You’re getting married in your home county, it’s exciting but also nerve-wracking. A lot has changed in beautiful and sleepy Wickford, but a lot has also stayed the same. The world of weddings is no different. While there is so much about it that is steeped in traditions and convention, these days you can fly in the face of tradition and completely design your own ceremony from the ground up. There’s a lot more to it than you might think though, and enlisted help might be a good card to play. The experts at designing ceremonies are without a doubt the marriage celebrants. They’ll work with you leading up to the event and then on the day speak the words you designed with them. Here are the top 20 marriage celebrants we could find available in Wickford.
It’s All About The Day
For Anita Koch, it truly is all about the day. That’s when the magic really happens, and that’s when everything needs to be executed perfectly without a hitch. Anita started her business It’s All About The Day because she wanted to be involved in helping people realise that they can make their ceremony be whatever they want it to be. Working with you closely leading up to the event is vital, because it means that you have as much time as possible to properly work out what you want to say. If you’re unsure how to phrase it, Anita is a very experienced writer of vows and always too happy to help.
Katie Deverell
Katie Deverell’s approach is all about designer ceremonies and bespoke services. Katie likes to create an absolutely specific and unique ceremony for each couple out there. Each new couple is a whole new challenge and a privilege. Katie loves the opportunity to get to know new people closely, learn about their love story, and then help them turn it into the romantic ceremony of their dreams. Her ceremonies could include special readings that resonate with you, or alternative acts of commitment such as hand fasting or candle lighting. Whatever you decide, Katie will be there to make it happen.
Linda Morgan
Linda is from a wholly different but no less valid tradition of marriage ceremonies – the Humanist movement. Humanism is all about the simple tenets of celebrating each other, humans, and the love, tolerance and respect we can have for each other. As such, Humanist ceremonies are not tied to any specific sect and often contain no religious aspects at all. Linda is an expert in humanist ceremony design, but also, she’s one of the friendliest celebrants you’ll ever meet, and they’re all pretty friendly!
Bridget Sapiano
Bridget brings a refreshing flexibility to the role, emphasising your input in the creative process, making sure the ceremony and vows are exactly how you want them to be, just with her expertise helping you along in the right direction. The bubbly and clever celebrant behind the elegant and inviting celebrancy house known as Milestone Services. Bridget is an independent celebrant who offers innovative alternatives in an industry where the traditional has been the norm for so long.
Lynne O’Hara Celebrant & Toastmaster
Leading up to the day Lynne will work with you closely to help you find the right wording for your vows, and for the whole ceremony. She’ll help you pick a beautiful location, a theme and other important aspects like music or readings you want included. Then on the day itself, she becomes the Lynne the Lady Toastmaster! A confident master of ceremonies unlike any other. Lynne O’Hara is a quirky and engaging celebrant with a real flair for getting to know people and bringing out the best in them.
True Blue Ceremonies
Katie Keen founded True Blue Ceremonies, and became an independent celebrant after nearly ten years of working as a registrar, signing off on civil partnerships and ceremonies. The restrictions in time and style that comes with being a civil registrar means you don’t get to take your time and plan the special, once in a lifetime ceremonies that comes with independent celebrancy. With True Blue Ceremonies, Katie can take her time with you, writing the ceremony from scratch with you.
Daisy Chain Civil Celebrant
Daisy will work with you to create the perfect bespoke ceremony from the ground up, from the vows, through poetry and readings that you have personally selected, all the way to choice of venue and how its all going to go down on the day. The only limit is your imagination, she will make it a reality.
Daisy is a special kind of person. A true professional who takes her work very seriously, but at the same time is a down to earth, approachable person to deal with.
Peter Ryder
Amazingly each new couple is still like a brand new experience to Peter Ryder, and an experience that he adores being a part of. You can have the ceremony literally everywhere, it doesn’t have to be a licensed venue. It doesn’t even have to have a roof! You can have it in a field, a garden, or a lovely beach. There are so many aspects of the ceremony that can be involved as well, from broom jumping, hand-fasting, candle lighting, or reading of poetry and music that means something special to you. Peter Ryder is a veteran of organising ceremonies, and he has seen and done it all.
Caroline Black
Once described as the atheist ‘Vicar of Dibley’, which for the right people is as good as testimonials get.Caroline Black is an active member of the British Humanist Association, and a perfect choice for a secular wedding occasion. She has a wide range of experience hosting a myriad of events outside of wedding celebrancy as well, including Remembrance Day services for the London Borough of Ealing, and Light Up A Life for the North London Hospice. Caroline is someone who understands the delicate sensibilities that go with each individual, unique event.
Yvonne Bracken-Kemish
For those looking for something non-traditional, but still special and with loads of family and friends watching on with smiles on their faces, a humanist wedding can really make the day even more memorable than it was already bound to be. As with all humanist weddings, it should be mentioned that the legal issuing of a marriage certificate also needs to be completed at the Register office. Another brilliant option for those interested in a humanist wedding, is Yvonne Bracken-Kemish. Yvonne is a part of the Sutton Humanists group, and she understands that no two wedding ceremonies are the same, and everyone has a different idea of what they want their day to be like.
Sue Dowell
Leading up to your special day, Sue Dowell will consult with you one on one and get to know you as people, working with you to create a ceremony that is word for word your own, unique, personalised service. On your wedding day, it’s all about you! Sue is the professional celebrant behind Sue Dowell Celebrancy, a bespoke celebrancy service with options tailored just for you.On the day she will take the reins and officiate, allowing you to relax and enjoy the experience, knowing you have had everything covered.
Unique Ceremony
Gwen is a versatile and independent celebrant, ready and willing to perform any manner of ceremony as well as weddings, such as a baby naming, an adoption ceremony, vow renewals, among others, but she really shines when it comes to weddings. The best thing about Gwen is her versatility and her independence from affiliations. She is not professionally linked to any church, religious or humanist organisations, meaning that she can perform literally any ceremony you like, be it secular, religious or something really non-traditional.
Rachel Dale
Rachel Dale trained in celebrancy with the desire of offering a more personal touch, feeling disillusioned with how impersonal some ceremonies can be when done by someone who doesn’t engage or believe in the service.A real creative, Rachel has an extensive professional background in acting, meaning she will be bringing a level of competence, confidence and flair to the role that you’re unlikely to find elsewhere.
WeddingsBlessingsFunerals
A ceremony with WeddingsBlessingsFunerals can be performed anywhere, from a church to inside a hot air balloon, and anywhere on the spectrum in between. Claire is the celebrant behind WeddingsBlessingsFunerals, an independent and interfaith celebrancy service, specialising in unique, tailored services and spiritual counselling. Claire doesn’t specialise in a particular kind of ceremony, and prefers to tailor the experience she provides to you, your preferences and your beliefs.
Rosemary Taylorson
A trained and professional humanist celebrant, Rosemary is all about creating intimacy through deeply personalised ceremonies crafted alongside you and with your advice and friendship.
Looking for that elegant, dignified wedding ceremony of your dreams? But maybe you don’t want to go with the rigid conventions of an absolutely traditional wedding? It’s hard sometimes to strike a balance. No one strikes that balance like Rosemary Taylorson.
Jennie Shotton
After her own wedding ceremony, in which the celebrant hosting it made her day that much more special and memorable, Jennie Shotton decided that she wanted to do for others what they did for her, so she became a celebrant to spread the love and positivity that often comes when working with one as professional as Jennie. Jennie is a professional celebrant from the fellowship of professional celebrants, and she will work with you closely and personally to create and design the ceremony not that you feel you should have, but the one you want in your heart.
Rosalind Curtis
Ros came to the industry through a solemn and tragic occasion – her own parents’ passing. What she noticed however, was the great comfort something as simple as a personalised, careful service delivered with love provided, and how it made everyone feel about celebrating the life of a lost loved one on the day. After this special event in her life Ros Curtis did some research, and discovered that celebrants can also celebrate moments of great joy, conducting weddings and name givings as well as more solemn occasions, and has since gone on to develop a great passion for helping couples in love celebrate their special day. An honest and friendly humanist celebrant, with 13 years conducting ceremonies.
Kate Gee
Humanism is relevant to everyone, even the deeply and devoutly religious, because it is simply about celebrating life, love, and the interconnectedness between us all. Kate Gee uses her passion for working with people, mixed with her humanist beliefs, to create ceremonies that are bespoke, interesting and entertaining. While Kate is a humanist herself, she acknowledges that you don’t have to be humanist as well simply to have a humanist ceremony.
Vivienne Donnithorne
A truly great celebrant for anyone looking to celebrate their love and commitment who aren’t looking for a religion based ceremony. Vivienne Donnithorne is a celebrant who really loves her work, and it shows. Vivienne has been conducting humanist ceremonies for over two decades, and in that time her passion for celebrating life and love through crafting bespoke ceremonies has never gone away. In her ceremonies, Vivienne likes to focus on the common values held among us all, focusing on humanity, family, warmth and love.
Mark Hayford
Over a decade’s experience, and for Mark it never gets old. Mark is another celebrant who came to the job from a solemn occasion, but it was a positive connection with the celebrant who inspired him that brought him over, and that celebrant is now a colleague and a friend. Mark finds conducting ceremonies, particularly weddings, moving and uplifting.
