Remember to budget for your celebrant
Planning your wedding is undoubtedly the most exciting, not to mention nerve wracking, of experiences, let’s face it, you’re planning a new life together and want the day to be perfect in every way.
You’ve made your list of things that need to be checked off, everything from how much you have to spend on the day to where you want to go on your Honeymoon.
There are plenty of magazines that can offer you checklists to make sure you haven’t overlooked a single detail; from securing your Date and Venue to the all important Hen and Stag Parties and giving you spreadsheets to ensure you allocate enough money from your budget to cover each item but it is incredible how often one very significant detail can be overlooked in all these lists; engaging your Celebrant, and paying their fee.
You’ve had your marriage legalised by attending the registry office; you’ve paid their fee, and now you want to be able to enjoy your Ceremonial Wedding Day with all your friends and family around you. Naturally you want your Day to be a unique event and this is why it is so vital to remember why your Celebrant is worth every penny they charge for what they do.
Your Celebrant has spent a considerable period of time and money training to fill their role they are going to spend at least an hour getting to know you, and giving you the chance to get to know them on a discovery consultation.
There will be further consultations in the weeks, even months, leading up to your day and, each time, they are going to take as long as need be in order to answer your questions; address any concerns you have and check, check and triple check every detail they incorporate into the ceremony so that you have absolute confidence in them, and they know they are going to deliver the ceremony that embraces who you are.
They will take time to go through pre-wedding rehearsals, essential when there are a number of people going to be involved with the ceremony and again, they are going to be the calm in the centre of all the nerves that will inevitably come to the surface at this time.
On the day, they will have arrived at the venue well in advance of anyone else; depending the venue, they may have also brought their own PA system to ensure everyone can hear what is being said during the ceremony.
They will be the epitome of calm for you both in the lead up to the ceremony; the voice of encouragement for those who are also participating, and they will have copies not only of their script, but all the readings to be incorporated because nerves can cause amnesia. Some even bring spare rings – again you never know.
They will hold your space; tell your story and guide you through your vows. They will smile reassuringly as you speak, giggle and laugh with nerves and be the first to welcome you as you begin your new life together.
We are your Master of Ceremonies, we will guide you and your guests throughout the entire ceremony and we will make your day truly memorable.
No Celebrant has an hourly rate;
No Celebrant will simply walk into an event, say a few words, then walk away.
No Celebrant will be found via an advert in The Stage – yes couples have advertised for actors to ‘perform’ their ceremony in return for a fee of £100 in such publications. That is not what we do
We put all we have into creating the beating heart of your day; you deserve nothing less. Likewise, when we state our fees, knowing what we do, we also deserve nothing less so please remember to keep your Celebrant high on your To-Do list when you are budgeting for your day.
Many thanks to Gillian Johnston -Scots Celebrant for this article.
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