Making your wedding ceremony personal and magical

We all dream of our perfect wedding, however, we often have a very idealised view of what it should look like, and can be heavily influenced by magazines, images, social media, and other people's opinions. With all of these preconceived ideas about where and when a wedding should be held and what it's content should be, it can be quite a challenge to release your creativity and to let your imagination lead you to the dream wedding that will be beautiful, meaningful and memorable, not only for you but for your guests as well. So read on if you want to find out how you can do this without breaking the bank.

Some couples have never heard of a celebrant! So it's time to spread the word! With a celebrant led wedding you can tick all of those boxes and make sure that your wedding is exactly how you want it to be by personalising every element and telling your love story as part of the ceremony.

The Legal bit Some couples haven't heard of a celebrant and are unaware that they can separate the legal document from the actual wedding ceremony. I have done a bit of research on cost which is a big consideration to many couples. Every registrar office in England offers what they call a 2x2 ceremony. This is a legal signing of the register with two witnesses, it costs £73 where I live and doesn't involve exchanging rings or vows. Some register offices only offer this at specific days during the week, so you need to contact them to find out when it is available in your local authority.

Hire your celebrant once you have booked a date to sign the register (usually a few days before your actual wedding) then you can go ahead and hire a celebrant. Make sure that you do your research and find someone who is a good fit. Most celebrants will offer a no obligation meeting with you so that you can both decide if you are suited! A celebrant's job is to listen to you and to your ideas in the months running up to your wedding, and is usually very open to discuss any creative ideas you have as well as offering up their own. The joy of a celebrant is that you have plenty of time to plan the ceremony and you know exactly who you will be up there with you, supporting you and making you feel less nervous. If you do decide to use a registrar, you will only meet them on the day of the wedding. I don't know what you're like, but I would not feel happy unless I knew who was officiating one of the most important days of my life.

The Ceremony Magic There are so many magical touches you can add with a celebrant led wedding, for example you might have want to include a nod to your heritage, using rituals or music to reflect this (your celebrant will be very knowledgeable about how you can do this) An independent celebrant is able to include religious content which many couples like. You might want to enter the venue in a novel or interesting way, you can include live music, your own poems or unusual ways to read your personal hand written vows. Handwritten personal vows and unbelievably romantic and they cause many a tear at wedding ceremonies, particularly if the couple don't share what they have written until the big day.

Children are always a delight to include in a ceremony and using unity rituals to symbolise the bringing together of families is also very popular. In vogue at the moment are handfasting rituals - the original pagan symbol meaning 'tying the knot' . If you are feeling a little wild you can offer shots, include quizzes, singalongs and cocktail rituals as part of the whole wedding ceremony. Believe me that nothing is too crazy for a celebrant - in fact most will embrace this with joy. Many couples choose a themed wedding - for example a ceremony that is Harry Potter, Peaky Blinders or vampire themed can be a lot of fun and with everything being personalised around your chosen theme. This is very different from a registrar led ceremony which relies on prescriptive vows and repeating legal words.

Location You can hold your ceremony anywhere - on a boat, in a tent or of course a more standard location, but the main thing to remember is that the venue doesn't need to be licensed. With the proposed change in law - which would license the officiant rather than the venue this is a big consideration for couples planning to marry in 2024 or 2025.

Having a wedding celebrant to tell your love story is a fresh and magical way to captivate everyone in the room. Your unique story can be heard in the setting of your choice and with the atmosphere, elements and rituals that are unique to you both. A celebrant,like me, can turn your dreams into your actual wedding ceremony that everyone will remember forever. So start the dreaming and then watch the magic begin.