What actually happens after booking a Wedding Celebrant?

You have just been to a wedding fayre and had a chat with a wedding Celebrant who asked you if you had thought about the actual ceremony?

Aren’t ceremonies all the same? Is this another thing I need to think about?

Later at home you look through the handful of flyers you’ve collected and one of them is from that Celebrant. So you have a quick look at their website and think, wow this is something that I would like. Now you are hooked.

You send an enquiry email and set up an online chat and decide that you want to go ahead with a celebrant-led wedding.

What happens when you book a Wedding Celebrant? Well this is what I did with a lovely couple who booked me ten months before their wedding.

After our online chat, I emailed a questionnaire to the couple. I asked them to fill in some parts separately and one part together. The questions included information about how they met, what they enjoy doing together, what they like about eachother, what their first date was like, who proposed and how, what their hopes are for the future. I also asked for details on the kind of wedding they were looking for, intimate/ glamourous/ humorous in order for me to really get a feeling for the couple.

A few months later, we met at their wedding venue along with the wedding coordinator. I had a chat about the logistics of the ceremony including where they wanted to stand, what music/ readings they were having, guest requirements and timings. I also gave them some examples of wedding vows and ring exchanges that they might want to look at as a reference before they wrote their own.

Once the couple had sent me all their information, as well as a poem they wanted me to read, I sat down to write the script for them. There was a part of the questionnaire which they filled in independently which talks about what they love about each other. I asked the couple if they wanted that part of their ‘love story’ kept as a surprise for the day. They said yes and as you can see in the photo below, the bride found that part the funniest!

Once I had the draft ready, I sent it to my couple, to check through and amend any bits they weren’t correct. As it happened some of the guest details had changed (as the groom’s mother couldn’t attend) and this was easily added to the script.

One week before the wedding, we had another online chat about all the final details as they felt very relaxed and didn’t want to meet back at the venue.

I then had a week to practise reading the script many times to make sure I didn’t tear up at the romantic parts (I’m such a softie). All the final scripts, the certificate and vow booklets were checked and printed ready for the big day.

On the day of the wedding I met the groom and the wedding coordinator and made sure everything was in hand. The Bride was running a little late with clothing issues and the guest dogs were a little excited, but the ceremony came together just as we had all expected.

I left the couple with their script, vow booklet and certificate as a keepsake, and they went off to celebrate with their loved ones.

I managed to take a few photos of the ceremony (thanks to my husband) which they were happy for me to do, and the next day I sent them through to the couple who were thrilled as they didn’t have any taken.

I also received this lovely review…

“Our search for a celebrant was via the internet. We narrowed that search down to a handful of local possibilities, and of these, Ruth leapt out to us from her ‘About’ information. We contacted her and pretty soon felt that we were all going to be an ideal team for our wedding. Her requests for information and ideas from the start helped us to get across our intended ‘vibe’ for the ceremony.

The most important part of the process from our perspective was that almost from the outset, Ruth ‘got us’, and it became evident to us that it was just as important to her that she ‘got us’. She kept our ‘secret from each other’ parts of the ceremony completely In the run-up we were allowed to check what she’d prepared (including printed options for relevant things we hadn’t even considered) and she seamlessly catered for late changes we had to make due to unforeseen circumstances. And so when it came to the ceremony we felt the luxury of having total confidence that our ceremony was going to be the experience we’d aimed for.

We wanted our own brand of fun, and Ruth’s understanding, warmness and charisma helped to deliver that perfectly. There are always going to be stresses and late emergencies on a wedding day (a bridesmaid’s missing shoe strap was never on our list of disasters that had to be overcome), but knowing that there was someone we could absolutely rely on to calm everything, take control and lead us through the most important part of the day was invaluable. A wonderful memory of the perfect experience. Thank you Ruth! ”

If you’d like to speak to me about making your wedding cermony unique, then please contact me