navigate down that hallway awash in the love of your friends and secure in your love for one another.

To do? (This works whether or not you have an aisle runner. Aisle runners just make cleaning a little easier, if you spread out things that can’t be left to rot. Hint: local leaves or flowers are always a good idea!)

• At the end of the wedding ceremony, have the children (yes, all the children) come to the front and collect baskets, bags, bowls of flowers. Then ask them to parade, making sure they understand that the entire length of the aisle must be covered in petals. (You’ll need lots of petals and lots of kids!) They can do this in solemn silence, with quiet music, or with encouragement from their parents. Note: as in any wedding event with children, assign someone (other than the bride and groom) the responsibility of helping them achieve their goals.
• Once the path is colorfully and luxuriously covered, take a step into your future. Too often, couples stand up front, not knowing what to do other than try to move down the aisle. Now you have a job. You must walk consciously towards your future, hand in hand with your loved one, aware of the beauty that lies before you. Smile a lot; It’s something good. Smile at your community that will be cheering you on.
• If you wish, extend a piece of tape from your hand to those of your attendees. Take them down the aisle with you on the glorious path that is your future. Because it is true: when we are happy we drag the world in our path. That is a worthy goal for any marriage! In fact, you may want to include celebrating joy as part of the responsibilities assumed in your wedding vows. That will make resisting the challenges that are part of the promises much easier.

Move forward into your future with grace and joy and well wishes from your entire community. This flower-strewn path metaphor is one that happens in real life.

Flowering trees and bushes lose their buds and cover the world with beauty. Every time that happens, every time you see a picture of it, you’ll remember your wedding ceremony and your wedding vows, and you’ll grow stronger in your love for each other. (In fact: actively look for images of this beauty. Cut them out, keep them in your beloved’s pocket as a keepsake. Or find cut branches with flowers to put around the house and let them sit until they cover the table with beauty.) Go Let’s be happy together!