Weddings

 

“Doug was amazing- from our very first call, in fact from his very first words to us, he seemed to immediately understand who we were and what we were looking for. He is kind, supportive, empathetic, organised, and a very eloquent speaker. He made a real effort to capture the essence of our relationship and personalities in his ceremony, which our guests were extremely impressed and touched by. Weddings can be very stressful to plan, and Doug made this part so pleasant and easy, which we’re extremely grateful for- we whole-heartedly recommend him!”

If you’re planning to get married – well, congratulations!  It’s a joyous time, but it’s easy to lose sight of this with the ever mounting list of jobs to be done and things to be paid for.  My role is to design and deliver your personal wedding or partnership ceremony, while allowing you to concentrate on those detailed touches that will make it really unique and special to you.  Here’s how it usually works:

  1. You get in touch by ‘phone or email and we have an initial chat, typically using Zoom.
  2. You pay a deposit of £100 so I can block the time out in my diary.
  3. I send you an Information Pack to help you start to visualise your ideal wedding.
  4. We meet in person (or by Zoom if you are outside the UK), typically for a couple of hours  to plan the ceremony.
  5. I prepare a draft service which we refine together by email and ‘phone.
  6. We meet up for a rehearsal a day or two before the ceremony.
  7. You have a fantastic wedding day and live happily ever after.

I take pleasure in designing services that are truly individual, drawing on my travels in Europe and Asia.  I am happy to work with both straight and gay couples on all kinds of services, including weddings, civil partnerships and renewals of vows.  Bear in mind that if you want your marriage or partnership to be legally recognised you will also have to see a Registrar, something I can advise you about at our initial meeting.

You don’t have to be humanists to have a humanist ceremony, but you do need to be comfortable with a service which is essentially non-religious in character.

I charge a standard fee of £650, although if an exceptional amount of travelling is involved, or more than one meeting or one rehearsal is needed, I may charge additional time and travel expenses, but these will always be agreed in advance.

“Doug was the perfect celebrant. Our wedding ceremony was one of the most important moments of our lives, so it means a lot to get it right – and Doug was absolutely amazing.”