Why should we book a Celebrant for our wedding ceremony?
The flexibility that you have with a Celebrant is limitless and your Ceremony will be a joyful reflection of who you really are.
You can make it completely different but also honour all the traditions that you want to, as well as include the people you want and having it in the place that you want. You will certainly not get a ceremony that is just a repetition of dry statements about the legal status of marriage, given by a Registrar to millions of other couples.
In fact, your incredible Wedding Ceremony with White Rose Ceremonies will kick start your fantastic celebrations, in exactly the way you want it to!
Will our ceremony be legally binding?
Your perfect Wedding Ceremony should not be an occasion where the Council representative labours the point about the legal status of marriage, while you are merely waiting to be named as part of that contract.
Your Wedding Ceremony should be all about you, your love for one another and the happiness you share.
It’s also about sharing your story and your beautiful and personalised vows, surrounded by the people who love you, in a place of your choosing. And that is the absolute joy of having a Celebrant led Wedding Ceremony.
Celebrants are not permitted to perform any legal registration of the marriage process in England and Wales. But we are perfectly happy to leave all that red-tape to the Council to deal with, while we get on with the fabulous job of crafting a perfectly unique and beautiful ceremony for you.
If this concept is difficult to understand, just compare it to registering the birth of a baby. You will go to the Registrar’s Office, register the birth, collect the birth certificate and then have a wonderful celebration with a Naming Ceremony or Christening, surrounded by family and friends another day. Nobody takes 100 guests with them to legally register the birth of a baby, yet the ceremony and celebration is always a wonderful occasion.
So – open your mind to the endless possibilities when you separate the legal registration of marriage from your wonderful Wedding Ceremony!
Note: You have a statutory right to complete your legal registration of marriage at a Registrar’s Office. If you are in England or Wales, you will need to do this in what is called a 2+2 Ceremony. This is a Ceremony where you and your partner attend the office with two witnesses, make the basic statutory declarations and sign your marriage certificate. (Scotland and Ireland have different legal procedures). If the Registrar’s office try to persuade you to have more than the basic statutory registration, remind them of your right to have the 2+2 ceremony.
Where can we hold our ceremony?
Wedding Ceremonies can be conducted wherever you want with a Celebrant. It can be on licensed or unlicensed premises or on public land and this is because there is no legal paperwork being completed at the time. Result!
Think about what you really want. Would you like a seamlessly elegant and traditional yet personal Wedding Ceremony at a luxurious venue, with a host on hand to look after you? Or do you want to turn up on the back of motorbikes and completely rock your Wedding in the great outdoors?
There are so many options open to you with a Celebrant – formal venues, mansions, hotels, fields, forests, mountains, sand dunes and beaches. You could also have your Ceremony at your family home, in a poppy field or bluebell wood. What about that favourite pub or restaurant, a tipi or marquee? We have even conducted a beautiful ceremony on a punt in Cambridge.
And there is no restriction on time – sunrise, a breakfast wedding, afternoon, at sunset or midnight. It is entirely up to you.
What should we include in our ceremony?
There is no “should” about it. We talk to you about what YOU want and we can make suggestions from there.
The majority of our couples want a traditional framework with a delightfully personal ceremony in between. So the arrival with a parent is important for many, along with that first look, the exchange of vows and wedding rings, the signing of a certificate, the exit through confetti.
Within that framework we can include other people in some simply beautiful and emotional ways – your grandparents, your parents, your children and step-children, your special friends.
We can also include singing, handfasting, blessing stones, an oath stone and unity ceremonies using sand, candles, marbles, paint. Or what about a Padlock Ceremony or drinking from the Quaiche? There are many wonderful and inspiring options for you to choose from!
Your Wedding Ceremony really is a blank canvas and we help you paint a wonderful picture.
Do we need to write a script?
Just sit back and relax – we write the script for you. We meet with you to discuss your very special Ceremony. We will ask you about your background, how you met, what you love about each other, what makes you laugh about each other, even what irritates you about each other!
The words used in your Ceremony are really important, they must reflect you and your partner, so we take the responsibility of crafting a beautiful script for you very seriously.
We will also ask who you want involved in your ceremony, what symbolic rituals you want and provide lots of help and advice for your vows.
We will be there for you throughout your Wedding journey, keeping in touch with you, making changes where you want them, meeting with you either face to face or via video link, providing unlimited email and phone support and providing as much help and advice as we possibly can.
How long will our ceremony last?
It really does depend on what you want included in your ceremony, so you are completely in control of that.
However, we have conducted over 200 wedding ceremonies and they tend to last around 25 minutes. This includes your entrance and exit. It’s long enough to give you the opportunity to have a really meaningful wedding ceremony and celebrate your marriage, without losing the attention of your guests.
Will we have a rehearsal?
Yes, indeed you will! We think this is a really important part of the process and a rehearsal is automatically included in our package.
Not only does it help reduce any nerves you might have, it helps you visualise the ceremony more easily, which helps you relax on the day. It also helps to iron out any last minute queries on where you stand, issues with microphones, music etc.
Can we include pets?
We recognise how important pets are and we welcome their involvement. We have had ceremonies with dogs, ponies and one lovely family had a 150-year old tortoise as guest of honour!
We have lots of ideas of how pets can be included but will always take advice from you on their temperament. You just need to check your venue is happy to accommodate pets before making any plans to include them.