How To Create The Perfect Moment With The Perfect Vows...

When it comes to personalising your wedding vows they can be a meaningful way to express your love and commitment to your partner on your special day.

Lots of my couples take time to write their own but some struggle when it come starting. So here are a few tips on how you can personalise your wedding vows.

Take some time to reflect on your relationship and what makes it unique. Think about what you love most about your partner, the memories you’ve shared, and the experiences that have brought you closer together.

Write your vows from the heart, using your own words and feelings. Don't worry about being poetic or using fancy language; the most important thing is to express your love and commitment in your own voice.

Use specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate your feelings and the reasons why you love your partner. This will make your vows more personal and meaningful.

Make promises to your partner that are meaningful to both of you. This could include promises to always support each other, to be there through good times and bad, or to continue to grow and learn together.

Practice, but don't try to memorise, don't worry about trying to remember them word for word. When you read them, speak from the heart as it will help convey your emotions than to recite a perfect script.

Get feedback: Share your vows with a trusted friend, family member or your Celebrant to give some feedback and make sure they sound authentic and meaningful.

Remember, your wedding vows are a reflection of your love and commitment to your partner, so make sure they are personal and heartfelt. They also do not need to be very long, the perfect length is always up for debate but I always say to my couples aim for no more than 2 minutes reading time. I also suggest if they wish to say more then why not write a love letter and have it delivered to their beloved on the morning of the wedding.

Don't forget you are not alone, as a Celebrant I am on hand to help my couples write their vows, and am often asked for help to craft the perfect moment with the perfect vows

For more information on how I can help you not only with your vows, but also help you have a truly beautiful bespoke wedding ceremony

You can contact me via email at nicola@ceremoniesbynicola.co.uk

You can call me on 07958163670

or check out my website for lots of information on how I can help with your ceremony

www.ceremoniesbynicola.co.uk

Take care for now and remember, you have a choice and you can have your ceremony your way!

Why You Should Choose a Celebrant for Your Ceremony

There are so many ways a celebrant can make your wedding ceremony extra special. As a Celebrant, I’ve led the ceremonies for many couples across the southeast. Every wedding I have the honour of officiating offers a wonder fresh journey to take, and new stories to tell. I love getting to know my beautiful couples and telling their unique tales of love.

Working with over 50 couples a year and have always said this is honestly a dream job. I love being a Celebrant, especially when I know first-hand how much joy a beautifully written and officiated ceremony brings not only to the happy couple but also to their loved ones and very special guests.

The wonderful thing about weddings is they are constantly evolving, with trends coming and going all the time, but one change that has not abated, and that’s the desire to personalise. For a couple to make a wedding different and unique for the couple there is so much to choose from, You see it in colours, decor, entertainment, food, and also what a couple and their party wear.

Subsequently, this is also the same for couples wanting to personalise their ceremony and realise they do not have to settle for the same boring standardised script that a registrar-led ceremony does and can choose to have a beautiful bespoke Celebrant-led ceremony instead.

However, not every couple has been exposed to the benefits of having a Celebrant to officiate their ceremony, so I thought I’d share a few reasons why you should consider one.

But first! What is a Celebrant?

A Celebrant is someone who officiates wedding ceremonies, vow renewals, funerals, and baby naming ceremonies. When it comes to wedding Celebrants specifically, they work with couples to create a bespoke ceremony by entwining the stories a couple has shared along with details of the journey together, a celebrant will create a ceremony and exchange of vows that is 100% unique to the couple.

A celebrant-led wedding is very different to one given by registrar from your registry office. firstly there is barely any personalisation within the ceremony, and the experience is standardised for every couple.

The major difference is, however, a registry office wedding is legally binding, and a celebrant wedding is not. But that’s ok! All you need to do is book a "quickie ceremony" at your local registry office. Then you can have a real wedding ceremony with your celebrant.

Reasons You Should Choose a Wedding Celebrant

Hiring a celebrant to officiate your wedding can be one of the best decisions you will make when planning your wedding ceremony, and here’s why!

A Celebrant will provide a unique, personalised wedding ceremony tailored to your beliefs, values, and preferences. As a wedding celebrant, I work with lots of couples from all different backgrounds, and faiths, and one of the wonderful things I am able to do when officiating a ceremony, compared to a registrar-led ceremony, blends a couple's faiths and their beliefs into a beautiful ceremony that celebrates them both

Celebrants are experienced in creating ceremonies that are meaningful, memorable, and appropriate to the occasion

The role of the wedding celebrant is to create a ceremony that you’ll never forget. A moment that’s literally all about you, and the ones you love. To have someone really get to know you, and tell your story in a way that matches the whole theme of the day, is something that cannot be understated.

You can select your own Celebrant to ensure their style and approach match your vision. Registrars are appointed to couples based on nothing more than who is available on the day and time of your ceremony. The first time you meet is just 30 minutes before your ceremony.

However, when it comes to choosing your wedding celebrant, you have the power to decide who marries you. And for us, as celebrants, this means meeting couples either in person, or via Zoom, and seeing if we click.

This is a significant thing because the person presiding over your wedding is really going to get to know you, and you’ll be sharing countless personal stories with them. So you need to be certain they’re right for you, and that they’re going to tell your tale in a way that feels natural.

Celebrants help you to choose which rituals and readings you wish to include.

You would be amazed at how many marriage rituals there are, and as a wedding celebrant in Buckinghamshire, it’s my job to know as many as possible. Some of them you will already know, like ‘tying the knot’, that’s actually a ritual, otherwise known as ‘hand fasting’. Others are less mainstream, like ‘jumping the broomstick’, or having a sand or wine ceremony.

These little ceremonies symbolise the union of the couple, and they can be a really romantic and fun way to bring extra meaning to a ceremony.

Readings too are a vitally important part of celebrant-led weddings, helping to bring gravitas to the moment. These texts are wide-ranging, from modern to ancient. And it’s up to the celebrant to choose one or two that fit the couple, their story, and their theme. Check out my last blog for more help and advice on how to create the perfect reading.

https://www.ceremoniesbynicolawest.co.uk/post/unique-wedding-ceremony-readings-celebrant

We can provide guidance and support in the lead-up to the ceremony.

As the celebrant, it’s our job to make sure you feel happy and comfortable not just on the wedding day, but in the lead-up to it too. We’ll be there to answer any questions and provide support when you need it most.

We will ensure the ceremony runs smoothly and on time.

One of the last things you want on your wedding day is to be worrying about timings. Are we running over? Do we have time for that bit? Thoughts like these take you out of the moment and bring strain on the happy occasion. Well! You never have to worry when you book me as unlike many other celebrants I only book I ceremony a day.

Celebrants are so talented in organising a schedule, getting people together, and making sure everything runs on time. Having their experienced eyes and ears on your team cannot be overlooked.

We Help You Write Your Vows.

Not all of us are natural writers or orators. So for some, writing wedding vows is a scary prospect. But not with a celebrant by your side! We can gift you incredible one-to-one support throughout the vow writing process, and guide your prose so that it complements your partners’. An often overlooked aspect of vows, and something that can make the ceremony feel much more coherent. But don’t worry, we won’t tell your partner what you’ve written!

I do hope this post has guided you in understanding a few of the benefits to be had from hiring a professional wedding celebrant. It would be a pleasure to help you further, and actually, be your celebrant!

I’m fortunate enough to have been a wedding celebrant in Buckinghamshire for many years now and have created magical, personal ceremony moments for countless couples across the UK. Weaving together your stories, readings, music, and rituals such as hand fasting or unity candles.

I’ll create a ceremony that’ll set the stage for the next chapter in your life together. You’re welcome to find out more about what’s included in my wedding services, and the costs, via my ceremony fees page. And if you require any further assistance, or would like to book me as your Buckinghamshire wedding celebrant, please get in touch.

Written by Nicola West, Feb 2023

How to find the perfect wedding reading?

Unique Wedding Readings:

How to Choose a Reading that Feels Right

Choosing the perfect wedding reading takes more than a quick Google search. Here’s how to find the right words for your ceremony.

As an experienced wedding celebrant, I speak with lots couples every week about their ceremony’s. A topic that almost always comes up in our conversations is wedding readings, and more specifically, how to make theirs feel unique. Often when couples spend many hours Googling away, looking for readings they think could work, but without really having any sense of direction.

Thanks to the internet, we now have a wealth of information at our fingertips. And for couples planning their wedding, this can be a blessing, but also and a curse. Because there’s just so much advice, tips and info out there!

Which, can sometimes be a little overwhelming. Looking for unique wedding readings is the perfect example. You’ll have found already, I’m sure, so many sites all offering up their top 10, top 50, top 1000 wedding readings! Each with their own spin. Be it non-religious, modern, romantic etc.

These ‘best of’ lists are great, and can be a useful resource. But to really find wedding readings that feel unique to you, it takes a bit of work. That’s right. It’s time to roll your sleeves up, and carry out some research of your own

How to Find Wedding Readings that Feel Unique

In this post, I’ll share my advice as a professional wedding celebrant in Buckinghamshire, on how you can find unique readings for your ceremony.

What Are Your Cultural Interests?

When chatting with my couples about their wedding readings, I always say to my couples, think about what interests you both? Are you film buffs, die-hard romantics or maybe musical theatre aficionados? Use what you love to influence the feel of your ceremony.

Remember, it doesn’t just have to be a reading, in the traditional sense. It could be song lyrics that mean something to you, or to you both as a couple. Or perhaps there are some lines from your favourite TV show that have forever stuck in your head, and you feel they would suit the moment?

Maybe you’re a Trekkie, Star Wars or Game of Thrones fan? Well, why not find something from one of those shows that work for the occasion. Although, maybe steer clear of reading anything in Klingon, or Valyrian, unless your guests also speak the language!

Be Inspired By Your Childhood

If you’re anything like me, you’re just as happy watching The Lion King, or Snow White, as you are the latest blockbuster. And that’s because those classic children’s stories still hit the spot, even when you’re all grown up. Finding wedding readings from your childhood is a

wonderful way to discover something unique, and will probably stir something childlike in your loved ones too. The Little Prince, Peter Rabbit and Winnie the Pooh all have such lovely verses, and each would make beautiful additions to any modern wedding ceremony.

How About Writing Your Own Wedding Reading

If you like to write, and want a truly unique wedding reading, then why not write your own! As a wedding celebrant, it is always so joyful when my couples share something that comes straight from the heart. Words they’ve conjured up themselves that mean the world to them and their partner. Nothing could be more unique and personal.

However, writing is not a skill we all possess. And if you lack confidence in it, or just don’t feel you could come up with a whole reading yourself, don’t panic. Why not edit something that already exists? Taking some great lines from literature, or modern culture, and shaping them to suit your style is a skill in itself. But thankfully you don’t have to start with a blank page, so for me, that’s a lot less daunting!

Feel Free to Be Funny

A wedding reading can be as serious, or as light-hearted as you want. If you feel the ceremony should be broken up with a few laughs, and that reflects your personalty, then go

for it! A funny poem, song, or rhyme can be such a fun thing to include. As long as you remember that this is your wedding ceremony, and not an audition for the Comedy Store!

Before the big day, share your comedy ideas with your partner, and wedding celebrant, and together you’ll be able to strike a balance.

Involve Your Loved Ones in the Ceremony

During the wedding ceremony, you’re welcome to hand over the responsibility of delivering a unique reading to a loved one/s. To ask someone to give a reading during a ceremony is such an honour. And if you have a special someone in your life who you just can’t imagine getting married without, then don’t hold back in getting them involved!

Depending on how trusting you are of them, you could even ask them to choose a reading for you. This is such a sweet way to bring loved ones into the occasion, and ideal if you’d rather it was just yourself and your partner speaking during the ceremony.

This is Your Unique Wedding Reading

You should never feel pressured to select a reading just because a family member had it at their wedding maybe 30 years ago, and they’d love to hear it again. This is your wedding ceremony, and the readings you pick should be unique, and memorable because you

decided on them yourselves.

If a certain poem, story, or stanza from a loved ones’ wedding does feel fitting for your ceremony, then by all means, include it. But throughout your wedding planning journey, you should always steer clear of anyone who wants, or demands, that your big day be about anything less than 100% you.

Let your wedding readings reflect how unique and wonderful you are as a couple. And right now, don’t stress about top ten lists, you will find the perfect prose for you both. It just takes a little thought.

Would You Like Further Help in Finding The Right Wedding Reading For You?

I do hope this post has help guide your search for unique wedding readings, and maybe inspired you to find those perfect few lines. It would be a pleasure to help you further, and actually be your celebrant! I’m fortunate enough to have been a wedding celebrant in Buckinghamshire and surrounding counties for many years now creating beautiful, personal ceremony moments for countless couples across the UK.

Weaving together your love story with, readings, music, and if you wish rituals such as hand fasting or unity candles. I will create a ceremony that’ll set the stage for the next chapter in

your life together. You’re welcome to find out more about what’s included in my wedding services, and also how much if cost via my ceremony fees page, and if you have any questions, would like to book an initial chat or me as your celebrant, please get in touch.

Nicola West, Celebrant