Wedding Ceremonies

In short

Couples spend months on the flowers, the food and the seating plan, then hand the ceremony to somebody who met them a fortnight beforehand. It is the one part of the day that everyone sits and listens to, and it is usually the part that gets the least thought.

Mine take about six weeks to write and around three hours of your time to plan. You will read every word before the day, and if there is a sentence you do not like, it goes.

£595 From, all inclusive

Somerset And well beyond it

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What a celebrant ceremony lets you do

A register office ceremony has a fixed script, a fixed venue and a slot of about twenty minutes. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is not the only option and a lot of couples do not realise it.

Marry anywhere. A barn, a beach, your parents' garden, the top of a hill, the pub you met in.
Choose your own words, readings and music, with no approved list to work from.
Include faith, or leave it out entirely, or bring two faiths together without either family feeling short changed.
Involve your children, your friends, your parents or your dog, and give them something real to do.
Start when you want to start. Nobody is queueing for the room after you.
Add a ritual that means something to you, or none at all.

The legal side, explained plainly

In England and Wales a celebrant led ceremony is not the legal marriage, and any celebrant who tells you otherwise is not being straight with you.

What almost every couple does is book a statutory ceremony at their local register office. It takes about ten minutes, costs a modest fee, and needs two witnesses. Plenty of couples go on a Tuesday morning with two friends, sign the paperwork, and tell nobody. Then the ceremony they actually care about happens on the day, in the place they chose, with everyone they love watching.

It sounds like a faff. It really is not, and it buys you complete freedom over the day itself. I will talk you through the order to do it in when we meet.

Rituals, if you want one

Some couples want a symbolic moment in the middle of the ceremony. Some think it is not for them and change their minds when they hear what is possible. There is no obligation either way.

Handfasting, with cords chosen or made by people you love
Ring warming, where every guest holds your rings for a moment before you put them on
A wine or whisky box, sealed with letters to each other and opened on an anniversary
Sand or seed blending, which works beautifully when two families are joining
A candle lit for the people who could not be there
Vows to your children as well as to each other
A quaich, a broom, a tree, a toast. If it means something to you, we can build it in.

Included

What comes with the fee

From £595, with nothing added afterwards.

An unhurried first meeting, in person or on video, with no charge and no obligation
A full planning session of around two hours
A ceremony written entirely from scratch, with as many redrafts as it takes
Help choosing readings and readers, and coaching for anyone who is nervous
Vow writing support, including a private session if you want to write your own
A rehearsal at the venue where the distance allows it, or a walk through on the phone
Unlimited calls and emails from booking to the day itself
A PA system and microphone for outdoor ceremonies and larger rooms
Liaison with your venue, photographer and coordinator about timings
A printed and bound copy of your ceremony as a keepsake
Public liability insurance and a signed contract, so everyone knows where they stand

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“Three people told us afterwards it was the first wedding ceremony they had ever properly listened to. My uncle, who does not cry, cried.”
Hannah and JoeBarn ceremony near Bruton