Tree Planting Ceremony

A tree planting ceremony can be used during a wedding ceremony to symbolize the growth and development of the couple as married partners as well as the joining together of two individuals/two families.

The ceremony can be conducted in two different ways:

1. Tree planting at a venue: If you are planting a tree that you will take home to transplant, you set up a separate table, on which you will place a potted tree/sapling (something perhaps with special meaning to the couple and pre-loosened in its container), a larger empty pot, two small buckets of dirt, two gardening trowels and a small watering can. The couple will each add soil to the empty container, transfer the tree to the pot, add the rest of soil and then water the plant together. After the ceremony, the couple can plant the tree in a special location to symbolize the putting down of roots, longevity and strengths in their marriage.
   
   2. Tree planting in your own backyard: If you are having your wedding ceremony on your own property, the tree can be planted directly into a pre-dug hole using two shovels to backfill the hole with soil and a watering can to water the tree immediately afterwards.

If you choose to have the ceremony symbolize the joining together of both families then a member of each family can scoop a small amount of soil into the pot/hole before they take their seats for the ceremony or you can utilize soil that was obtained from each family’s property.

Sample Language for a Tree Planting:

Officiant: “______ and _______ will now take part in a Tree Planting Ceremony, to symbolize the continued growth of their love, as they become each other’s family. They plant this tree to symbolize the putting down of roots and longevity and strength in their marriage. The planting and growth of a tree provides us with an excellent comparison to a flourishing marriage."

While the couple completes the tree planting, the officiant says:
"____ and ____, like a tree, your marriage must be resilient. It must weather the challenges of daily life and the passage of time.

Let your relationship and your love for each other be like this tree you plant today. Let it grow tall and strong. Let it bend during the harsh winds and storms, to ensure that is comes through those times unscathed. Nurture it just as you will nourish and nurture your marriage.
To grow straight, your tree may need some support, just as you too will need to support each other.
And your tree will need space to thrive. It cannot grow to its full potential in the shadow of another. As a couple, it is important that you give each other space to be the best individuals that you can be.
As the tree grows, so too will the strength of your commitment to each other.
As the tree thrives through the ever-changing seasons that lay ahead, so too will your relationship as a married couple.”