CELEBRANT Janet Shell, Janet Shell Independent Celebrant www.janetshell.co.uk/celebrancy When searching for a celebrant it helps to have some clear thinking in mind… • Imagine your perfect ceremony to start your day. What do you feel from the person leading it? It’s not the words that somebody says that we remember, it’s how we feel when listening to them. • Have a video call to meet your celebrant to get a feel for how you get along. This person is going to lead the beating heart of the day, so you need to feel comfortable with them. • Don’t worry if you’re not sure about how the ceremony could look and feel, that’s up for discussion and your celebrant will have lots of ideas and will help steer you through. • Does your celebrant offer special rituals? Have a think about having those as options within your ceremony. Many people haven’t have seen a handfasting or a sand ceremony and whenever I’ve performed them, they always get positive feedback. • Flexibility is a great characteristic to have in your celebrant. You’ll get a sense of how adaptable they might be in your initial meeting. Go with your gut. • Check what’s included in your celebrant costs – for example, I include all travel. It’s my choice to offer that. Each celebrant should be able to break down their costs for you so there’s transparency. • You’re not looking for a new best friend, but a friendly professional who’s not one of your guests, but a polished and personable lead person for that part of the day, who’s well used to public facing roles. Be sure to look for that professional edge. • Always meet with four or five celebrants to give yourself a wide choice of personality. • What’s their voice like? Can you and your guests listen to this person for some time? Have they got expressive/calm/upbeat qualities? The last thing you want is monotonous tone! • When you’ve selected your celebrant, keep communication channels open. There’ll be lots of alterations and ideas to encompass. PHOTOGRAPHY Ryan Cox, Ryan Cox Photography www.ryancoxphotography.com • Insurance – Check that your photographer has insurance. More venues are asking to see the photographer’s insurance to cover loss, damage or injury to the couples, guests and other service providers should it be the fault of the photographer and or their equipment. I’m insured through a specialist photography insurance company and also a member of a professional association who provide specialist support. • Equipment – What equipment will your photographer bring and what reserves will they have in case anything stops working? A good pro will have a servicing regime in place to ensure the likelihood of failure on the day won’t happen. I carry two cameras on the day which are annually serviced and a backup camera, as well as various lenses to cover all eventualities along with lighting and backup lighting if required. • Support from other photographers if they’re unavailable – Are they members of social media groups to get support if required or do they have other photographers they work with who could cover if required? I have the support of other professional photographers who I’ve either trained or worked with over the years and a regular second shooter should the need arise. • Backup and storage of the footage – How do they ensure that your images from your special day won’t be lost or damaged and how long do they save them for? All of my cameras use two memory cards and I purchase new ones annually to ensure they’re in good order. My images are backed up on my computer, a separate physical storage device and also in a secure cloud account – no chance they’re going missing! • Weather – All weddings can be subject to adverse weather conditions, so make sure there’s a backup plan just in case. Has the photographer worked in bad weather conditions and how will they create beautiful images of your day? My cameras and lenses are weather sealed and apart from a sandstorm I’ve shot in all weather conditions over my 25 years of wedding photography. • Travel – How do they get to your wedding and do they have other options if their transport fails? I’ll be in the area of the wedding at least one hour before the agreed time or if needed stay locally the night before. I also have a backup car and will use public transport if this is a viable option for me. • Venue restrictions – Does your chosen venue have restrictions on what, where and when the photographs can be taken? Some historic venues will only allow certain rooms to be used for photography and some churches will have restrictions on the photography too. Be sure to this with your photographer so there are no surprises on the day. 50
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