‘The script was perfect, it told our story with a bit of humour in it. This helped us to feel really relaxed throughout the ceremony.’ Sarah & Matt, 2018

(c) Rachel Burt Photography 2019

Choosing Your Celebrant

It can be a good idea to research, contact or meet a few different celebrants before you make your final choice. We’re used to couples wanting to do this and know that it’s important that you choose to work with someone who ‘feels right’! For me, the most important part of being chosen as the celebrant to lead your ceremony is that we’ll have met and will have had the chance to get to know each other some time before the wedding – so you know that on the big day itself (when there is the chance of feeling the pressure!) there will be someone you already feel comfortable with, right up there at the front with you.

Ceremony Planning

There is a lot of choice in a humanist wedding as you’re not bound by a particular structure or set of words. Most couples tend to want some type of symbolic act, whether that is the familiar exchanging of rings; older traditions such as hand-fasting (see photo below) and candle-lighting; or even some more contemporary ideas such as sand-blending or tree planting. I will work with you to discuss what you want to include in your ceremony (and we can even have a practice of some of the more intricate elements such as hand-fasting!)

Ceremony

(c) Cassandra Lane Photography 2019

After our planning meeting I’ll work closely with you to craft your ceremony script, based on the structure you decide on. (A good summary of a typical ceremony can be found here.) As mentioned before, the words and the tone of the script will reflect you as a couple and you’ll have the opportunity to amend and edit it so that it suits you and your big day.

If you are at all daunted by the idea of being part of creating your own ceremony, please don’t be. I can guide you as much or as little as you want, either by providing you with a traditional format for us to work from or by taking your ideas and weaving them into a cohesive ceremony.

Fees

My fees range for weddings in the northwest typically range from £600-£800, depending on your location*.

• Extensive planning meeting at yours, to make sure the ceremony script is completely personal to you;
• Sharing of suggested vows, statements of commitments and readings for you to consider;
• An optional ‘homework’ activity on your shared values;
• 100% bespoke script – there’s no copying and pasting involved!
• Unlimited edits of your ceremony script via email until you’re both completely happy with it;
• Attendance at the rehearsal in the venue (to do some sound checks and make sure we all know where the key figures will be standing/ sitting/ moving around etc);
• A beautifully designed script as a keepsake;
• A handmade, personalised Christmas decoration sent to you on your first Christmas as a married couple;
• Use of a microphone and mobile speaker system if needed;
• All travel costs from my base in Liverpool to your home and the venue;
• And of course, confidently leading the ceremony on the big day itself!

I am also on the directory for the charity Gift of a Wedding, where professionals from the wedding, medical and charity sectors have come together to create a distinctive non-profit organisation, whose objective is to give people battling a terminal or life-shortening illness a choice.

*I am available for travel further afield from the northwest with reasonable travel costs, especially in areas where I have family or close friends (including London, Dorset, Devon and Middlesborough). I’m happy to discuss payment by monthly instalments if this will mean you are able to manage your budget more easily.

‘Sophie was amazing from the first meeting. She was easy to talk to and connect with. Sophie made our ceremony so personal and perfect.’ Emma & Simon, 2019

For your reassurance, I am fully accredited by Humanist Ceremonies™ and covered by Humanists UK’s Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance.