April 2025
Can our pets make
Weddings Even More Special ?
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For some, their beloved dogs are as important to them as their family and friends at a wedding. A study showed that pets at a wedding were up by 20 % making it one of the biggest wedding trends. Being a pet friendly Celebrant it is such fun to see beloved pets involved in the Ceremony.
You will need to find out if the venue is pet friendly and also have a reliable person to pet sit the dog most of the day.
There are lots of ways to involve your dog at your wedding ceremony. They could walk you down the aisle, dress them in the same flowers as the bridesmaids, include them in your first dance. Of course there is an ultimate role of being the ring bearer - you can buy special pouches that easily clip onto the dogs collar to keep the rings safe.
This can be such a wonderful surprise for all your guests - it’s sure to be a talking point - woof!!
March 2025
Bride Bouquets
The secret language of flowers
Spring is in the air and flowers are starting to bloom. As a Celebrant, this reminds me of the most beautiful bride bouquets I have seen - there is so much choice of colour, type, shape and smells to name a few.
So, what is the history behind this popular tradition?
Well, it goes back a long way to ancient Roman times. Brides carried fragrant herbs and spices to ward off evil spirits at weddings. They also wore floral garlands as a symbol of fertility, fidelity and new beginnings.
In the middle ages, brides carried bouquets of perfume scented flowers which could help mask their body odour!!
The groom also can wear a flower in his buttonhole which stems from the medieval tradition of a man wearing his bride's choice of colours to declare his love - so romantic!!
The word Bouquet originally comes from an old French term meaning 'clump of trees' - I guess that would be far too big for a bride to carry down the aisle on her wedding day!!
Happy St Patrick’s Day
As a Celebrant, I am always interested in wedding traditions so Ireland it’s your turn. Horseshoes and Shamrocks were considered lucky at weddings and interwoven in the decorations, bouquets or sewn on the wedding dress itself. Brides were given Claddagh rings which represented friendship, love, loyalty and marriage – two hands clasping a heart with a crown. The ringing of bells were thought to scare away evil spirits. So, bells became a traditional gift for the newlyweds. Irish kilts were popular for the groom, especially in the USA – unlike the Scottish Kilt which represent Clans, the Irish kilt represents counties and districts. We typically think of green as a colour synonymous of Ireland but for centuries the flag was a gold harp on a blue background (think of the Ryan Air logo) and therefore blue became a popular colour, even for wedding dresses representing fidelity and purity. St Patrick, the man himself was the patron Saint of Ireland. He was kidnapped at 16 by Irish Pirates in Britain where he lived, and was taken to Ireland as a slave – he escaped and returned to the UK but later when back to Ireland to convert the Irish to Christianity – he also used the Shamrock to explain the Trinity – The Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Sláinte – Cheers !!
February 2025
White Shades of a Bridal Gown
Royal weddings have always been a spectacle especially the anticipated arrival of the bride to see what they are wearing like Kate Middleton, Diana Spencer to name a few.
On February 10, 185 years ago a young Queen Victoria, at the age of 20, married the love of her life, Prince Albert and made a monumental change to the colour choice of wedding dresses by wearing a beautiful white English silk gown highlighting her lace, and Albert’s wedding gift to her of a Sapphire brooch surrounded by 12 diamonds.
Her dress was unlike that which any monarch had worn before her - the most popular wedding colour had been Red.
The choice of white had nothing to do with a sign of Purity then and she also asked for no one else to wear white to her wedding apart from her bridesmaids -she also requested to be buried in White.
The white bridal gown has stood the test of time and is still the preferred colour of choice to walk down the aisle on that special day – nice one Victoria – you were a fashion icon of your day!
Who is Father Valentine?
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Valentines Day on Feb 14 is a bit of a mystery – but where did it originate from?
One of the most accepted stories comes from Rome in the 3rd century. A priest named Saint Valentine married young couples in secret because the Emperor wanted men to remain single as they made better soldiers! The Emperor found out that Father Valentine was marrying people so he imprisoned him to be executed. It is said that his sentence was carried out on 14 February 270 AD and so he became a Martyr to love and marriage to this day. What a guy!!
If you are looking for a Celebrant in the month of love R.S.V.P.
January 2025
Are traditional weddings taking a
U-turn?
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We have come a long way since a wedding was organised to bind women to men to ensure that a man's children were truly his biological heirs!
Many couples are not following wedding traditions, like cutting the cake, having the first dance, formal speeches but are deciding to put on a relaxing and enjoyable dinner with friends and family without having to be chained to include any traditions. The Ceremony is the opportunity to say what the couple want to say and they can truly make it unique to their dreams as well as engaging and including their guests. As a Celebrant I, of course, will agree the ceremony is one of the major highlights of the wedding for everyone!
