Wonder where my strapline comes from? Well, there is more than one occasion where some couples have said “my family don’t get what a celebrant does!”.
It is one of the biggest elephants in the room!
So let’s break it down so you can share this post and don’t have to explain it to anyone.
Probably the best place to start is to talk about the difference between a marriage (or a civil partnership) and your wedding day.
The marriage contract is the legal document for your union. By law, this contract needs to be signed in a licensed approved venue – this could be your local registry office, place of faith, or a licensed venue where there is an agreement that registrars can attend.
The words are set in law, and you make an oath. IMO… it differs in no other way to other contractual arrangements (read: boring) however, is needed for a marriage to be legally recognised.
Check out the links below, they may help.
Now, your wedding is THE big day! It is the day you celebrate your union, the day that represents both of you, who you are separately and together, your love story! It is the day where your family and friends share your celebration. They witness your commitment, hear tales of your love story and it is a day full of happiness, laughter, joy and energy right from the start! No legal schmegal formalities to worry about!
It can be anywhere… an outdoor wedding ceremony, home wedding, or at a licensed venue. The choice is yours!
Your Wedding Day is the day you Celebrate your choice to be married.
“But it isn’t a legal ceremony?”
No, but hey! So what? Do you celebrate your birthday on the day the registrars paperwork was signed following your birth? No.
As a Kent Wedding Officiant, I understand that you want your day to be special and personal. I offer unique wedding ceremonies. I am not the marriage officiant, so the “pop in and out” registrar booking will have to be made on another day.
We are professionals in our own right, and have undergone training (if a Celebrant doesn’t have a professional qualification, please think twice).
You’ll end up with a Celebrant who you click with, who matches your vibe and who gets your vision for your celebration. There is a pre-conception that we can be an odd breed, but that is not true. We love love and you can check out our socials and website to get an idea of who we are – we are all different!
You don’t have to be off-beat, quirky, unusual, or anti-establishment to have a Celebrant Wedding.
We do enjoy weddings with a twist but we also love and happily facilitate the more traditional style weddings.
We have seen lots in our experienced time, so can guide you through ideas to be slightly unique, to totally different.
We fully embrace the couples wishes – Personally, I am a LGBTQ+ friendly Celebrant -so whether traditional or quirky is your way, we get you!
Quite often we offer a non-religious ceremony, however the beauty of a Civil Celebrant is that we have the choice to include any faith should you want to – even if just a wee prayer to keep Auntie Grace happy!
Many couples have not thought about family or friends being involved during a ceremony. This is probably because the opportunity to do so rarely exists in other ceremonies (other than a reading).
Celebrants positively encourage “audience participation”, especially by those who are so very dear to you. It creates a more intimate wedding, and there are many wedding rituals you could consider.
We have lots of ideas, and some just crop up during our meetings as we learn more about you.
A Celebrant knows the couple before the Wedding Day.
We get their vibe, know who the VIP’s are (and even know which guests to keep apart!). We are conscious of anyone who has accessibility needs, ensuring your ceremony is inclusive.
I know the Events Director in me means I am at your venue hours before the ceremony,
This allows me to check if there is anything that needs managing, letting the wedding party relax and enjoy the day.
The couple are relaxed as they know who is leading the ceremony. They know exactly what words are being said and when. They know their Celebrant has got their back if they have a wobble.
Celebrant led weddings offer so much more than a relaxed ceremony, and every single couple I know that have booked a Celebrant say it is the best choice they made for their wedding day.
