I love being a celebrant. I love the privilege of being part of a couples special celebration. I love the variety of locations couples choose to hold their ceremonies. Just in the last year alone, I’ve held ceremonies by a lakeside, up a fell, in a boathouse, in a barn, and even in a castle. The variety of locations are endless.
Wedding party guests have come from all over the globe too, thanks now to the ease of lockdown and current technology. One wedding last year, the bride and groom flew in from Abu Dhabi, the Best Man came in from Singapore, while the ceremony itself was live streamed to South Africa. Making the world a much smaller and more accessible place, so all friends and family were part of their celebration.
Couples choose ceremonial elements that suit their personalities too; whether it’s a Unity Candle Ceremony bringing families together, a Flower Ceremony to present thank you bouquets to their Mothers, toasting each other with a Quaich Cup or a special Ring Warming; they want to be able to include as many guests as possible into their ceremony. It makes the ceremony so much more personal. Guests like to be involved, to be part of a couples special day. It is so much more fun and memorable than passively watching on.
For all their uniqueness, each ceremony has a common thread; that is the love a couple have for each other. That moment when they look into each others eyes and are ready to recite their vows. That is the moment they only have eyes for each other, there is a stillness around them and the rest of the wedding party seems to melt away. They declare their vows to each other, they reflect what is important to them and what they want for each other. Always individual, always heartfelt, and never a dry eye in the house.