How to make your ceremony lovingly memorable by choosing a Registrar, Humanist, or a Celebrant that is right for you.
Whether it’s a …
A wedding;
A naming ceremony;
A commitment to love;
A funeral; or
A memorial.
The day is extremely important to you, because whatever the reason for the ceremony, you are celebrating love, and all that there was, and all that there is to come.
You can have who you want to hold your ceremony
Long gone are the days where these types of ceremonies are held in churches or registry offices, steeped in tradition with the same words spoken to the same people. Although, if you are traditional and religious then that’s ok, everybody is different.
And that is the reason why I became a celebrant. I tailor your ceremony to you, not base it on what I said at the last ceremony I held. They were different people, had different beliefs, had different values, and have a different perception about love.
With times changing, there are many different types of let’s say ceremony guides so you have a choice of who is right for you, let’s explore the options.
A humanist is non-religious and will not hold a ceremony with any mention of religion
A humanist is very similar to a celebrant, holding individual, tailored ceremonies in line with your wishes except they still live life a certain way, a non-religious life. They will therefore only hold secular ceremonies (a ceremony not connected to any religious or spiritual matters.)
If you are looking for a ceremony that is different to tradition but still want a mention of religion or religious vows, a humanist ceremony is not for you.
A registrar will officiate only in an approved building and will have no mention of religion in the ceremony
Limited by choice of venue and not ideal for those of you wanting something different like a wedding in a forest, up a mountain, or flying a kite on your favourite hill, or scattering the ashes of your loved one amongst the trees. A registrar has certain hours when they officiate and the prices go up to hold the ceremony, if you want it after 5pm or on a weekend.
I would say a registrar is a more formal approach, and one to have to officiate if you still want the pomp and circumstance of a church service, but with no religion involved.
A celebrant will write and conduct your ceremony where, and how you want it
A celebrant will be led by you and what you want, there are no rules, no boundaries, and nothing is too ‘out there.’ It can be as simple as having a ceremony in your back garden to saying your vows on a mountainside. A celebrant will write and conduct your ceremony to how you want it.
The best thing for you to do is decide where and how you would like your ceremony to be. It’s important to you that it is what you want. Say you want your wedding in a forest but your parents want a church, it’s not them that are getting married, it’s you.
If you want to have a farewell ceremony and scatter the ashes of your Father, but your Auntie wants an official funeral, I suggest you sit down and have a conversation with love and kindness about how you feel.
And if your children and step-children are to attend your wedding, how about having a naming ceremony at the same time so you feel like one big family?
There are no set rules for a celebrant led ceremony
Anything goes when I am your celebrant. I trained and qualified in being a celebrant because I want you to have the freedom of choice, after all why shouldn’t you have things the way you want?
It’s your life and a very special day whether it’s saying goodbye to someone you love, committing to love and a relationship, or having your children, step-children, or adopted children named so they too feel like they belong with you.
You can book me as your celebrant in advance and we can chat about what you would like on the day
If you would like me as your celebrant the first thing to do is get in touch with me using the contact details below. We will have a brief chat about the type of ceremony you want and on what date. Then we will hold the date for a small deposit.
I will let you know what official paperwork you need (if any,) depending on the type of ceremony, then we will book a more in depth conversation for nearer the ceremony date.
The more in-depth conversation is so I can find out more about you, what you like and don’t like, and if it’s a funeral, then how you felt about your loved one when they were alive. If it’s a naming ceremony I like to meet the children too, just so it’s more relaxed on the day and if they are older, perhaps they would like to say a few words on the day as well.
With a commitment to love ceremony, no request is too ‘out there’, I even suggested to a wonderful person who meditates, that vows can be done in silence. I promise you, anything goes.
What you have got to remember is you don’t have to feel a certain way and you don’t have to have anything or say anything you don’t want. I will write and conduct your day how you want it.
Allow me to make your day magical.
Andrea Jackson – The Holistic Celebrant
Telephone – 07929331142
Email – andrea@theholisticcelebrant.co.uk