Planning your wedding ceremony can feel like an arduous task but does it need to be that way? Having consulted with many wedding professionals and having read many an article, the best piece of advice is to make sure that the process is as fun as possible. When planning any event, it's important to start the work as early as possible. This means getting organised! Get your friends to help and begin by making a list. There are many great wedding planning templates online an

Valentine’s Day is an annual occasion where many couples exchange cards and gifts – but it’s also a day when many people propose to their loved ones. Also known as Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, apparently the link to romance began in the 14th century, when the tradition of ‘courtly love’ flourished. Now, you may ask what ‘courtly love’ means? …as I did, however it supposedly means the concept of love in a noble or chivalrous way. I’ve read lots of d

When planning ceremonies it is quite usual for people to want to mention those that cannot make the ceremony. For some this can mean those that are no longer living and for others simply those that cannot attend the ceremony that day. This can be an awkward issue for couples to negotiate. If they are people that cannot make the ceremony that day as, maybe they are on holiday or they are housebound, that is a little easier to deal with. A paragraph can be included that refe

One of the great things about using a Celebrant for your ceremony, apart from the obvious personalised nature of the work we do, is being able to have any readings you want included. They can be religious, poems, quotes or something that has been written especially for the day. However, what you will need to think about is who will read these for you as part of your ceremony. It is not usually a good idea to spring this on a family member or friend on the day as public spea

So now you have read our earlier blog about what a Celebrant actually is and why you need one for to make your ceremony totally unique….how does it work? Well if you have decided to engage the services of a Celebrant you are about to be taken on a very special journey in the build up to your big day. As one of the main reasons for engaging a Celebrant is having your ceremony totally bespoke and personalised you will be asked to take time to think about what marriage means to

No, I mean LITERALLY. Most people these days have heard of a hand fastening but do we really know what they are? Well for a start that is where the term “tying the knot” originates from so we all know more than we think immediately. Hand fastenings date back to the ancient Celts and are an ancient Pagan custom that are definitely having a revival with couples. It wasn’t originally part of the wedding ceremony but more connected to a typical engagement period. When a coupl

Celebrants are quite used to conducting sand ceremonies as these have become more popular of late for weddings, commitments and also naming ceremonies. But what is a sand ceremony, I hear you cry….a sand ceremony is a unity ceremony and the blending of the sand represents the coming together of two people and their families and friends one. There are many ways to include a sand ceremony and this is down to individual preference. Some couples prefer layering the sand whilst o

Ever thought about a wedding afloat whilst on a cruise. This has to be the ultimate in wedding romance. There are the obvious benefits to this, for example combining your wedding and honeymoon dramatically reduces costs, your guests pay for themselves and, of course, cruises are usually inclusive of food so no massive food bill for the day. However, you need to think about whether you want a full family entourage on your honeymoon and this is not to mention the thousands o

So the Embrace Ladies have just taken a wedding booking for next month….whaaaat….yes next month. And this is the second in the space of a month. I have to confess though that my own wedding was planned in just over two months so I know this is totally doable. So why would anyone want to put themselves under this much pressure? Well deciding to get married at short notice is not only very romantic but also cuts out some of the stress...believe it or not. It may seem a daun

Have a ceremony written especially for you – Celebrants will spend time with you, getting to know you as a couple and ask you lots of questions in order to design and craft your personalised ceremony to reflect your personalities. Build up relationship over time with the celebrant – Celebrants will meet with you several times before your big day so that you can get to know each other. By the time your big day arrives you will already know them well. Include the things you wa

So here goes my first blog as a Celebrant. Back to basics….what’s a Celebrant? So I’m trying to reduce the number of puzzled faces here! If I had to choose one word to sum up a Celebrant ceremony it would be PERSONALISED. If you have your ceremony conducted by a Celebrant it means it will be totally unique to you. There will be no restrictions with the content of your ceremony, time or the venue you want to use. Did you know with a Celebrant you can have any readings yo