Over the last few years I have also been offering a stand alone service as a Wedding Celebrant. In some cases this has been for couples who simply needed the Italian Civil Ceremony translated into English but more often it has been for couples who are having a symbolic ceremony. Couples might choose a symbolic ceremony for many different reasons but one of the advantages of it is that you can really personalize the ceremony itself. There are no longer restrictions over what text has to be read and there is complete freedom to shape it to suit the wedding that you want. And I have discovered a real joy for performing these ceremonies.
I’d love to share the story on one of my more recent Wedding Celebrant experiences. Luci & Robin had most of their wedding already planned but they didn’t have someone to perform the ceremony for them. Happily they found my contact through the wedding jungle drums on Lake Garda and they dropped me an e-mail. We followed this with a video call so they could tell me what they wanted for their big day. We don’t want the ceremony to be all about loving endearments and mush they said. We don’t want to say vows promising undying love, we just don’t talk like that. We want it to be fun and light hearted. Entertaining for our guests. So, a ceremony that’s not very ceremony like….. I took a little pause at this point to wonder how we could make sure their wedding, which was of course about their love for each other, wouldn’t be too lovey dovey, not too soppy.
I read their website to get a better idea of who they are and their style of showing up in the world and I learnt about their love of G&T’s which they say was really where it all began. Well, I thought, a G&T isn’t too far different to finding your perfect partner is it? There are just a few ingredients, Gin, Tonic, ice and a slice of course, it’s not complicated. But which is your favourite ? Is it a classic Rhubarb Gin with Fever Tree or is it a classic Hendricks with Fentimans ? Those two taste quite different. And so it is with love. It’s not about finding the perfect person (anyone out there going to try and sell us on how perfect they are ???) it’s about finding the right match that suits your tastes just perfectly. And so a ceremony about love was born – while talking about G&T’s.
Luci & Robin loved the idea and were totally sold but we still needed to find some readings. I then discovered that if you google ‘funny readings for weddings’ as I did, that many, many of them refer to animals in some way, I’m not sure why. That might be a discussion for another day. But I didn’t find anything that really felt just right. Then the morning I was going to have a meeting with Luci & Robin I had an inspirational download….. what about Friends. Joey married Monica & Chandler and of course it was funny. Luci & Robin are huge fans and loved the idea and so it was, that as I wound up their ceremony, I was quoting the eloquent Joey Tribiani with the biggest smile on my face.
If you’re looking for a Wedding Planner or Wedding Celebrant that has an open mind and heart to whatever you want for your special day please get in touch. [email protected]
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