How to plan a Humanist Wedding
You might be wondering what it's like to work with a Humanist Celebrant. How does a celebrant work with you to create a wedding ceremony that is unique to you? How do they get to know you and what is their process?
All Celebrants who are accredited by Humanists UK have undertaken extensive training to give every couple a really quality, personalised experience and all Celebrants will have different experiences that they bring to their couples.
I’ve spoken about this elsewhere on this site, but I wanted to talk you through how I personally work with couples to create their feel-good, fabulous, unique wedding ceremony. Here are my five steps to planning a feel-good, fabulous Humanist Wedding!
01 — Catch up for coffee/cake/cocktails
Whenever a couple contact me about their wedding ceremony I’m always really excited to hear from you! Even when couples are sure they want to book at this point, I always recommend we catch up for a chat , to say hello & get to know each other a little. It’s really important that you feel I’m a good fit for you both as a couple and that you both feel comfortable with me. This is a really informal chat, I love getting to find out your ideas, a little about how you met and helping you answer any questions you have about Humanist weddings.
02 — Getting to know you, getting to know all about you
Around 3-6 months before your wedding date (though this can totally flex for those planning on a short timescale) we’ll get to the detail of creating and curating your unique wedding ceremony with a couple wed-meet. This is the really fun bit where I really get to know you both! We’ll talk about so many things, how you met, what you love about each other, what makes your relationship work, what your hopes are for marriage. This might all sound very deep, but trust me, when wedding planning stress is starting, it’s lovely to remember why you’re doing all this!
03 — Writing your personalised wedding ceremony
I’ll then begin to craft, curate and create your unique wedding ceremony. I’ll weave in meaning, joy and all those little details to make it absolutely and wholly yours. There is no template and no ‘delete as appropriate’.
Your ceremony will be completely bespoke and authentic to you both. It will flow between storytelling & symbolism and will be brimming with celebration.You’ll receive a draft to look at and agree well before your wedding day! I’m committed to it being the perfect fit. So if you need it nipped, tucked or re-worked, let me know...I’ll make sure it’s just right in time for your big day!
I can also offer hints on how to make sure your wedding feels exactly that…Yours! From vows and promises to rituals and ring-bearers! Know what you want? Fab! Let’s make it happen! Struggling with where to begin? I can suggest readings, poems or songs to bring your wedding to life! If that’s already making you cringe, I can help create something pared back and beautifully simple. All aspects of the ceremony can be chosen to focus on you, your love and your story.
04 — Practice makes you Present!
I recommend a wedding rehearsal, it’s optional, but a great way to run through the ceremony so you can focus on each other and enjoy the moment at your ceremony.
05 — Delivering your unique wedding ceremony
On the day, I’ll be at your wedding venue early to make sure we’re all set. I’ll coordinate with photographers, venue staff, musicians and readers. I’ll also be there to reassure you both! Finally, I’ll conduct your feel-good ceremony, kicking off your fabulous day and your fabulous marriage!
Bonus - A memory to treasure
After your ceremony (usually a week or so unless you’re headed off somewhere nice!) I’ll send you a keepsake version of your ceremony script for you to look back on and enjoy all of those gorgeous feelings again! There will also be a little something extra to add to those memories!
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As you can see, every step here is designed to make sure you have a truly unique wedding ceremony that is completely authentic to you. One that really does put you, and your love story at the very centre of your wedding day - and that’s what it’s all about right?