HOT TOPIC: WEDDING WORRIES Our experts solve your problems FESTIVE CHEER My hubby-to-be and I love Christmas and want to incorporate festive nods into our ceremony. Do you have any ideas of how we could do this? Christmas is a romantic time of year to celebrate your wedding and incorporating festive ideas within your ceremony can make the whole occasion feel pretty unique and festive. Many couples choose to include special readings during the ceremony, so look for Christmas-inspired selections such as The Christmas Wedding by Neil Gaiman, the extract from the Heathrow Airport scene in Love Actually, or even Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton, as these can bring seasonal imagery that not only reflects the beauty of winter and Christmas but also love and relationships. During the ceremony, consider lighting a unity candle from a Christmas lantern or asking your guests to bring Christmas ornaments or coloured ribbons to hang on a small wedding wishing tree, symbolising your new life together. Creating a warm chocolate or cocktail ceremony involving winter spices would make a great alternative to celebrate joining together and could be offered to your guests at the drinks reception to warm them up a little before the reception starts. Finally, bring Christmas into your ceremony space by decorating your aisle with miniature trees and seasonal flowers in rich colours such as deep red and emerald green and adding some gold accents. Use plenty of Christmas lights and candles to add a romantic glow to your ceremony table for when signing your certificate, and maybe, when you come to do your first kiss, a little piece of hanging Mistletoe wouldn’t go amiss either. Karina O’Donnell www.celebrant-uk.co.uk www.jeffoliverphotography.com A PERSONAL TOUCH Our wedding planner has suggested we hire a celebrant for our big day, but we’re not sure what the role of a celebrant is. Should we book one, and what are the benefits? Technically, a celebrant is anyone who leads a ceremony. So a vicar can be described as a celebrant, as can a registrar. But what your wedding planner probably meant is someone whose job it is to create a totally bespoke wedding ceremony just for you! Someone who will put in the time and effort to get to know you and then work really hard to create something that includes everything that you want and nothing that you don’t. It’s the skill of a celebrant to listen really deeply and creatively, weaving your story together into something really special. You can guarantee that your guests will absolutely love the extra touches that you can also include. For example, tying the knot, known as hand tying or handfasting, or a cocktail ceremony such as a Jagerbomb ritual or a sand ceremony to include your guests. The list goes on! As well as these extra touches, your guests will love finding out even more about you and your love story, as well as hearing the vows that you can write especially for each other. Not to mention that they will be over the moon to not have to sit through the same ceremony that they have seen and heard many times over before! It is important to understand that currently in England and Wales celebrant ceremonies cannot be legally binding, so you just need to make sure you legally register your marriage separately. I guarantee that you will both be fielding comments about how great your ceremony was long into the evening and beyond! So, absolutely take your wedding planner’s advice and book a celebrant. It really is the best way to go if you and your partner believe that the ceremony can be the heart of your day! Alex Hilder www.alexhildercelebrant.co.uk www.kurtrebry.com EXPERT ADVICE 63
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