Themed Wedding Ceremonies

If you choose this option we take your choice of ceremony and adapt it to make it personal for you after we’ve gathered information from and about you both, and confirmed your choice of readings, music and ritual to make the ceremony meaningful to you.

The ceremony would usually be around 25-60 minutes long, and the structure and main body of words customised to fit for you.

We offer ten different options

• ‘Joy’ with elements and ritual from Buddhism
• ‘Nature’ with ritual using the five elements of earth, air, fire, water and ether/spirit
• ‘Love’ all about love with a simple version of a hand-fasting
• ‘Sacred’ with ritual drawing from different Eastern traditions
• ‘Celtic’ with a candle-lighting, a celtic hand-fasting and a piper
• ‘Beauty’ drawing from African and earth based traditions
• ‘Grace’ with elements from the Christian Tradition
• ‘Spirit’ with elements from the ancient traditions
• ‘Light’ candle-lit and romantic with a very universal, healing feel
• ‘Gratitude’ giving thanks for the joys and challenges of committed relationship

Whichever option you choose the £325 fee includes . . .

To give you an idea here are summaries of three of the options

Nature

Many people these days seek sanctuary from life’s stresses in the beauty of nature and find walking in the woods or on the beach brings inner peace, healing and clarity. Not surprisingly many people dream of having a ceremony outdoors (this can also be done inside – maybe you want to bring things from nature inside to decorate the sacred space to give it an outdoor feel but not have to rely on fine weather?).

This ceremony is quite unconventional and is ideal if you have lots of family and friends you’d like to take part doing readings or something musical – equally it could be done very simply with no-one else taking part other than Angie or Will.

We suggest your guests stand in a circle or horse shoe shape but they don’t have to if you have a venue that seats theatre style. The main body of the ceremony is a weaving together of ritual / blessing / invocation and the marriage address using the four elements of Earth, Air, Water and Fire and the fifth element of a Higher Power. We acknowledge here fellow Interfaith Minister Annie Blampied’s original idea of a Circle Journey on which this is based.

Welcome and Opening
Grounding Prayer / Attunement
Thanksgiving Prayer / Invocation
Acknowledgement of Bride and Groom
Circle Journey with Readings / Music / Song / Blessings
Taking of Vows and Ring Exchange
Final Blessing and Pronouncement of Marriage

Our happy couple makes a symbolic journey around the circle, receiving blessings along the way as we explore what it means to them to be taking the step of marriage. We bless them at each of the four points on the circle in the following way. This example comes from the second point on the circle (air)

Addressing everyone

Friends! Will you join me now to invoke blessings of harmony and intimacy between Mary and Lawrence on the mental, intellectual level - if you will, join me now in saying “we will” (Vanessa steps up and throws petals over them)

We call on the element of air to blow away anything stagnant or unhelpful from the past – today you start afresh.

Marriage for you means . . .

The couple go round the four points on the circle then move into the middle to light a central candle and make their vows and exchange rings. They stay in the circle until we’ve blessed them and pronounced them husband and wife. Usually people choose to sign the necessary paperwork immediately after the ceremony.

Celtic

If you’ve dreamed of getting married in a castle by candlelight or in another romantic and atmospheric place this could be the ceremony for you! It certainly has a Celtic feel to it having the piper, the Celtic Well-wishing and the Celtic Handfasting.

Welcome and Introduction
Piping in the Bridal Party
Celtic Well-Wishing / Creating Sacred Space
Candle-Lighting Ritual
The Story of Our Couple with Readings / Song
Celtic Handfasting / Exchange of Vows and Rings
Final Blessing and Pronouncement of Marriage

This ceremony gives a great opportunity for a traditional bridal entrance. After the welcome and introduction we then listen out for the piper announcing the approach of the bridal party. Once our bride has made her grand entrance we have a spoken or sung Celtic Well-wishing blessing for everyone to join in with – time for the bride and groom to say hello to each other and to look out at the friends and family who are directing the spoken or sung blessing to them – we hope this will help to calm their nerves. We then create our sacred ceremonial space with prayer which will include a moment of silence for everyone to pray in their own way.

Before the main address our simple Candle Lighting ritual represents that which comes into being by the union of the couple. Then our address tells the story of the couple, what they love about each other and why they’re getting married. We can interweave two or three readings or songs here into the address.

A simple Celtic Handfasting Ritual leads the couple into exchanging their vows and rings, before we bring the ceremony to a close with a final blessing and the pronouncement of marriage.

And then probably if there’s been a piper coming in, there’ll be a piper piping the happy couple out to a pre-arranged place to sign the necessary paperwork.

Love

This ceremony can be held inside or outside, with your guests in any shape, and it can be very sacred and joyful or very light-hearted and humorous depending on what atmosphere you want to create and what music and readings you choose.

Welcome and Entrance
Introduction / Invocation
Address with Readings and Music
Ritual
Song / Silence
Vows and Exchange of Rings
Interactive Blessing
Final Blessing and Pronouncement of Marriage

This is a simple, universally themed ceremony. It’s our hope that all marriage ceremonies are based on equality and respect with a big dose of love but this ceremony uses love throughout as its theme for the music and readings.

Whether you choose live or pre-recorded music you’re spoilt for choice on the theme of love. The ceremony works beautifully with starting with something like What The World Needs Now Is Love (there are different versions but it was written by the Carpenters) and finishing with All You Need Is Love (the Beatles version has a great opening). You could choose whatever music is meaningful to you.

After the introduction to the theme of the ceremony we invite everyone present to join together beyond any differences in religious or spiritual belief by our love for the happy couple which then leads into us speaking or singing together in a prayerful way. We could use the simple song “Into Love’s Presence . . .” or something else.

After our first reading we hear something about why our happy couple have decided to get married, what marriage means to them, what they love about each other and what they hope for, for the future. We can include second and third readings or musical offerings within the address, to lead us into a simple ritual of which there are all kinds of traditional and creative rituals for you to choose from or you could create your own. You could have a handfasting or a candle lighting or go for something a bit different.

Our ritual will lead into the vow taking and the ring exchange. If you had a family member or friend who could sing a blessing over you that could be rather beautiful, otherwise we could all join in a sung or spoken blessing, after which our final prayer would lead us into the final blessing and pronouncement of marriage.