It's All About The Ceremony!

The most important element of any wedding day is the ceremony. It's the bit that counts and really the only part that matters.

The glitz and gloss are the added extras, a wedding only needs to be those magic words that commit you to one another in relation to uniting in marriage. However, we love to celebrate happiness and it is just beautiful watching two people vow to love each other forever. When I design a wedding, the marriage, the union of the couple is very much at the heart, it is a unique bond which needs to be reflected in the ceremony as well as the rest of the day.

In the 17th Century law dictated that only two types of ceremonies where only legally binding set by strict laws. Up until 1994 you could only get married in Church or at the Registry Office. Since then we have witnessed further changes in the law with restrictions relaxing to meet the needs of the people. The introduction of licensed premises brought about huge change with many hotels and event venues applying for a license; it enabled couple’s to create a ceremony more reflective of who they are as individuals and as a couple. I got married in 1995 and was very grateful for the change in law; having lived in different cities in the UK we didn’t have an affiliation with a church but we also wanted an effortless and relaxed vibe for the day; the change in law enabled us to do exactly that.

Today we see a multitude of unique and alternative wedding venues with each Local Authority boasting around eighty licensed premises throughout our Region. However, in 2019 we look for further choice, church and civil ceremonies restrict you to what you can and cannot say, they dictate what you can do in the ceremony and where you can hold the ceremony. Our Scottish neighbours have different laws and there is a call to make a change to the laws in England and Wales enabling couples to hold a ceremony that is a true reflection of who they are.

Presently, we are seeing a rise in Celebrants and Humanist wedding ceremonies because couple’s want to get married in a specific location or want to incorporate certain elements, words, gestures and actions into their ceremony. Many venues are advertising different ceremony formats, everything from Handfasting in a woodland to a blessing by a friend next to the river (remember when Joey conducted the service for Monica and Chandler on Friends!). Handfasting funnily enough was legally binding and was only dissolved by death, before the Marriage Law of 1753, but there was the expectation that you would then solemnise the marriage in church. This same principle stands now and many couple’s are realizing they have a choice and are opting for blessings and celebrant ceremonies on their wedding day and addressing the legal agreement as required by law at an alternative time.

I have planned many weddings where we have designed a ceremony specifically to the couple’s desires and they have been truly beautiful; they have spoken their words from their hearts, played music which stirred real emotions, involved gestures and acts between each other and their guests; they are ceremonies full of laughter, powerful sentiment, honest, meaningful exchanges and really are wonderfully magical.