Wedding Fairs and magazines are all about the perfect venue.   Here in Cumbria, we have the perfect venue right on our doorstep. The Lake District.  Alfred Wainwright knew this; whether he was climbing his beloved fells or walking along the by the gentle lapping of a lakeshore, he understood the place for its captivating…

When you meet the right person and you know in your heart you have found ‘the one’.  Many of the questions you may ask of each other become irrelevant.   Less important is what they do for a living, what car they drive or where they like to holiday.  More important is understanding their hopes…

Often as the bride and groom are about to say their vows, the swell of emotion takes their breath away.  They are about to declare their love, such an intimate gift, publicly for all to hear.  Tears usually follow.  Everyone says, ‘I will be fine.’ Yet even the most stoic of couples falter. I refer…

Often when I interview couples for their upcoming ceremony and I ask about music choices or any favourite readings or poems they might like, they draw a blank.   They have favourite music, that they don’t think suitable for a wedding or they haven’t read much in the way of poetry.  What I try to…

Yesterday I received a wonderful email from a couple, just home from their honeymoon, thanking me for making their ceremony so special.  In their words, I really understood them.  I was very humbled.  That a couple would take time, from their busy lives, to say thank you. In truth I have always had lovely thank…

Lots to be thankful for, lots to look forward to.  No need for resolutions, keep life simple.  Love your family, cherish your friends and be kind to strangers. It’s been an absolute honour to conduct so many wonderful ceremonies this year.  Next year I look forward to the privilege working with even more wonderful people. Happy…

*A nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant or that has been loved and then lost: the love that remains. We came across this word in Funchal airport last month. It is a wonderfully melancholic word.  For me it sums up perfectly this time of year.  As summer gives…

This famous quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is spoken by Juliet.  She argues that it does not matter that Romeo is from a rival house.  She is a Capulet and Romeo is a Montague. But what is in a name.  When a new life is born into the world, parents deliberate to find the…

Love can strike at any age, whether you are looking for it or not.    It’s the marvellous thing about human beings, when we connect with the right person, love happens.  Marriage a second time around, has been on the rise in recent years in those over the age of fifty.  I know of many…

‘Third Finger Left Hand’, the 1972 hit for English girl duo The Pearls is often still played at weddings today.  But the history of the wedding ring and on which finger it is placed goes back centuries.  The ancient Egyptians believed there was a vein from the forth finger left hand that led directly to…