Life’s other Rites of Passage
Other than weddings and elopements, there are many and varied milestones of life which are similarly worthy of recognition, ritual and celebration.
And unlike weddings, these often lesser-known ‘Rites of Passage’ are generally not inhibited by legal requirements. Accordingly, they can offer far greater flexibility – and often informality – compared to weddings and elopements.
And so, these ceremonies can often be relatively inexpensive. Just check out these popular ceremony packages.
Our passage through life
Throughout history, and across cultures, people like to – and often need to – recognise and commemorate the passage through the many and varied milestones of life.
We celebrate the various stages in growing families, forming relationships and commemorating lives and, indeed, life itself.
So when these sort of occasions arise, let’s chat about how to best commemorate some of life’s other significant milestones.
After all, wasn’t it James Bond who said that we only live once? (OK, maybe not)
The menu below is certainly not exhaustive, but offers some suggestions on events that are certainly worthy of celebration. I’m certainly more than willing to help create any other type of ceremony, even if it’s not specified below.
Relationships
Apart from weddings and elopements, romantic relationships can also be publicly acknowledged and rejoiced by announcing to the world that “we still do” with Renewal of Vows and Commitment Ceremonies.
Growing families
Modern growing families offer many reasons to celebrate, including New Baby, Adoption, Naming, Coming of Age and Blended Family events.
Life
As our population matures, so we are more frequently celebrating lives – and indeed life itself – through Memorials, Ash Scattering and even Living Wakes. These rituals offer proven therapeutic benefits particularly at times of loss, grief or bereavement.
Pet parenting
And not to be outdone, our beloved ‘fur-children’ family members are increasingly embraced with Pet Welcome and Pet Memorial ceremonies.
Like the ceremonies celebrating the lives of humans, providing ritual after the loss of a companion pet is established as delivering significant healing benefits for adults and, of course even more importantly, also for children – particularly those who may be experiencing their first loss.