It was a great experience! I was so pleased to share in the Renewal of Vows Ceremony for Kelly and Henry at Stapleford Park, Leicestershire on New Year’s Eve last year.

Kelly and Henry had married in Mexico eighteen months ago and wanted family and friends to share and experience together a traditional wedding ceremony at this amazing country house hotel!

The wedding party included all of their parents and brothers and sisters who were able to attend and this made the ceremony very special to Kelly and Henry.

The Orangery was perfect for the ceremony as the candles surrounded by beautiful white flowers shone in the winter twilight. The guests were animated and there was plenty of laughter as well as some tears. Afterwards the Wedding Party returned to the main house in their golf buggies to be joined by their guests ready to party the New’s Year’s Eve night away!

Congratulations Kelly and Henry and all the very best for your future life together!

Acknowledgements: Kelly and Henry and the staff at Stapleford Park, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

It was my pleasure to conduct the wedding ceremony of Ingrid and Adam at the historical and atmospheric Belgrave Hall in Leicester!

They chose to do the short legal formalities first and then to have family and friends attend the main ceremony afterwards with myself in one of the other beautifully decorated rooms in the Hall.

Ingrid’s and Adam’s families enjoyed watching the couple say their ring promises and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. There was a lot of laughter too, especially when Adam’s ring needed a firm push onto his finger.

The afternoon light was already fading as the ceremony ended and the newly married couple, their family and friends went into the gardens to have their photos taken. It was rather cold, to say the least, but you wouldn’t have thought it! The bride looked radiant!

Congratulations to you both Ingrid and Adam! Best wishes for a fantastic future together!

Acknowledgements to Ingrid and Adam Smith and to the staff of Belgrave Hall.

This is a developing tradition here in the UK for the romantic and modern couple-to-be! It takes place before the ceremony with just the two of them and their photographer, ready to capture those precious moments when they first lay eyes on each other.

Why do couples choose this different approach to their day?

There are lots of reasons – some choose to do this to ease their nerves before the ceremony. While others want to keep that moment for themselves without interruptions, such as over enthusiastic relatives or busy phones and iPads.

Others want to develop the First Look approach to their photo shoot such as the First Look of father at daughter or child with mummy. These photos convey the wonder and love of family members and make the wedding  day shoot extra special.

What do you think? Is it something you would do?

 

Photographic Acknowledgement – Thank you to all the Pinterest members and photographers included in this Blog.

Even though we are not yet in August, planning Winter weddings is my main focus at the moment! I am working with my clients to create the wedding ceremony of their dreams in November and December this year! I am busy adding ideas to my Pinterest Winter Wedding board and sharing it with my excited brides!

A winter ceremony can be so many things: it can be glamorous, and elegant, or boho, or rustic. Maybe you want a ‘Beauty and the Beast’ theme or a Winter wonderland.  A gothic experience or a cool and modern effect!

What about your palette of colours? Stunning and sparkling silver gives you the opportunity to include shades of grey and black as well as ice white for a fantastic wedding dress!  Or maybe copper, grey and black to create a modern chic effect or a warm and elegant metallic theme; copper with bronze and gold. And don’t forget such additions  as magical snowflakes,  fairy lights , hot chocolate and snuggly blankets!

So, if you are thinking of having a wedding ceremony with a celebrant maybe after an  overseas wedding or a Register Office ceremony then do get in touch and we can chat about how we could plan a fantastic winter ceremony this year or in 2018!

Acknowledgements: Images from my Pinterest Account , many thanks to all the contributors.

This year, over the past few months I have had many couples discuss with me their different choices for the venue of their dreams on their wedding day!

On Saturday I was honoured to lead a wedding ceremony in the wonderful setting of a Country house Rose Garden looking out onto an open vista of a magnificent lawn and trees! Couples have discussed having a ceremony at a quarry or a Nature Reserve. Other suggestions have been up a mountain or in a meadow!.

Whether you want your perfect Setting to be a barn or a woodland glade, I can work with you both to choreograph your special day. We can then discuss your readings, music and vows which will suit your personalities and family group and make the whole celebration day full of wonderful memories for your future life together!

Acknowledgements: my own photos, Pinterest and the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants

 

Following on from the last Blog! Your wedding day is special to you both and also to your family, especially if you have children. Maybe you want a ceremony where they take part or maybe another member of your family – the dog!

Do get in touch and follow you dream idea of a unique and personalised ceremony for you both! #wedding #love #wedmin

Acknowledgements – Pinterest and George the photographer!

These days engaged couples are increasingly looking to hold their wedding ceremony in a much wider range of venues; not just register offices, religious buildings or licensed premises.

Couples are choosing to follow the European model!

It is commonplace for couples in Europe to attend their local Town Hall to carry out the legal registration of their marriage and then to attend the venue of their choosing with all their family and friends for the ceremony/celebration.

In this way,just like a birthday which celebrates the actual birth date not the date that the birth was registered, a marriage can be treated in exactly the same way with the ceremony taking place on a separate day from the legal event.

In this way, I can, as your trained Celebrant, guide you both on the legal requirements of your marriage as well as work with you to create a completely unique, personalised and meaningful ceremony for your wedding day!

‘A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks… No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.’

By Richard Bach from ‘The Bridge Across Forever’.

What lovely sentiments! There are so many great readings out there for you and your partner to choose from which will make the wedding ceremony even more personal and unique to yourselves and your family. I look forward to hearing from you!