Weddings
Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life.
It should be incredibly special, meaningful and memorable.
Weddings
Congratulations!!!
If you’re here, you must be planning your wedding and looking for an experienced, highly trained, popular and professional wedding celebrant.
You clearly value the importance of having a wedding ceremony that reflects who you are as a couple. In other words, your uniqueness, your individuality and your story.
My name is Carol and in my eight years as a celebrant, I have led over 300 weddings and no two have been the same.
We will work closely together, for around the four to six months leading to your wedding, to craft the ceremony that is perfect for you, to ensure lasting and happy memories of your special day.
It will be as individual as you are; a ceremony that reflects your personalities and is perfectly tuned to the love you share.
Without the constraints of church or registry office, you have the freedom to choose a venue for your wedding ceremony that is special to you.
It could be a beautiful wedding venue, maybe a castle, a stately home, barn, farm or country manor, or a location that you love to visit, a windswept beach, a beautiful meadow, or even a quiet family gathering in your own home and garden. The choice is yours.
I follow a traditional structure, so your guests will recognise the different parts of your wedding ceremony. However, it certainly won’t be old-fashioned. And, as you are not bound by rules or tradition, you are free to let your imagination inspire you.
Your ceremony can be as secular or as spiritual or religious as you wish.
I am happy to include any special elements or family traditions that are important and meaningful to you.
Some couples want a traditional wedding, with traditional vows. Their ceremony is personalised through the telling of their love story, what brought them to this moment, and their hopes and dreams for their future together.
Some couples want to add special elements, for example a Celtic Handfasting to give a nod to Scottish ancestry, or an Arras Money Ceremony, a Filipino wedding custom. I have even had 2 very large snorting pigs go up the aisle in a German, Glucksschwein, good luck wedding tradition.
For some couples, the wedding ceremony means that two families are joining together. A Unity Sand Ceremony or Unity Candle Ceremony, can symbolise the blended family they have become.
My prices page gives you a brief insight into some of these special elements.
I really enjoy the experience of working together with a couple and seeing their wedding ceremony evolve. Poems and readings are suggested, music is chosen, vows are written and gradually their dreams take shape. And, as we’ve got to know each other over this time, there is very little apprehension or wedding day nerves.
Your ceremony will capture the joy and excitement you feel on starting married life together. It will leave your family and friends smiling and uplifted and ready to celebrate your day.
Click here for an explanation of the similarities and differences between a celebrant-led and a registrar-led wedding
Some WeddingsTo Inspire You
My family is very important to me, so let me introduce them to you ! This is my wonderful son, Stewart and his beautiful bride, Lorna. They have made me a proud grandmother twice over !
Stewart and Lorna chose to have a very traditional wedding. They married in the beautiful Butleigh Church, followed by a wonderful reception at Coombe Lodge, Blagdon. I’m very pleased to say that I am leading a wedding ceremony there, this summer.
This is my youngest daughter, Camilla, (Milly) and Ben. They had planned a very large, destination wedding, to Lake Bled in Slovenia, in 2020. Unfortunately, this never happened, due to Covid and Lockdown regulations.
Instead, we had a beautiful, small and intimate ceremony, which included a handfasting, on the Dillington Estate, and I got to be the celebrant!
My eldest daughter, Sophie, on the other hand, chose a very different style of wedding. We had a weekend, wedfest Tipi wedding overlooking Chew Valley Lake.
There was a wonderful festival vibe, we ate pie and mash for the wedding breakfast and had a hog roast in the evening. Breakfast was bacon sandwiches and mugs of tea.
I was lucky enough to lead a wedding for a lovely couple there myself last year.
So, three very different weddings, not just in style but in every way. However, they were all wonderful, unique and truly joyous accasions.
Oh, and both Sophie and Milly have made me a happy grandmother too ! I now have five altogether!
Kayleigh and Ryan chose to include a handfasting element in their wedding ceremony. Whilst their hands were bound we shared the reading, ‘Blessing of the Hands’.
Then they gently released their hands and each taking an end of the unity cord, well and truly TIED THE KNOT !
Guess on which day Laura and Karl had their truly amazing wedding at Wickbottom Barn in Wiltshire?
Why, May the 4th ( be with you)!
Laura’s words in her vows to Karl,
‘I pledge never to sell your Star Wars collection….. for less than it is worth’
had everyone in complete uproar !
Sarah and Giles, had a completely unique and unforgettable wedding,. Their ceremony was full of fun and celebrated the joining of their families and the rich heritage they each brought to the union.
It included a bagpiper, lots of kilts, a Filipino Arras Money ceremony, and a lucky chimney sweep that came up the aisie for a kiss, being followed by two grunting pigs, Glucksschwein, in the time-honoured German tradition. It finished with a Celtic Blessing – a version of ‘Toasts to the Lassies and Laddies,’ that would have made Robbie Burns turn in his grave !
Emma and Ollie’s Outdoor Wedding at Coombe Lodge Blagdon was filled with laughter and tears. Mostly laughter at Ollie’s tears – he started sobbing when the first bridesmaid appeared and couldn’t stop!
Their ceremony celebrated a journey that began when they first met. They were both 12 years old and it was the first day of year 7 at their new school.
We also celebrated the start of their new journey together, with everything the future holds.
Michelle and Stu had a romantic and magical Christmas wedding at Beaverbrook Manor Farm, in Cricket Malherbie. It was held over a long, fun-filled weekend, which saw family and friends sporting reindeer onesies and Christmas jumpers – but not for the ceremony!
Their ceremony included a handfasting with a unity cord that matched the wedding colours of navy, burgundy and cream.
However, the star of the show was their little baby, Morgan, who carried the wedding rings in his pram!
Helen and Derek have one of the most beautiful gardens that I have ever seen. It was the perfect place for their small and intimate wedding.
Helen and Derek each asked their oldest friend to share some memories of their times together, for their wedding readings.
These were kept as a suprise for the ceremony. As you can imagine, we got to hear some amusing anecdotes of their wilder, teenage years!
Following the Parchment Signing, champagne, which had been chilling on ice, was popped open.
Toasting the Bride and Groom on a lovely, warm afternoon in such a special place, was a moment of pure joy!
Tess and Dave had a beautiful country wedding in the amazing garden and paddock of her parent’s home in the Quantocks.
The garden was stunning. The result of a whole year of hard work to make it picture perfect.
Jugs and jars of garden flowers, sunflowers growing up a home-made rustic arch and Tess arriving on her dad’s rusty old tractor, certainly made their wedding ceremony a personal, unique and memorable occasion.
Sacha and Ross shared their wedding date with Meghan and Harry.
They chose the most perfect day for their Wildwood bluebell wedding. The ground was a carpet of blue. The summer sun dappling through the trees created the most magical effect.
Can you see how the beautiful bridesmaids are sitting facing the guests? The same number of groomsmen were on the other side.
This seating arrangement is stunningly effective. It creates a natural enclosure for the ceremony space, the guests are treated to a wonderful scene and of course, the photos are AMAZING !
Matt and Katie had a wonderful, weekend, wedfest wedding in Partyfield in Dorset.
Many couples choose their readings for their readers. Other couples let their readers choose the readings themselves.
Katie’s sister kept her reading as a surprise for the ceremony. It was a beautiful tribute.
I print all readings onto parchment paper and tie them with satin ribbons to match the wedding colours.
Jennie and Greg are a great couple who moved to Australia, but came back home for their wedding ceremony. It was held at Woodford Farm, near Wells.
All the planning was done long distance and we didn’t meet until the day before, which was very exciting!
Jennie and Greg included a bespoke parchment signing in their wedding ceremony.
Check out the amazing skills of their florist, Luce Loves Flowers.
Louise and Ian had an amazing, family centered wedding, with their two boys and little dog, playing major parts too.
Their venue was stunning, a converted engine house in Trelion, Cornwall. It had amazing views across the Fal Valley, which made a beautiful backdrop for their ceremony.
Many of their friends had young children. It was lovely to see them well catered for, with child minders, play tents and entertainment, leaving the adults free to have their own fun!
Tanya and Tom had a wed-fest wedding with a country and western vibe.
Lots of hay bales, jeans, cowboy boots and an amazing ceremony space, overlooking Chew Valley Lake.
A shaky moment in their wedding ceremony was during the exchange of rings. Their best man, known for being a joker, had swopped the rings in their boxes with jubilee clips, and, for an instant, as the boxes were opened, we just looked on in stunned silence !
Ellie and Chris had their outdoor wedding on a scorcher of a day.
I just love the sheer joy captured on Chris’s face as he sees his bride walking towards him.
Ellie and Chris chose to include a wedding parchment signing in their ceremony.
The day just got hotter and hotter, so we decided to move the signing to just after the ceremony and held it inside the barn, accompanied with Champagne and canapes. It was delightful !
Deirdre and Roger had a Renewal of Vows Ceremony, to celebrate 25 years of marriage !
They both very much felt that their first wedding ceremony didn’t really reflect them as a couple and so wanted a more intimate and personal ceremony the second time around.
It was a wonderful opportunity to include their two grown up children and to thank their close family and friends for their love and support over the years.
Roger got a wedding ring this time around and treated Deirdre to a new one too!
This is me on the way to a wedding ceremony in Cornwall. I saw the sign and made Brian park up and take a quick pic.
I’m lucky that as we have a small place in Padstow. It means I am able to cover the whole of the Southwest and beyond.
And the good news for my couples is that mileage costs for Cornish and Devon weddings are from Padstow, and therefore kept low.
For more information or to discuss you own personal needs, please email me or complete the online Contact form.
My blog
I love writing my blog. I try and answer many of the questions that I get asked on it. In addition, I share tips, ideas and beautiful moments from my wedding ceremonies. In other words, I try to make it useful to you.
A Vow Renewal Ceremony
Carla & Zeus: A Love reaffirmed - Five years of Marriage, Forever to Go. On a golden September day, Carla and Zeus, with their closest family and their two precious dogs, stood hand in hand once more - not at the beginning of their journey, but beautifully...
An Evening Handfasting
An evening handfasting ceremony. An evening handfasting ceremony is a great idea, for many different reasons. It could be that you like the romance of tying the knot just as the sun is going down over the horizon, lighting the sky in red and gold as it slowly slips...
Six Top Tips for Writing your own Wedding Vows
Hannah and Stephen saying their tender and loving vows to one another, under a beautiful flower chuppah at Coombe Lodge, Blagdon. Heather Bailey Photography Lucy and Caleb saying their vows in the stunning Orangery at St Audries Park Six Top Tips for Writing...
T's & C's
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Ceremonies
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T's & C's
- Pricing
- GDPR Policy
- Cookie Policy
- Booking
Ceremonies
Links
Get in Touch
- Carol@somersetcelebrant.com
- +44 (0) 7530 570 943
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