May 2015 • White Rose Ceremonies

Charlotte’s Naming Ceremony

30 May 2015/in Celebrant /by Rebecca Waldron

The Naming Ceremony conducted by White Rose Ceremonies for baby Charlotte was a wonderfully emotional and happy affair. The Village Hall was full of balloons, cupcake, chatter and excitement.

Arriving flush-faced from her afternoon nap, the beautifully dressed Charlotte was soon in the midst of her adoring family and friends. She treated us all to the cutest of toothy grins and give us all her characteristic little wave.

As family and friends took their seats for the ceremony, Charlotte and her proud parents took their places at the front along with Charlotte’s guide-parents.

A much longed-for and much loved baby, Charlotte was welcomed with open hearts. Charlotte’s parents made very special promises to her and her guide-parents happily confirmed their commitment to support Charlotte and her parents.

The reason her name was chosen was shared with all before Charlotte was formally named. Everybody shared in the joy of
Charlotte and everybody’s encouragement and love was thankfully acknowledged by Charlotte’s parents.

Certainly from where we were conducting the Naming Ceremony, we could see how much love there was for Charlotte and her parents. Smiles, tears and laughter, with everybody focussed completely on Charlotte.

The words of the Naming Ceremony had been agreed with Charlotte’s parents in consultation meetings with them before the Ceremony itself. We talked about Charlotte’s little character, the precious little baby she was and how her parents lives had changed from being a married couple to that of being a family, with all the chaos and fun that brings.

Including this information in the Naming Ceremony made it completely unique and personal to Charlotte and her family.

Certificates were presented to Charlotte’s parents and Charlotte’s guideparents before the ceremony was closed with love and many sincere wishes for Charlotte’s future. A toast was made and family and friends then gathered to congratulate Charlotte’s parents followed by lots of cupcakes, laughter, music and love.

We were so privileged to lead the Naming Ceremony for Charlotte and we received a wonderful testimonial from her parents:

“We were so pleased with the ceremony that was conducted by White Rose Ceremonies for our daughter’s naming. We hadn’t attended a naming ceremony before so were not sure what to expect! The service was absolutely beautiful. Rebecca worked with us to get the wording and sentiment just right. It was very personal and in the end quite emotional. It was the little touches that made it so special. We would definitely recommend White Rose Ceremonies to any of our friends who choose to go the same route. Thank you so much Rebecca and Dave – you helped make this special day a reality.”

Photographs taken by David Waldron.

Civil or Christian Ceremony?

11 May 2015/in Celebrant /by Rebecca Waldron

I was a little surprised recently by a friend who said they “can’t relate to a Civil Ceremony” as they are a Christian. So many people don’t understand what a Civil Ceremony is. A religious ceremony is presided over by a priest of the religion involved and the service is mainly about giving thanks to a higher deity. A Humanist ceremony is presided over by a Humanist Celebrant who believes that life only exists when we live it and does not believe in anything spiritual, or life after death.

A Civil Ceremony takes into account the individual’s beliefs, whether those beliefs are quite religious or not religious at all. When we write scripts for weddings, funerals or naming ceremonies, we talk about what makes the people involved tick. Their qualities, their likes and dislikes, what’s important to them, what they truly strive or strived to be in life, the imprint they make or have left on other people’s hearts, the love they have been part of.

Am I a Christian? Yes! Do I go to church? No! Does that make me any less of a Christian? No! I am a vicar’s daughter but I strongly believe that we create our own form of Christianity through the way that we live our lives. Being honest, loving, welcoming, thoughtful, hard- working, giving – these are just some of the attributes that so many of us have. I have seen many people do their best to live their lives within a framework of traditional values and principles, with family and love being at the root of everything they do. Many of these people do not go to church yet it is obvious that they live a christian life.

So let’s get this clear, you can be a fully paid-up member of any religious organisation or have your own particular and singular beliefs yet still have a civil wedding, funeral or naming ceremony that meets your spiritual needs (whatever they are) and which particularly focusses on the person or people involved. Organised religion will provide comfort to those seeking interaction with like-minded people on a regular basis but you can get the same affirmation and sensation of togetherness at a line-dancing club – both are spiritually uplifting because of the people you are with, the music and the focus on one particular thing. Civil Ceremonies are all-inclusive regardless of your beliefs. The testimonials we receive reflect how happy people are with the services we provide as Civil Celebrants – take a look on the pages on our website.

Civil Ceremonies don’t discriminate and, please be assured, control of your own spiritual needs is still safe in your hands. Happiness and blessings to you all x

Festival Wedding

3 May 2015/in Celebrant /by Rebecca Waldron

Emma and Dan’s Festival Wedding was a riot of sunshine, laughter and love. A sensational field setting with bunting, flowers, hay bales, a beautiful willow arch, vintage ice cream van, tractor rides, saxophonist, pizza oven, a marquee, pom-poms and some specially selected tableware provided a wedding that was delightful in every sense.

Emma was committed to the the tradition of keeping her nervous groom waiting and arrived very sedately in a vintage VW Camper Van. Guests who had been chatting and laughing together while waiting were all up on their feet, eager to get the first glimpse of the beautiful bride.

Bridesmaids entered the ceremony area first with Emma and Dan’s gorgeous baby girl which brought a few tears to Dan’s eyes even before he saw Emma. The wedding ceremony included a touching hand fasting, readings, music and promises of love.

We ended with signing of the certificate, a marriage blessing, cheers, applause and hugs all round.

The afternoon celebrations included Pimms, icecream and music. The wedding breakfast commenced after the speeches from the best man, the bride’s parents and, of course, the groom himself. Pizza was served from the mobile pizza oven. Dancing went on late into the evening with a silent disco finishing the celebrations.

We had a fabulous time leading the celebrations for Emma and Dan. It was a truly happy day for a wonderful couple, their family and friends.

Emma and Dan gave us a super testimonial:

Thank you thank you thank you!! You were amazing from the moment we met you. Everything was perfect and you made our day so special, we couldn’t have asked for more…xxx”

Acknowledgements:

Yokan Photography

Elsie’s Ices – Ice Cream Van and Bike

David Waldron of White Rose Ceremonies

We had a really fabulous day – thank you so much to Emma and Dan for asking us to conduct their Wedding Ceremony!