August Weddings Round Up

It was another hot one for my weddings this month! Beautiful sunshine shone down on my ceremonies, and my couples and their guests enjoyed the best of the British Summertime. Here is a roundup of my wonderful August ceremonies...

Hester and Matt

This wedding marked my first ceremony at Deers Leap in North Devon, and what a magical place it is! I met them there the day before, as we had only ever spoken over video call with them living in Scotland, and I wanted to, of course, do a site visit!

Their ceremony was full of fun and joy. My favourite line from their review was, 'our guests were kept either laughing or crying throughout' and that pretty much sums it up! Over 100 of their friends and family were there, ready to kick off the celebrations with a bang! They had shots of limoncello, a first-dip kiss, very emotional personal vows, and a highly amusing love story with plenty of belly laughs from their guests!

Here is what Hester and Matt said about working with me:

"We are so glad we booked Claire as our celebrant.

She was incredibly organised, professional and fun. She thought of all the little details to make our ceremony run smoothly, and many of the guests commented on how funny and entertaining she was. She did a fantastic job writing and telling our love story; the guests were kept either laughing or crying throughout.

It was an absolutely wonderful day, and without Claire, our ceremony would not have been as special as it was."

Sally and Geoffrey

What an honour it was to perform a vow renewal ceremony for these two love birds. 50 years married and what a way to celebrate their anniversary!

I met them for the first time in real life in March and we couldn’t believe how quickly August came around! They had it at The Thurlestone Hotel, a place they have returned to many times over the last 40 years.

We planned a beautiful vow renewal ceremony with nine of their closest family members and it was just perfect. The room was decorated with gorgeous yellow flowers (for their Golden Wedding Anniversary) and gold balloons, and everyone wore buttonholes and corsages. Sally looked like a movie star in her stunning gold dress with cape arms - I was OBSESSED! And Geoffrey looked very smart in his suit too. They are still so love, it’s so beautiful to see.

Their ceremony consisted of me telling their 54-year love story, personal vows read by the couple, which were very emotional for everyone, a champagne toast, ring exchange with their son and daughter and a sand ceremony with the whole family. The original cine film of their wedding day was also playing in the background, which made it very nostalgic.

Afterwards, they invited me to stay behind for lunch, and we had a feast! (They sent me home with three doggy bags full!) I really felt like part of the family for the day.

Katie and Tom

Their wedding day was at the magical Badgers Holt on a Thursday (love a weekday wedding!)

The guest list may have been intimate, but they were absolutely up for a good time! This ceremony was a bit boozy haha. Fizz for everyone while I told everyone about their love story, and Katie and Tom performed a Unity Cocktail Ceremony where they made a delicious strawberry daiquiri. They said their own vows, and their gorgeous dog Biscuit was their Best Boy and ring bearer!

What Katie and Tom said about working with me:

"Claire was absolutely brilliant from the start; she is so caring and passionate about what she does. The attention to detail with our love story and how she ran the ceremony on the day was amazing. It was absolutely perfect, and everyone raved about how great it was. It was so nice to have a personal approach with our family and friends, making it extra special. I would highly recommend Claire; she is such a wonderful person and the most amazing celebrant. We couldn’t have asked for a better ceremony! Xxx"

Charlotte and Elle

I had the most wonderful time celebrating this gorgeous couple at Glebe Barn Weddings. When I arrived, I went to see them both separately and couldn't believe it when Elle reminded me we had never actually met in person before! I felt like I'd got to know them so well since they booked me a few months ago, and it felt like turning up to a friend's wedding!

Elle walked down the aisle first with her dad, and then Charlotte followed with her dad to a second song. It was all very emotional! They said their own personal vows to each other, and I shared their beautiful love story. We had a few creatures visit us during the ceremony, and I had to make a couple of rescues!

One of the best bits was at the end when I got handed an envelope with the surname their guests had voted for them to take... I felt like I was reading out the winner of the X Factor! So much fun!

This is what Charlotte and Elle said about working with me:

"We couldn’t recommend Claire highly enough! From the very beginning, she was so kind, warm and genuinely passionate about what she does. She made us feel completely at ease, and throughout the whole process it really felt like we got to know one another, rather than it just being a service. The love story she shared during our ceremony was so beautifully written and personal. We actually cried when we first read it! It was such a lovely touch and made the ceremony feel incredibly special and unique to us.

Claire was absolutely amazing from start to finish, and we’re so grateful to have had her be part of such an important day. If you’re looking for a celebrant who truly cares and puts so much heart into what she does, we couldn’t recommend her more! ❤️"

Kate and Ben

We had the most beautiful day for Kate and Ben's wedding ceremony at Cadhay House. The ceremony space was absolutely magical. Not only was there pure green grass, which is pretty unusual with the hot weather we've been having, but the flowers were also in full bloom. There was a gorgeous Bothy where they signed the wedding certificate and a pond with a water fountain, which provided the perfect musical background (alongside their wonderful pianist Genevieve!)

It's been such a pleasure getting to know Kate and Ben. Even though they live in London, we got to know each other over video calls, lots of WhatsApp back and forth and a meet-up for a pub lunch a couple of months ago when they were visiting Devon. I really enjoyed hearing their love story; it was quite a funny one!! And their guests were just so up for it, which was fabulous.

What Kate and Ben said about working with me:

"Wow! Booking Claire as our wedding celebrant was the best decision we could make. From the moment we met her, she was so invested in making our day special. Her expertise with ‘all things weddings’ was absolutely invaluable.. When I think about the wedding day: my dress, the cake and flowers were all beautiful, but obviously the ceremony was why we were there. Claire created an intimate, funny & personal ceremony and I loved the freedom we could have with it."

After having my busiest month of the year, I've been ready for a couple of weeks off. This coming weekend sees two gorgeous ceremonies... Paige and Jonty and East Soar Farm and Nicole and Sam at Deer Park Country House. I can't wait!

2027 is now fully booked, but I still have limited dates available for 2028, so please do get in touch if you are interested in choosing me as your wedding celebrant for a truly memorable and joyful ceremony.

Claire xxx