Let’s face it, planning a wedding is not usually a completely stress-free experience. BUT… planning your ceremony with me should be one of the calmest and most enjoyable aspects! It’s my aim to help you revel in the process as well as the outcome…

Here’s how it usually works:

1. Please say hello!

Either by email or phone (please see my contact page for details). Tell me a bit about yourselves and your wedding plans so far. Ask me any questions you have about Humanist ceremonies in general or about me and how I work. I’ll reply within 24 hours, and send you some basic information to peruse.

2. Let’s meet for a chat

It’s lovely to do this in person, but we can also do a video call if you prefer (or if restrictions dictate). Ask me any questions you like (and I promise, there’s no such thing as a daft one). Tell me about what you’d like from your wedding ceremony (and anything you don’t want), and we’ll talk about how I can help you. No obligation here whatsoever – it’s really important that you find the right person to create and conduct your ceremony, so take some time to think and talk it over before making a decision.

3. Let’s book the date!

If you decide that I’m the celebrant for you, then that’s fabulous! I’ll send you a simple agreement to read and sign. This provides written confirmation of your booking and what you can expect from me. I’ll also send you a short questionnaire to complete with some key details about your wedding. I book only one ceremony a day, so once confirmed, I’m all yours on the date. This means that any changes to timing won’t be a problem.

4. We’ll keep in touch

By email, phone or video call. I’ll send you plenty of ideas to help you think about options for your ceremony – readings, music, symbolic actions or gestures, possible ways to involve your guests. You can check in with me whenever you like: although I’m not a full-on wedding planner, I am always happy to be a sounding board for ideas or questions – sometimes it helps to ask someone who’s not an old friend or a family member!

5. We’ll meet again – and immerse ourselves in your story!

About 3 months before your big day, we’ll arrange to meet again, in person. Apart from the ceremony itself, this is the very fun and important bit where I really get to know you. I’ll ask you lots of questions about you as individuals and as a couple, how you met, what’s important to you, and your hopes and wishes for your marriage and your life together.

At this stage we’ll also confirm your choices for ceremony elements, and run through the practical arrangements: the rough timings, layout and set-up, people involved, who will do what and when. We’ll put together a detailed plan of everything, from the arrival of your guests right through to the closing words and exit. If you are working with other suppliers (photographers, musicians, wedding coordinators or planners), we can check in with them too and fill in any gaps so we’re clear on who will do what, when and where.

6. I’ll get writing

Furnished with all the details I need, I’ll put my heart into preparing a first draft of your wedding ceremony script. I’ll weave together your story, the promises or affirmations you want to make to one another, and all the elements you’ve agreed, so that the whole thing flows beautifully and is absolutely, unmistakably “you”. I’ll share the draft with you, and you can tell me what you think. Then we’ll adjust it in whatever way you like, as many times as you like, until you’re 100% happy (delighted and excited, I hope!)

7. Final preparations – on location!

A day or two before your ceremony, we’ll meet at your wedding venue to do a few final practical checks and walk through everything, so everyone knows what to expect on the day. There’s nothing like a plan to calm any pre-wedding jitters – but this is also a fun part of the build-up to the main event! We’ll save the specialness of the full script for the day itself – but of course we can take this opportunity to practise anything that you’re particularly nervous about.

8. The Big Day!

On your wedding day, I’ll arrive in plenty of time, meet the others involved and make sure we’re all set! When you’re ready, I’ll be right there for you, a friendly face and reassuring presence, to guide and support you every step of the way. And of course, I’ll conduct your ceremony with all the care, warmth and attentiveness that you’d expect. Yes, you’ll be the centre of attention, but it’s not a performance – it’s your day and your ceremony, and I will do my utmost to make sure you’re relaxed and ready to enjoy every moment!

9. Farewell – and a keepsake

I generally say goodbye and slip away soon after the ceremony, leaving you and your guests to continue enjoying the celebrations. A few days after your wedding, I’ll send you a beautifully presented copy of your ceremony script, as a special reminder of the moments and words that marked the start of your married life.

And I would love it if you could share a photo or two with me!