Your North West Wedding- April/May 2020 (Issue 61)

53 ADVICE Contact: Jane Barbeary − Member of the Associations of Independent Celebrants 07821 187 193 | Jane.barbeary@outlook.com | nuptials-and-naming-ceremonie.co.uk trend of hiring in alpacas as ring bearers! We will write your entire ceremony, including your vows or promises to each other, once you’ve told us all about your story. Some couples prefer to write their own vows, but would like the celebrant to read them aloud. It’s entirely up to you, there are no hard and fast rules. We can deliver a ceremony anywhere that’s special to you both. It could be a forest glade, a stately home or the pub garden. There are many ‘symbolic actions’ you can include in your ceremony, if that’s what you’d like. These are becoming increasingly popular and are a great way of getting your guests involved too. Here are just a few examples you might want to ponder over… JUMPING THE BROOM This is an ancient tradition used in many cultures in past centuries, when couples literally jumped over a broomstick together to marry. The ‘leap of faith’ symbolises how much you love each other, as you jump into your future together. Two guests can hold the broom a few inches off the ground. The couple close their eyes, everyone counts to three, and the guests lower the broom to the ground as the couple jump over it. SAND CEREMONY This symbolises the coming together of two individuals to make one loving couple. Two glass vases of coloured sand are poured into a third vessel to symbolise the blending of your lives together. Just as the coloured grains can no longer now be separated, so your lives are now as one. HANDFASTING This is a traditional Celtic ritual and it’s the origin of the expression to ‘tie the knot’. You hold hands, usually at the pulse points, and the celebrant ties them together, loosely, with ribbons or braids. This signifies the binding of your lives together. The type of braid used can be very personal, so for example if you met at school, you might want to use an old school tie, or particular colours that have significance to you. This can be a good point in the ceremony to make promises or vows to one another. LOVE LETTERS You put your feelings for each other on paper. You then read it aloud or give it to your partner or celebrant to read. Alternatively, you could put them in a memory box, seal it, and open it on your first anniversary. A lovely way to remember your special day. RING WARMING Before rings are exchanged they can be passed around your guests on a small cushion or in a box. Each guest holds them for a few seconds and makes a silent wish for the couple. When the rings are returned, they hold all the love and hopes for the future from family and friends. STONE CEREMONY In past centuries couples couldn’t always afford wedding rings, so they cast a stone into a nearby river or ocean to symbolise staying together as the water ebbed and flowed throughout their lives. In the absence of any handy water nearby, you can toss stones with your names etched on them into a bowl of water. They can be retrieved later and taken on honeymoon where hopefully you’ll find some water!. UNITY CANDLES Candles represent light and hope, and lighting one together symbolises your union, and hopes for the future. So it really is all up to you. Working together with a trained celebrant can make your day unique, personal, fun and best of all a memory to live with you, your family and friends forever. The Association of Independent Celebrants list celebrants across the UK. Most will be happy to talk  through your ideas free of charge before you make your decision. Let’s do it……. let’s celebrate!