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

A renewal of vows ceremony is something that we have all heard of…but why do people do it, and when do they do it? Reasons people may think about renewing are things like milestones ie 5, 10, 20, 25 years etc, the first wedding didn’t go according to plan, was done on the cheap, something more elaborate is wanted, you eloped the first time round, it seems romantic or maybe something darker, you have had some troubled times. These all seem valid, legitimate reasons to want to

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

Writing your own vows is a special way of making your ceremony personal and what better time to look deep into the eyes of your future spouse and tell them exactly how you feel! If you do want to write your own vows you will need to use a Celebrant as registrar's generally won't allow you this kind of freedom. So you want to write them or maybe you've been gently pushed by your partner but what should you write? Well that's a very tricky question and will largely depend on

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