How to Make Your Wedding Ceremony Personal

Tell Your Story

• Share key moments: how you met, your first date, the proposal, what you love about each other.

• Give me as your celebrant fun, heartfelt, or quirky details to weave into the script.

• Let your personalities shine and mix humour with heartfelt moments.

Write Your Own Vows

• Add personal promises, shared memories, and inside jokes.

• Keep them authentic to how you speak. There's no need to be too formal!

• Vows are often the most meaningful part of the ceremony, so make them you.

Choose Readings That Reflect Your Relationship

• Pick poems, quotes, or passages you actually love - not “wedding classics” just because they're traditional.

• Choose readings from places that feel meaningful to you. It could be lyrics from your favourite song or words from your favourite film.

Personalise the Music

• Choose songs that reflect your relationship.

• Let your entrance, signing, and exit music set the emotional tone you want - romantic, fun, cinematic, or unexpected.

Include a Ritual That Resonates

Only choose rituals that feel symbolic to your relationship:

• Handfasting

• Unity candle

• Sand ceremony

• Wine blending

• Tree planting

• Ring warming

• Cultural or family traditions

  
  

Don’t include anything “just because”. Choose what has meaning. You could even make one up!

Use Your Own Words in Your Promises and Ring Exchange

• Choose or write your own words to say during the ring exchange.

• Make it personal, e.g. “With this ring, I choose you. Every day and in every way.”

• "I promise to love and support you, every single day."

Invite Loved Ones Into the Moment

• Ask someone meaningful to do a reading or a poem. Or ask them to write something - it could be marriage advice in either a humorous or serious way.

• Include family or friends in certain moments or rituals.

  
  

Personalise Your Entrance & Exit

• Walk down the aisle with people who matter to you. Don't just go with tradition.

• You could walk down the aisle on your own or walk together to symbolise equality and partnership.

• Choose a unique, joyful exit song that represents your vibe.

  
  

Add Symbolic Items

• Wear something belonging to a loved one, i.e. a piece of jewellery or their veil

• Include a meaningful object on the signing table (photos, heirlooms, travel souvenirs).

• Use a special pen or quill for signing the Wedding Certificate.

Choose a Meaningful Location

• Somewhere relevant to your love story: the place you met, a favourite spot, a place you always dreamed of.

• Even traditional venues can be personalised by adding symbolic décor and meaningful touches.

  
  

Let Your Sense of Humour In

• Add a funny moment to your vows.

• Let me share a lighthearted memory during the reading of your love story.

• Use playful readings or modern quotes.

Share Appreciations or Acknowledgements

• Thank your families, friends, in your own words.

• Honour loved ones who have passed in a way that feels right for you. This might be as a mention during the ceremony, a photo ladder or a saved seat.

I hope some of these suggestions will help in planning your wedding ceremony. And how do you have the most personal wedding ceremony of all? By booking me as your wedding celebrant! I write every script completely from scratch for every couple. I do this by getting to know you both in the months leading up to your wedding day and writing a script all about you with everything you want (or don't want) included.

Here is a review from a recent elopement ceremony I performed for Georgia and Warren,

"Claire really is one of a kind with a heart of pure gold ✨

We very luckily bumped into Claire at an open day for the venue we had planned to elope at. Claire immediately made us both feel at ease, and we booked her on the spot. Thank goodness we did, because Claire became such a special part of our very intimate day.

From the moment we booked, communication was frequent and in-depth, and you could tell Claire really cared about our story and wanted to get every detail perfect when writing our ceremony script. Claire’s ‘love questionnaires’ felt particularly special, as they really made us think back over our relationship and talk about little moments we may have forgotten but that are such an important part of our story. From our answers, Claire created the most beautiful, detailed script — you’d have thought it was written by someone who had known us for years (rather than 12 weeks), and it’s something we will remember forever 💖

Claire was so much more than just a celebrant to us. With only myself, my husband, and our two sons sharing the day together, Claire became a wedding planner, chauffeur, nerve calmer, and bridal party all in one. It was so lovely to have someone who wasn’t only willing to go above and beyond, but who truly wanted to. Thank you so much for creating and sharing our special day with us, Claire ✨

An extra special thank you for driving me to the venue with prosecco and essential oils at the ready for my nerves, and for squeezing me into my dress — you really are the best 🩶"

Please get in touch and see if I'm available for your special day. I can't wait to hear from you!

Love Claire xxx