Weddings & Civil Partnerships

The Wedding World is a Changing

Currently in England and Wales, a couple can only be legally married by a religious minister or a registrar. This legal marriage can only take place in an approved marriage venue or registration office.  

Although some registrars are starting to offer enhanced wedding packages, some couples prefer the freedom of separating the required legal ceremony with the registrar (which can be a very simple, low cost, informal affair) and having another separate, personalised ceremony in the company of their family and friends, using the skills and experience of a professional celebrant.

Why Use a Celebrant for your Wedding Ceremony?

In short, it offers you more choice:

  • You’re not restricted by venue – you can have your wedding ceremony wherever you want (providing you have permission). So it could be a stately home, somewhere that is special to you both or even your garden – the choice is yours.
  • You are not restricted by format or content. I can work with you to tailor the whole ceremony to include whatever you want in whichever order you want it, in a way that reflects you as a couple. We can encourage your family and friends to join in with the ceremony as little or as much as you want. The world is really your oyster!
  •  We can incorporate the traditional wedding ceremony elements such as the exchange of rings, introducing the couple and the signing of a wedding certificate. We can also explore different options to seal your unity together in a way that reflects you as a couple, using special, symbolic unity moments within the ceremony. These can include unity candles, hand fasting, rose ceremonies.  
  • We can design your ceremony to include specific wording. I can help you to create unique vows that are personal to you and demonstrate why you have chosen to commit to each other.  
  • We can work together to include any religious or spiritual elements to your wedding ceremony that are required by you or your family.
  • You’re not restricted by price. My price will obviously be dependent on the content/structure of your ceremony but I will charge you the same agreed price whether your wedding falls on a weekday or a weekend.

A very personal service 

I passionately believe that every couple is different. We come from different backgrounds, experience different things and view life and love in very different ways. A wedding should honour, respect and celebrate this and should be designed from start to finish with this is mind. It’s as simple as that!

  • I offer a no obligation meeting to discuss your hopes and ideas for your perfect day. I’ll get to know you both, explore your ideas, and above all, get a complete picture of what you want your ceremony to be like. They can be conducted by telephone, Zoom or face-to-face – whatever time and place is suitable for you.  
  • I will supply a quotation, based on our discussion that reflects the ideas we have discussed.
  • If we’re happy to work together, we will then have an in depth discussion and brainstorming session, where we’ll create an outline of the ceremony.  
  • Using our ideas I’ll write a wedding script that can be edited as many times as you want until it’s perfect and reflects you as a couple. The script could contain your vows, your love story, tributes etc – again the choice is yours.
  • If it’s necessary, I’ll visit the venue ahead of your special day to ensure that all of our plans can be realised.
  • On the day, I’ll be in charge of your ceremony and will guide you through the service, leaving you both to just enjoy your special day with your friends and family.
  • You’ll also leave the day with a boxed keepsake copy of your wedding script and certificate.

Together, we can create a day that is truly personal. 

Please click here to contact me for further information. Alternatively, give me a call – I’d be delighted to chat with you on an informal basis to discuss your upcoming ceremony.

Special Unity Ceremonies

These are symbolic small ceremonies that can be woven into the main wedding ceremony and can be completely personalised. They represent the union of the couple and the coming together of families. They’re a great way of simply demonstrating your love for each other or getting your guests involved. They can be conducted to music, poems or vows which can be personalised and I will be there to guide you and your guests through the process and explain the significance. Below are just a handful of ideas – I’m happy to research other ideas.

  • Handfasting
  • A Rose Ceremony
  • A Sand Ceremony
  • Ring Blessing
  • Unity Candle Ceremony
  • Jumping the Broom
  • Loving Cup Ceremony