Ceremony Archives • Page 4 of 4 • White Rose Ceremonies

Where will you hold your Wedding Ceremony?

15 July 2015/in Celebrant /by Rebecca Waldron

A Debating Chamber, a field, a labyrinth, a supermarket, Cambridge University Colleges, an Inn, a Mansion House, a barn, a privately owned old hall, a working farm, village halls, a family home – these are just some of the locations we have delivered unique wedding ceremonies. Where will you hold your Wedding Ceremony?

We are contacted by many people who are frustrated not just by the standard script that’s delivered at ‘normal’ wedding ceremonies, but by the lack of opportunity to hold their Wedding Ceremony at a location that’s special and personal to them. Provided you complete the legalities at your local Register Office, we can then deliver your wedding ceremony wherever you want it. OK, we don’t jump out of planes, bungee jump or get naked, but other than that we are very flexible!

We also provide our lovely wedding couples with our unique White Rose Wedding Book which has over fifty pages of ideas for your wedding ceremony. How to involve special people, wedding vows, ring vows, different ceremonies to consider and lots (and lots!) of readings and poems. We include those special moments where you say “I do” in all our ceremonies. We deliver very special traditional wedding ceremonies but we can also mix it up, ensuring your guests are intrigued and engaged throughout the whole ceremony.

As well as providing you with a super copy of your Wedding Ceremony Script and Certificate afterwards, we also bring our own wellies, umbrellas and spare outfits to cater for all weather conditions!

Our focus is on you and what you want in your ceremony – and where you want it. We can deliver your Wedding Ceremony outside in the fresh air or inside at your home, local hall or at a formal venue. Here are links to some of the stunning venues where we have delivered ceremonies:

Tofte Manor, Bedfordshire

The Old Hall, Ely

Nonsuch Mansion in Surrey

Downing College in Cambridge

The Cambridge Union (Debating Chamber)

Still feeling frustrated by lack of options? We have more unusual locations for our wedding ceremonies coming up in the next year or so. Contact us for more information by using the the contact page on our website, calling us on 07725 795316 or emailing us at whiteroseceremony@btinternet.com.

Happy planning.

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

Featured Wedding

2 February 2015/in Celebrant /by Rebecca Waldron

We are over the moon to have one of our weddings featured by the fabulous Amara Bridal Registry. We have a real passion for what we do and we love being involved with special life celebrations such as Weddings. For this Wedding we worked closely with the wonderful Dominique Douglas and her team from Stylish Events Wedding & Event Management. The photographs were taken by the very talented Kate from Kate Neilen Fine Art Photography.

Leila and Johnnie had extended wedding celebrations and they included special people in different ways throughout their weekend. They thought very carefully about every aspect of their Wedding. They meditated on the significance of their union with close family and friends before their legal ceremony at the Registry Office. The next day they enjoyed a joyous Wedding Ceremony with extended family and friends, followed by champagne and punting along the beautiful river beside the historic Trinity College and Kings College. To top it all off there were more celebrations at their Wedding Breakfast and evening entertainment.

When we conduct a Wedding Ceremony we talk to our couples and find out what’s important to them. We will listen to how they talk to each other and write the script accordingly. We include all the beautiful and traditional features of a Wedding and can add different elements if our couples want them. These include lighting a candle to remember those who can’t be present, singing, dancing (yes, really!), applause, fun and laughter.

Follow the link to see how much fun our lovely couple Leila and Johnnie had and how they made their day so special – enjoy! White Rose Ceremonies in featured Wedding!

If you would like to talk to us about your unique Wedding Ceremony please call us on 07725 795316 or email us via White Rose Ceremonies.

Confessions of a Celebrant

31 October 2014/in Celebrant /by Rebecca Waldron

What is a Civil Celebrant?

It’s our first year anniversary this month and what an incredible year it’s been. From not knowing what a Civil Celebrant was, to becoming one, to experiencing and being involved in the full range of events that happen in people’s lives – Weddings, Baby Namings and Funerals.

I am asked so often, what is a Civil Celebrant? Well, we have some fabulous experiences with couples who want their wedding ceremony to be somewhere different, such as on a working farm – think of haybales, bunting, the clink of lemonade bottles and cattle in the background; in fields or meadows – think wild flowers, sunshine, a gentle breeze, ribbons on chairs; or at beautiful formal venues – think of the dresses we buy!

We laugh, we cry, we clap, we hug, we cheer, we get stuck in mud with our wellington boots, blown by the wind, barked at by dogs or lost in country lanes trying to find the right field.

We write scripts for all the ceremonies we deliver so that they are unique and, each time we do, we are reminded how privileged we are to meet such amazing and lovely people and, what a great honour it is for us to be asked to lead the happy ceremonies or more sensitive funeral services for these families.

A Civil Celebrant is a person who conducts civil ceremonies that focus purely on the people involved and are not linked to any particular religion or other institutional standard. We are free to deliver the ceremony or service that the family want and are not limited with what we can say or do. We are also free to conduct a Baby Naming or Wedding Ceremony wherever we are asked to although, for obvious reasons, funerals must be conducted either in a cemetery or crematorium.

We come equipped with lots of experience, stories to share, creative ideas and a professional yet fun way of working with people.

So, what is a Civil Celebrant? It is absolutely the best job we have ever been involved in and we wouldn’t swap it for the world!

Follow our blog for more insights into the life of a Civil Celebrant.

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What is a Civil Celebrant?