Couples Ceremonies
Weddings, civil partnerships, commitment ceremonies and vow renewals
Looking for a special kind of ceremony ? Want to do things your way? Let me plan a one-of-a-kind ceremony that you and your guests will never forget. No stuffy scripts; no rules; no limits! With me as your celebrant, you can be sure of a magical, memorable ceremony, all about you.
Couples ceremonies are all about celebrating your love and commitment, and sharing it with your friends and family. A celebrant-led ceremony will let you tell your story your way and celebrate in your own unique style.
You can have a ceremony wherever you like, as long as it's safe and accessible. Whether it's a country house, a woodland glade, a rustic barn or your favourite pub, the choice is yours. You can even get married on a campsite and have a full-blown wedding festival!
The venue doesn't have to be licensed for weddings; it just needs to be accessible and safe enough to accommodate your guests. If you're having an outdoor wedding, you'll need to have some protection against the great British weather. This could be a permanent structure such as barn, or a temporary one such as a marquee or tepee.
Another great thing about a celebrant-led ceremony is that you don't have to follow a set plan and say prescribed words. Together we can create a meaningful, memorable ceremony with you at the heart of it. Your family and friends can play an active part, for example in reading poems or performing music. You can even include your four-legged friends too!
There are no rules, so you can be as creative and quirky as you like! Celebrant-led ceremonies lend themselves perfectly to themed weddings - circus, fairytale, goth, steampunk, rock 'n' roll - the possibilities are endless!
I offer ceremonies to celebrate weddings, civil partnerships and vow renewals. If you're celebrating a special anniversary or birthday, or simply want to do it all again, a vow renewal ceremony is a perfect way to reaffirm your love and commitment. And of course, it's a great excuse for a party! I also offer the option of a commitment ceremony for couples who don't want to, or aren't able to, enter into a legal marriage or civil partnership.
With a celebrant-led ceremony, you can include religious or spiritual content, such as prayers, hymns, chants, and readings from sacred texts. You can combine elements from different faiths to create a ceremony that reflects your beliefs and values.
In your ceremony, we can include symbolic actions such as a handfasting ceremony, a unity candle, sand ceremony or tree planting. These rituals offer stunning visual and kinaesthetic elements to a ceremony, and can make for a truly memorable experience for all involved.
The Legal Stuff
Please note that, under current legislation, ceremonies conducted by independent celebrants are not legally binding. To be legally married in England or Wales, you need to be married by a registrar, minister or other faith leader.
The easiest way to do this is a Statutory Ceremony at a register office. It involves the couple and 2 witnesses. In Birmingham the current cost for this is £57. Once you've got the legal stuff out of the way, we can focus on the fun part!
Click below for more information about Statutory Ceremonies in Birmingham.
Couples Ceremonies
Planning your ceremony
Congratulations! You may already have loads of ideas about your big day, or you may be looking for guidance. Whatever stage you're at in your planning process, I'll work with you, offering all the help you need to plan a ceremony to remember.
As I get to know you, I can begin to create a unique ceremony that tells your story exactly how you want to tell it. I'll liaise closely with other suppliers - such as your venue staff, stylists and photographer - to ensure we all make your day truly special.
After your initial enquiry, the planning process will follow around 6 stages outlined below (but bear in mind that no two couples are the same, and some ceremonies may take more planning than others.)
Planning your wedding ceremony
1) Free Consultation
2) First planning meeting
2) First planning meeting
This will be around a 30 minute meeting (often longer once we get chatting!) to share key information. It can be done face-to-face, via video call (such as Zoom), or telephone.
I'll tell you about what I can offer and my fees, and I'll find out some information about you. If you've already got a venue and date in mind, I'll need to know that.
If you decide to book your ceremony with me, I'll reserve your date and take a 25% deposit. I'll send you a couple's questionnaire to fill in separately (NO CHEATING!) ahead of our first planning meeting. If you haven't got a date or venue, I'll wait until you do before booking you in.
2) First planning meeting
2) First planning meeting
2) First planning meeting
This is best done at the venue where possible. Here I'll find out more about you as a couple -when and where you met, what you love about each other, shared interests and special memories. I'll also find out some fun stuff like your pet peeves and funny stories!
We'll discuss what you want to include in the ceremony, such as symbolic actions, readings, music and vows. We'll talk about the key people you want involved in the ceremony. We'll also discuss logistics such as seating, entrances and exits.
After this meeting, I'll send a draft schedule for your ceremony. I'll start working on my script too. If you're writing your own vows, now is a good time to get started; I can help you with this too.
3) Draft script
2) First planning meeting
4) Final planning meeting
Once you've made your final payment, I'll send you my draft script, and vows if required. Ideally this will be at least two months beforehand to allow time for revisions.
It's important that we get the details right, so I'll ask you to check things like the spellings of names, the wording of readings, and the version of songs that you'd like to use.
You can make as many revisions as you like up to the final planning meeting, either by phone, email or face-to-face.
4) Final planning meeting
6) The ceremony - your big day!
4) Final planning meeting
This will take place closer to the date of your ceremony (two to four weeks beforehand) and will give us chance to talk through the schedule, script and vows, and revise them if needed.
If you've got friends and family involved in the ceremony, it's a good idea for me to meet them beforehand to make sure we're all familiar with the details. Plus I love getting to know people!
After the final planning meeting, I'll prepare the final version of your ceremony script, which you'll receive a copy of afterwards.
Don't worry if you need to make any last-minute changes; life is full of surprises! As long as they're not major revisions, I can include them right up until the day itself.
5) Rehearsal
6) The ceremony - your big day!
6) The ceremony - your big day!
This can take place around two to seven days before the ceremony and is a chance for you and any friends and family involved to 'walk through' key parts of the ceremony with me.
It won't include everything; we'll save the magic for the big day! But it will help everyone involved to know their cues and where they need to be.
A rehearsal isn't essential but it could be useful if you have a large number of people, or if any of the wedding party are nervous about the ceremony. It's also a good opportunity to practice using microphones if you've opted to. We can make last-minute revisions to my script and your vows at this stage.
6) The ceremony - your big day!
6) The ceremony - your big day!
6) The ceremony - your big day!
On the day itself I'll turn up early and check out the venue. I'll liaise with venue staff and suppliers to make sure everything is in place. If you have a wedding planner or coordinator, I'll let them get on with their job and won't step on their toes!
I can meet with you (separately or together) before the ceremony to go through the final details, answer any last-minute questions and calm any nerves.
A typical ceremony will last around 30-40 minutes, but I can adapt the length to suit you. After the ceremony, I'll bid you farewell and let you get on with your celebrations (unless you want me to stay!) I'll present you with a souvenir script and certificate - and big hugs of course!