May Weddings Round Up

I thought it would be a lovely idea to do a round up of my wedding ceremonies each month, so you can see what my wonderful couples choose for their ceremonies. You never know, it might give you a bit of inspiration for yours!

They have all been VERY different, which is why I love being a wedding celebrant. I get to travel to different places, perform for different-sized guest numbers, and no ceremony is the same.

Megs and Alex

My first wedding of May was at Brickhouse Vineyard, a firm favourite of mine. I met Megs and Alex at an open day the following year so we had plenty of time to get to know each other before the big day.

My couple did the 'legal bit' at home with their family a week before their wedding day, then travelled down to Torquay with eight of their closest friends to stay in an amazing Airbnb for a few days. It happened to be only a 5-minute drive from my home, so they invited me round for breakfast.

On their wedding morning, I headed over to their Airbnb to have breakfast pastries with everyone and see how Megs and Alex were doing. I also had to collect their love notes for the Wine Box Time Capsule. Alex texted me that morning to ask if I could bring a plaster as he had lost a little fight with a knife! It was lovely to meet all of their friends whilst they were getting ready, and equipped with everything they wanted me to set up for the ceremony, I made my journey to the venue.

What they chose for their ceremony:

• They had a 'first look' a few minutes before the ceremony and walked down the aisle together.

• I spoke to one of their friend's to get some special memories to include in their love story, which I read out.

• A friend performed a poem, and another friend performed a self-penned 'marriage advice', contributed to by all of their friends present.

• Megs and Alex decided to have a sand ceremony - this was actually hilarious because Alex had gone down to the beach that morning only to discover it was a pebbly beach. Watching them trying to shove the pebbles down the funnel into the glass vase was the funniest thing ever! They also had sand from Spain and Sandbanks, both places which hold a special place in their hearts.

• They both wrote their own vows, which I gave guidance for.

• They had a wonderful live band called Conscious Club who played during the ceremony and afterwards, whilst everyone had drinks and photos in the sunshine.

• Megs and Alex very kindly invited me to stay for afternoon tea, and I felt very honoured to be part of their friendship group for a couple of hours. They said some beautiful words to me at the end and said I was a friend now.

What they said about working with me:

"We found Claire on Instagram and met her at a venue open day. After speaking with Claire we immediately knew that we wanted her to conduct the ceremony of our wedding. Choosing a celebrant was important to us because we wanted someone to tell our story. It was the best decision we could have made. Claire has such a warm and kind personality. She cares so much about her couples and really goes out of her way to make the ceremony special. Claire provided us with amazing guidance so that we could write our own vows. Claire even linked in with our musicians to make sure the timing of all our songs aligned with the ceremony. She is so much more than a celebrant; she is a wedding coordinator, planner, confidant, and now also a friend."

Maririta and Harry

Their gorgeous wedding took place at Huntsham Court in Tiverton, a venue on my wish list! I was recommended to them by wedding planner Hyland Events (thank you, Natalie!), and we only had about 4 weeks to plan and for me to write their ceremony script.

Maririta and Harry live in America, but we handled the different time zones pretty well! We had a video call almost immediately, and then I sent them their questionnaires, which they returned to me in under a week.

They invited me to the welcome drinks reception the night before the wedding so that we could meet each other in person and have a run-through of the ceremony with their wedding party. It was so lovely to meet their friends and family, and they even invited my husband, George, so he came along too! The weather was stunning, and Huntsham Court was looking gorgeous.

What they chose for their ceremony:

• The groom's parents started the processional, and the groom, Harry, also walked down the aisle before their bridesmaids, Maid of Honour and groomsmen. I love that the groom walked down and had his moment! And what I loved even more is that their friends and family clapped for each person walking down the aisle! It really set a joyful tone for their ceremony.

• Maririta walked down the aisle on her own to a second song.

• Their love story was very emotional and heartfelt. It felt like an honour to be sharing such beautiful and, at some points, painful memories with their family and friends.

• Maririta and Harry decided not to have any readings or symbolic elements so it was mostly me doing the talking :)

• They chose to write their own personal vows, which were gorgeous - there were lots of tears!

• They had a fabulous string quartet, which really added to the Bridgerton style of the wedding with the amazing manor house in the background!

• We had the ceremony underneath a huge oak tree in the grounds. The theme was black tie, and everyone looked very smart!

Fox and Co Photography

Bella and Matt

Bella and Matt's wedding was at the iconic Powderham Castle in Devon. We met up the weekend before and had a run through, and we were hoping it was going to be as sunny as it was that day... it was!! I even got my own room to get ready in for this one... I felt like a rockstar!

What they chose for their ceremony:

• Their wedding was medieval themed - how cool?! Bella made her own dress, which was a knock-out! It had beautiful iridescent material which shone in the sun. She also made Matt a cape out of a pair of curtains! The groomsmen and some of the family also wore medieval dress too - I felt like I had been transported back in time!

• Bella walked down the aisle with a ceremonial sword instead of a bouquet - iconic.

• Bella and Matt are high school sweethearts, so it was amazing to tell their love story from their school days up to now.

• They chose not to have any readings and to sign the wedding certificate in the impressive library inside the house after the ceremony.

• They wrote their own personal vows, which were really heart-warming.

  
  

What they said about working with me:

"Absolutely the best part of the day. Thank you so much Claire. Your attentiveness to detail, beautiful writing, fabulous delivery and we felt so understood and special. We will never ever forget it!"

_______________________________

June is a very busy month as well with four weddings! I'll look forward to sharing them with you next month!

If you're looking for a personal, joyful and beautiful wedding ceremony, please get in touch to see if I am available on your wedding date - I hope I am! Booking into 2028.

Claire xxx