One of the best about working with couples in planning their ceremony is that we can make it absolutely anything they want it to be. There are a couple of legal requirements that must be spoken, but then, the style of ceremony and its content is entirely flexible.

Sometimes, people know exactly what they want: some want short and sweet across a kitchen table with two witnesses and a bottle of bubbles, another might opt for a ‘garden party’ in the local park, conducted in the band rotunda with children and best friends. There has been an ‘intimate’ but well-orchestrated at home celebration with witnesses and two guests that was Zoomed in India with mums, dad, aunts, uncles and extended family – a large cast watching the ceremony from afar, on a very large screen. And there have been those formal ceremonies with all the bells and whistles of “the asking” and the “I do”s and the large bride’s and groom’s parties and the big party, formal or informal, afterwards. Each have been different in their own ways but each very clear in what they wanted the celebration to be.

Other times, couples are looking for guidance and support in creating their special day and I’m able to help them with suggestions and hints, tips and tricks. Ring warming has been a popular ritual, perhaps because it’s simple and allows family and friends to be participants in the ceremony and to quietly offer their wishes and love. Help with vows or finding the right readings is sometimes asked for, and sometimes an old school brainstorm is needed before the couple can begin to ‘see’ what their ceremony will look like.

But for me, the celebration must be one thing: that is, it must reflect the couple and their values, be part of who they are, and it must be a ceremony in which both people feel that it’s just for them, intimate and unique. I strive to make this happen, regardless of the type and size of ceremony, the location or any of the other elements they have chosen or not chosen. It’s always all about the two people who are ‘tying the knot’ and I want them to feel like they’re the only two people to ever do this thing.

With love….