Were you 100% happy with your wedding ceremony?
A wedding ceremony is a special moment in most people’s lives! During the pandemic many couples had a legal marriage ceremony in a registry office – this short, functional service legalises the marriage. However, it may not have been the wedding ceremony of your dreams!
The actual ‘wedding’ is the celebration of marriage – the fabulous wedding ceremony where you share your personal promises to one another in front of your family and friends. They join in with readings, songs and perhaps symbolic ‘mini ceremonies’ such as handfasting and are included in the love and laughter of the occasion.
In France the legal marriage service and the wedding ceremony have always been two separate events. The marriage is in an official building such as a town hall and then the couple celebrate their wedding on a bigger scale with dancing, singing, eating and drinking, just as we do in the UK.
With registrars under extreme pressure and staffing levels low, many couples tied the knot in a very short wedding ceremony and now feel short-changed at not having experienced their dream day. Although their ceremonies were small, beautiful and intimate there is that lingering feeling that it could have been so different. A realisation that they can indeed relive the moment in a bugger and better way, with all the people they want there to be in attendance …without masks!
A wedding ceremony to suit you
Many couples aren’t necessarily interested in bells and whistles – it’s not about the lavish extras, it’s more about being able to celebrate their union with an appropriate wedding ceremony in the presence of the people they love and who have supported them over the years. This is where a celebrant comes in. As a non-legally binding ceremony in the UK (at the moment), a celebrant wedding ceremony has absolutely no restrictions at all when it comes to format, content, structure and style. Basically, anything goes! Forget about the ‘etiquette’ of the old fashioned wedding ceremony and make up your own rules: children, animals, yes please, all welcome!
A celebrant wedding ceremony can add sparkle to the occasion – if you have already done the legal bit and are thinking of having a party to celebrate your marriage, a celebrant can help by giving you inspiration, advice and guidance. Your celebrant does not simply write and officiate your wedding ceremony, they can keep you up to date with the latest trends and wedding industry news, source and refer you to suppliers, offer inspiration for readings, songs, poems, and generally act as a sounding board whenever you need one!
There is a boom in wedding ceremonies this year and next for couples who feel they have missed out on their wedding celebrations. Brides want to wear their dress once more (or even buy another!) and show it off to all their friends and family members. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to celebrate your way with your friends and family. Now that restrictions are lifted in the UK you have very opportunity to think big, plan with abandon and have confidence that your big day will be every bit as special as you once dreamed.
There is a variety of ways you can celebrate your wedding with a non-legal ceremony and the great news is that now you’ve got the legal part done, there are absolutely no limits to the style of ceremony you can have. Your celebrant will be full of good ideas so get creative and start thinking big! You can call it a wedding blessing, a wedding ceremony, a renewal of vows…it really doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that you celebrate your way, so do get in touch and we can start planning your special day.