Gavin and Michelle
8th July 2023
“Thank you with all of my heart, you made it so special.”
Gavin and Michelle (who prefer to be known as Gav and Shell) have a very special place in my heart. I have had the pleasure of getting to know them as they live close by to me and I tutor Jacob, their little boy. It was one night, while out walking with my dog and little boy, I bumped into them and they said that they were getting married. They were disappointed that they didn’t know that I was a celebrant as they already booked a registrar. However, I offered to create a ceremony for their evening guests and they jumped at the opportunity.
Gav is step dad to Michelle's daughter Evie. He has been a huge part of her life from a very young age. Their relationship is really special. When we met for an initial planning meeting, I was moved by a card that she had sent him for his birthday. Inside it read “thank you for stepping into my life. You have always loved and treated me as your own. You have always helped me keep my head high and have raised me to the way I am today.” It was these words that laid the foundations on building a ceremony for the Walsgrove Family.
Shell didn’t want their family ceremony to feel like a “wedding ceremony.” That bit was already covered earlier in the afternoon, we therefore decided to create a ceremony that incorporated the cutting of the cake as its final ritual. Both Shell and Gav, also wanted an “ahhhh” moment for this part of their day.
After collecting their story to share with their guests, I then took some time to speak to Jacob and Evie. Gav and Shell knew that I was going to speak to them both, but I kept what they told me secret for the day, so they had their own surprise. There is an large age gap between Jacob and Evie, so what was lovely was there was two contrasting parts to their ceremony. Jacob’s input was funny and sweet, he said that Shell made him happy by “making his sausage rolls and letting him egg wash it,” and Gav made him happy by taking him to Yum Yum World after a hair cut. Evie’s was really touching and moving, drawing on what she had said previously about Gav’s impact on her life so far. There were a few happy tears and smiles shared between this lovely family.
The opportunity to create a ceremony to celebrate the joining together of two families was truly heartwarming. It was a small moment in beautiful day to reflect on the story of Gav and Shell and their journey as the Walsgrove Family.
Shell and Gav- You have created a beautiful life together with two lovely young people. May you continue to love each other deeply, may you dream together, laugh together and have a lifetime of happiness.
Photo Credit: LB Photography
Venue: Catthorpe Manor Estate
Why pick a Celebrant for your wedding?
I cannot claim to be the author of this blog post. This was actually written by Chris and Lena. They got married in a gorgeous ceremony last month at Ashton Lodge Country House near Rugby.
Reviews are an essential part of any job in order to learn, develop and improve. To be reviewed in such detail, really explaining the process of creating a ceremony is humbling. They have gone to such trouble to share the process of how we created their ceremony, I felt that it deserved a blog post all on its own.
They also really highlight how a celebrant led ceremony differs from a registrar. When I create any ceremony, I am always so moved and touched that the people I am working with trust me enough to share their story. My favourite part of their review is " it felt like being married by one of our friends." It goes to show how important building a strong relationship with your couple is. I am so proud to have been chosen to write and deliver their ceremony. Here is their review.
Chris and Lena's Review.
July 2023.
* * * * *
We decided to go for a celebrant-led wedding last minute, and Hayley Smith did not disappoint! We would definitely recommend her!
After an initial phone call to discuss the basics, we arranged a proper meet-up with Hayley to start planning our ceremony. After getting to know each other it was clear we made a perfect combination! Hayley was super enthusiastic to be part of our day; we talked through the details of how we wanted our ceremony to run, and then spent the rest of the meeting getting to know one another, talking through our stories and anecdotes, of which Hayley made plenty of notes to add into our script.
Afterwards Hayley kept us up to date whilst writing our script, sending drafts for us to go through and adjust as we liked – she wanted us to be 100% happy with it and really listened to what we wanted to include or adjust. Hayley also gave us both some help writing our vows, making sure they were on a similar level & complimented each other, and even printed these for the ceremony so we both had a formal copy ready.
On the day itself Hayley was on time & checked in with us both to make sure we were okay. We did a quick 5 minute run through so everybody was on the same page. During the ceremony she was calm & composed, spoke very clearly, went with the flow and made sure we were both comfortable and relaxed throughout – it all felt very natural, like being married by one of our friends.
Many of our guests were European with English not their first language, yet everyone was able to follow along perfectly – we received a lot of feedback from guests about how happy they were to be able to understand all that was said.
After our day Hayley remained in touch to see how the remainder of the day went – even sent us a formal print of our script and vows - even had some of our confetti in it, which was a lovely extra touch.
All said, we wanted a calm, happy and relaxed ceremony, and that’s exactly what we received, yet Hayley was able to make it extra personal for us, and after all our contact she fitted in as another friend on our wedding day.
Thank you so much Hayley for being part of our day and making it extra special!
Photo Credit: LB Photography
Venue: Ashton Lodge Country House
Chris and Lena
20th June 2023
“They say if a penguin finds his buddy, they stay together forever. I’m lucky that I get to call you my penguin. “
The opening of Lena’s vows to Chris is a lovely summary of the feel of their ceremony and of their relationship as a couple: full of fun, yet very romantic. I had the pleasure of delivering a ceremony for this couple in the stunning setting of Ashton Lodge near Coventry.
Chris and Lena have been together nearly 6 years after meeting at a PGL centre in Weymouth. Their relationship has been tested by many miles of separation, a global pandemic and the frustration of lengthy bureaucracy but they have overcome these challenges with honest and open communication, a sense of humour and the ability to take pleasure in the everyday moments.
There was a quick turnaround to put together the ceremony for them. Chris initially contacted me in early April so we got to work quickly. On our initial meeting, Chris and Lena requested the feel of a traditional wedding ceremony- but with small additions to make it personal and reflect their sense of humour. They wanted “flower dudes” alongside the bridesmaids and a moment for their guests to be able to take photographs before their phones and mobile devices were put away. Key moments in the ceremony were shared by toastmasters in English and Dutch to help Lena’s friends and family who had travelled from Belgium to join in the celebrations. In addition, they liked the idea of a handfasting ritual as one of their friends “Loveridge” had a background in textiles and made their cords. All of this was included in their ceremony. Chris and Lena opted not to have readings as part of their ceremony, so instead, we focussed on telling their love story so far and on creating an incredible set of vows. I really enjoyed working with them as a couple and separately so there were elements of surprise.
The end result was a truly beautiful ceremony, led by the words and wishes of this couple. The day continued with love and laughter and a spot of axe throwing!
Chris, it was a pleasure to meet you, your vows were stunning, I couldn’t have written anything more beautfiul than you did.
Lena, het was een voorrecht om je te helpen de woorden voor je geloften te vinden.
Venue: Ashton Lodge Country House
Make Up: Amy Louise Beauty and Make Up.
Photographer: LB Photography
Second Shooter: Zoe Milward Photography.
Clara
12th February 2023
Meet Clara, her Mummy Jennifer and Daddy Joel.
I had the pleasure of learning about this “little miracle” ahead of her naming ceremony at Coombe Abbey. Jennifer and Joel shared their story of becoming parents candidly and honestly, and it was nothing but a pleasure crafting a script for this lovely little lady.
The Cloister’s at Coombe Abbey was the venue for this very special day. With its high ceilings, natural light and fabulous ornate fireplace it was a truly spectacular setting. Jennifer and Joel opted to have their guests sat around circular tables rather than in rows. This meant that families and friends could sit together in a relaxed manner, especially as there were a number of small children there.
At the heart of every ceremony is the family and their story. My job is not to intrude on this moment, so I took the decision on the day to stand and face the family for the majority of the ceremony. This meant that no one’s view of little Clara, her lovely parents and god parents was obstructed and Serena, the photographer for the occasion, was able to get the best photographs for the family to treasure.
Jennifer and Joel were looking for a ceremony that catered for both of their beliefs and backgrounds. We included a Celtic blessing, read by a friend of the family, that honoured Jennifer’s Scottish heritage. Jennifer and Joel opted to have a candle ritual as part of the ceremony which was shared with Clara’s four godparents. The candles Jennifer and Joel chose were printed with her photo and name on them and are a lovely memento of the day.
It was an honour to share Jennifer and Joel’s story and craft a ceremony that reflected their joy in becoming a family of three. Their journey into parenthood has not been an easy one, so it was important to capture how much happiness Clara has bought into their lives.
Jennifer’s review
5 out of 5 stars.
Hayley delivered a naming ceremony for my daughter and it was utterly perfect! My husband and I had a very difficult and long journey to becoming parents and Hayley just got it. She captured not only our story, but how much it meant to us to get to the point where we could celebrate our little girl. My husband's an atheist and I'm a Christian, so a naming ceremony was the perfect compromise and both of us couldn't be more delighted with how it turned out! I would ask Hayley to deliver our next event in a heartbeat. I trust her implicitly to deliver *exactly* what's needed and wanted.
Venue: Coombe Abbey Hotel
https://www.coombeabbey.com/
Photo Credit: Serenity Studios
serenitystudiorugby@gmail.com
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