Next week’s wedding is going to be a corker.

A wedding on a glamping site with a wonderful tradition borrowed from Romania. It is going to be so exciting. Let’s hope for good weather otherwise I’ll be wearing my glamorous wellies.

I’m not going to reveal it – but it will be lovely.  Watch this space!

Lovely, lovely wedding today at Voewood House

Voewood is the most stunning Arts and Crafts house in North Norfolk – funnily enough we were lucky to go there last November after our friends’ wedding – guests decamped and had a weekend party to end all parties.  I was mighty glad of the ‘Rose Bedroom’ when the time came to hang up my dancing shoes.

Today I was not the celebrant, instead it was the lovely Mags Allison, another Humanist celebrant in Norfolk.  She and the couple were kind enough to let me be there.

What were the highlights?  First, the biscuits.  As the guests entered – about 45 minutes before the bride arrived – we were treated to a groaning table of biscuits. Shortbread, jammy dodgers, pink wafers, custard cremes, the lot. Oh – and oodles of Pimm’s.  What a great start to the wedding!

The bride was stunning, the groom handsome and the ceremony was funny, touching and memorable.

We are building a ceremony of ideas that can incorporate and respect two very different family traditions.  One partner’s heritage is Jewish and the other is Sikh. Neither wish to have a religious ceremony but they do want to incorporate elements of their cultural traditions within the ceremony – partly because these traditions have helped form who they are as adults but also because they want their ceremony to be a unifying and joyful occasion for all their guests.  It is very humbling being part of building something so special to the couple and to witness the love and respect they feel for their families whilst at the same time holding onto their own individuality.

An adapted ceremony

The bride’s mum is very ill and cannot attend the ceremony abroad. The couple have asked whether I can adapt their ceremony, make it shorter and add an element that can include her mum in a personal and memorable way.  The answer of course, is yes.  We have added a symbolic act called ‘warming the ring’ and mum will stand with the couple when they exchange rings again but first she will hold the rings in the palm of her hand and cover them with the other – thus warming them.

My ceremonies are adaptable; they are not fixed or prescriptive. The purpose of the ceremony is to represent what is most meaningful for you.

Clogs, Dogs and weddings

My lovely couple are marrying in October. In a field. They are clog dancers. They want to bring their dogs.

They have made arrangements for a platform – like decking – for me and for them. Oh, and eight clog dancers.

Not quite sure where the dogs fit in at the moment – but I am really looking forward to a bit of clog dancing.

I thought I might wear these…..

Stories about weddings, preparation, readings and music, dogs and flowers, venues and vows, families and friends, wellies and Laboutin shoes, special thoughts and special people will appear on this page.