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As Autumn begins...

A wonderful start to my Autumn 2017 season! A great wedding ceremony at one of my new favourite venues...Captains Wood Barn in Maldon. A beautiful woodland setting off the beaten track. Sam and Carl put so much attention to detail into their big day and I have to say the bride looked stunning as she walked towards her new husband. Their friend played the processional music as a surprise to the groom on acoustic guitar and it was so heartfelt, everyone had tears in their eyes, including the celebrant! 

This is what I love about the role, every ceremony is so different, but all are equally beautiful because we are celebrating the love that two people have for each other in such a personal way.

On Saturday we lit a candle in memory of their grandparents and had a table bedecked with photos of them, it was such a fitting tribute to a generation that had gone before and played such an influential part in the lives of this gorgeous couple. After the vows and ring exchange they sealed love letters into a box      (which had been loving made by the brides father) along with a couple of bottles to be opened on the occasion of their 5th wedding anniversary. Photos under the old oak tree rounded off the ceremony before they retreated to the barn for afternoon tea...Oh and they had a cracking idea, a bucket list jar..everyone was invited to leave them a challenge, big or small, that they could tackle in future years, such a fun idea...guess what I suggested? hehehe. A wonderful sunny day, and memories made to be cherished for a lifetime.

On Sunday I had the pleasure of conducting a naming ceremony for a beautiful little girl, who is about to turn 1. I’m lucky to know the parents and grandparents of this little treasure and have watched her grow into the smiley faced, confident little girl she is becoming. It is such an honour to be able to be able to play a small part in milestone celebrations such as these and I look forward to sharing a few photos of the little lady and her big day.

So as we move forward into September at the same breakneck speed the rest of the year has flown past in, (where has it gone???) I can see the trees haven’t quite turned yet but I can imagine that in a month or so they will be stunning. Autumn is sooooo my favourite time of year, the colours and even the smells especially an open log fire...Heaven! So I personally can't think of a better time of year to be thinking of tying the knot or celebrating life. 

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So...what does a Celebrant do exactly?

 It’s not all about just turning up on a wedding day, standing at the front and speaking, there is so much more to it and this is what this short blog is all about.

I met with Anna and Kenny on a not so warm day at her mum’s house just outside of Colchester in May 2016. They were living in London but had a vision, to celebrate their love in front of family and friends at a fantastic laid back ceremony in the grounds of the bride’s family home. Neither were religious so a church ceremony was not on the agenda, but they also knew they wanted something much more personal than a routine registry office ceremony.

 We discussed all sorts over tea and biscuits at the kitchen table, and what became instantly clear was this was to be a ceremony and a wedding day full of love and laughter and a whole lot of FUN!

 A silent disco was booked to follow a Scottish Ceilidh (pronounced Kay-Lee) for the after dinner celebrations and they had already started to stockpile the wine and beers for the party.

 By the end of that first meeting, I KNEW we were meant to work together, and I was delighted that they felt the same too. We parted ways that day agreeing that their ceremony would include a Handfasting and Quaich (Scottish Loving Cup) ceremony to celebrate their shared Celtic ancestry. They had fun selecting just the right drop of Scotch with which to fill the Quaich over the intervening months.

A fabulous Scottish Handfasting poem was chosen to be read by the Groom’s dad in his wonderful lilting accent as they tied the knot and their personal vows to each other were to be crafted before the big day.

 I was given permission to gently take the proverbial out of the fact that all 3 of us were huge rugby fans, and between us represented 3 of the 4 home nations…As an ardent England fan (the dominant side in recent years) they just knew I was going to mention this fact, once or twice and were totally at ease with my sense of humour and knew I would be bringing the added fun to their celebration.

 Booking fee paid and questionnaire provided, we agreed to meet regularly, whenever they returned to Essex, so we could discuss the evolving ceremony and keep tabs on the changing seasons in the garden.

 The icing on the cake was being able to recommend my husband as their Wedding photographer, and being able to work with him, and share an amazing day.

 Anna and Kenny were just so easy to work with; they readily shared their love story with me and allowed me to put my twist on the telling of it. Together we created something that we knew would bring giggles and tears in equal measure as their family and friends went on the journey with us.

 They had met at a party, friends had held to welcome Kenny back from a tour of Afghanistan and bonded over Apple Crumble vodka shots.

They fell in love quite quickly and knew they had each found their own soul mate, someone they could dance around the kitchen with, argue with, laugh with and love with. It all came so easily to them both. Kenny had even thoughtfully made Anna an engagement ring in his man cave over the course of a few nights before presenting it to her on St David’s day in a kitchen festooned with inflatable leeks, daffodils and a red toy dragon!

 Ceremony written, we worked out on interim visits and at the practice the day before, just how long the ceremony would take, how long the processional music needed to be, where we would stand and where their guests would be seated. I was able to reassure a stressed out bride that all would be well, and gave them both my usual pre ceremony pep talk, including the need for a decent nights sleep and plenty of hydration on the big day.

It dawned, bright and beautiful, the hottest day of the summer (we thought at the time…so far…it was after all only June …But it in fact turned out to be the hottest day of the summer full stop!)

 We had a hoot! Yes it was a very warm day, and at one point the groom was making full use of my fan to cool himself down, but the guests were treated to more giggles than you could shake a stick at and my husband and I were able to enjoy one of the best weddings of the year, working in partnership and helping a fabulous couple celebrate their big day. We even got roped into the dancing and didn’t actually manage to get away until nearly 11 o’clock that night ourselves…long after even his clocking off time! It was a quintessentially English balmy summers night as we packed up to leave, with the biggest grins on our faces.

 The feedback has been amazing from Anna and Kenny and their guests, I even booked another couple for their wedding celebration who came running up to me straight after the ceremony and told me to drop everything I WAS required to attend their big day, they had never laughed so much at a wedding ceremony and didn’t know they could have something so personal written just for them.

 So as you can see, it’s about putting your heart and soul into each client, it is about discussing individual requirements, being open and accommodating. It’s about meetings, for me, as many as each client requires. I don’t set limits, never have, never will. You’ll always get me at the end of a phone or by texts/ email.

It’s about the writing, the practicing and ultimately the final delivery of your carefully crafted script. AND it’s about the love, the love that brought them to this point and that love which will sustain them from that day forward.

This is why you chose a celebrant, and why it’s important to choose the right one for you.

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My favourite season for weddings! So many colours to chose from. What's your theme going to be? #funkycelebrant #essexcelebrant #ladylove #suffolkcelebrant #outdoorweddings