Wedding,
civil partnership,
or vow renewal
- what’ll it be?
I’m assuming you’re here because you’re getting married, having a civil partnership or renewing your vows, so firstly - yaaaas, that’s some exciting stuff. Cheers to you!
I’m also assuming you’ve done a bit of research and know the deal with a celebrant-led ceremony. But just in case, here’s a quick rundown of the key things you need to know.
(Vow renewal folks - obvs the legal bit doesn’t apply for you, but everything about the freedom, creativity and connection we’ll build totally does!)
The first rule is, there are no rules
With a wedding ceremony or civil partnership created by me, you’re free from lots of the constraints you’d face with a traditional religious or registry office ceremony.
You can do your thing pretty much anywhere you want, rather than the limited options you get when it comes to licensed venues. So whether the location of your dreams is on paddle boards in the sea, in your nan’s garden, or down your local, we can do that.
Your ceremony will be created with you and for you. No standard ‘insert name here’ script, no traditional elements that you’d rather leave out, and no strangers conducting one of the biggest moments of your life. Everything in the ceremony will be completely original and included because you want it to be.
Did we just become best friends?
I’ll get to know you and your story, so I can create the perfect ceremony that feels like a true reflection of who you are and what matters to you. We’ll spend time together (beer anyone?), get creative, and share ideas so you’re a part of the process and feel seen. By the time the big day rolls around, it’ll feel like a friend is leading your ceremony!
You can probably tell from what you’ve read so far that my style is pretty chill, fun, upbeat, and creative. And I love to create ceremonies for people who feel that vibe and want their people to feel part of it too. I want you to bring your maddest ideas to the table. My number one rule is no dream squashing, so I’ll do whatever I can to make your dreams reality.
Here comes the legal stuff…
Now, the only catch to all that awesomeness is that independent celebrant led ceremonies aren't currently legal in the UK. Don’t let that put you off though! Some couples don’t really care about the legal bit and just enjoy the excitement of their celebrant-led ceremony.
But if you do want to make it legal, you’ll just need to have a separate civil ceremony at a Registry Office. It’s cheap (about £50 - £100) and you can do it any time before or after your celebrant ceremony.
When I got married we did the book signing thing with our closest family in the morning, then had the big fun celebrant ceremony with all our people in the afternoon. If you like, we can talk about this more if you choose to have a call with me.
So how do we do this?
As McFly said - it’s all about you. So I need to get to know you both, hear your stories, and know what makes you tick. We’re going to spend some time together spilling the tea! I know planning a big event can be pretty stressy so I won’t take up loads of your time, but we’ll talk enough that I can create your perfect, personalised ceremony.
Before we get into the detail, let’s put the monies in cere-monies and talk cost. My ceremonies start at £800. If your ceremony means I’ll have a hefty journey or need accommodation, that’ll bump up the cost but we can figure all this if you choose to have a call with me.
Now, onto the fun bit!
You’ve read all my blurb, you like what you saw, so let’s get the three of us on a Zoom call. I want us all to feel absolutely sure we’re right for each other, so we’ll have a chat about your story, your plans, and just see how it goes. Having a chat in no way means you have to choose me, if it doesn’t feel right that’s totally cool.
Yay, we matched so let’s do this thing and get your date in the diary! To secure your date I’ll need a 50% deposit please. A girl’s got to eat and being a creative genius is hungry work!
Let’s meet up. A pint would be great if you’re near Hastings, but if you’re further afield we can Zoom. We’ll have a good natter so we can talk plans, do a bit of brainstorming, and get to know each other better. I’ll also set up a WhatsApp group for us so we can keep the chat going.
Time to dig deep. I’ll send you each a questionnaire to complete. This is going to delve into your relationship and help me get the lowdown on you and how you reached this big next step in your story. Now’s also the time to let me know if there are any of your key people you’d like me to talk to for background, or because you want to include them in the ceremony.
Now we’re basically best friends, I’ve got lots of good material to work on the script for your ceremony. I’ll share drafts with you to make sure I’m on the right track and you’re happy with where this is going. Remember - this is about you. I want you to be completely honest with your feedback so we can absolutely nail this.
It’s four weeks out from the big day and the script is done. It’s perfect, we’re all giddy with excitement, high fives all round! Also, it’s time for the other 50% of my fee please and thank you.
The one week countdown is on, so it’s time for us to have a quick catch up on logistics and to get hyped up.
Holy moly, it’s finally here. The big day is upon us. It’s totally normal to be nervous, but you know I’ve got the ceremony handled. I’ll be there at least an hour before we’re set to start to make sure everything is ready, check in with you both, and work the room. And then, it’s time - your dreams are about to become reality!
You’re totally married, enormous congrats! I know from experience that it probably felt like it was over in a flash. So to help you remember that amazing day, I’ll send you a fancy copy of the script for you to keep. I highly recommend looking at it together with some booze on your anniversary. Keep the romance alive, my lovebirds!
