Weddings - Blessings - Renewal of Vows
"The best thing in life to hold onto is each other" (Audrey Hepburn)
Love is Love
Life is about choice. You have both made a choice to be together as one, for all eternity…but it’s always seemed a bit sad to me, that when it comes to getting married (in the UK at least), until recently, a couple’s options have been pretty limited: church or registry office.
There are two parts to your wedding: the registering of your legal marriage with a registrar (which can be a simple, 10-minute process) that needn’t actually even be part of the wedding ceremony.
And then there’s your wedding ceremony. This is your gift to the world. It holds equal standing and respectful gravitas, however you choose to coordinate it with the ‘legal bit’.
I believe that it’s really important to be aware that you now have a choice as to how you wish to celebrate your wedding. Please see my Blog Post HERE, for a fuller explanation.
With a Celebrant-led wedding ceremony, you are free to make the choices that no longer bind you to the historical constraints that have traditionally been a part of other forms of wedding ceremonies.
This is your day, your choices, and your perfect wedding ceremony, your vows and promises to each other, reflecting your beliefs and personalities.
- You may want the flexibility to hold your ceremony on a beach at sunset, in a woodland glade or at a favourite place that resonates with you both, spiritually or joyfully.
- Perhaps you wish to include some cultural elements into your ceremony which may not be allowed in a licensed wedding venue.
- You may like the idea of a more traditional ceremony, but the guest list is getting bigger by the day and you can’t find a suitable licensed venue within your budget.
You and I have a blank canvas upon which to create your beautiful day, a wedding ceremony that perfectly reflects your hopes and dreams, your beliefs and your personalities. Your choices, your ceremony.
Blessing Ceremony
Many couples simply want to make an eternal commitment to each other, but don’t feel that they want to be ‘bound’ by the ‘legal bits’ that a wedding entails.
A Blessing Ceremony is the perfect way to declare your love and commitment for each other to family and friends. Your choice, your words, your ceremony.
For some couples, a wedding blessing is a religious service performed by a Minister or religious person. It is a ceremony to sanctify a marriage in the eyes of God.
Blessings are sometimes performed outside of the wedding ceremony by couples who have had a civil marriage but would like to introduce a religious element to the marriage proceedings.
It may be that one partner holds certain spiritual or religious beliefs and would like to incorporate these elements into your special day, but not necessarily into the actual ceremony. In this way, we can create a brief ceremony that reflects the wishes of you both as a couple and respects each partner’s own religious, spiritual and cultural beliefs.
It’s also popular with couples where one individual is remarrying after a divorce. Many different religions have opposing views on divorce. Some see the blessing ceremony as a re-entry into their faith following a period of hardship.
The blessing ceremony is not limited to any particular denomination either. Furthermore, blessings can take place anywhere: at home, on a beach, in your back garden – even in a forest!
Renewal of Vows
Are you approaching a significant Wedding Anniversary? First year? Ruby? Silver? Gold?
These are all popular times to truly celebrate the strength of your love and your ongoing relationship.
There are as many reasons to renew your vows and promises to each other as there are couples who wish to do so:
- Perhaps, as you now have children, you want them to be present and involved
- You had an awesome time on your actual wedding day and you want to do it all over again!
- Perhaps you got married abroad and some of your friends and family were unable to attend
- For some couples, they may have come through a difficult life phase together, and wish to reaffirm their commitment to each other
You can underline this special celebration with where you choose to host the ceremony:
- In an important place to you as a couple, such as where you first met, where your partner proposed or the place you shared your favourite holiday
- You could take the ceremony outdoors in a place of outstanding beauty
- A space that was important to someone special in your life who is no longer with you
Your renewal of vows ceremony can include anything you want! It is a totally personalised celebration of your love for each other and should be full of precious memories.
Whatever the reason, renewing your vows is a beautiful way to celebrate the devotion and love that is the bedrock of your marriage.
Whether a simple ceremony, or a full-blown party, let’s create a loving and most memorable of days.