I hope you will find the answer to many of your questions here, but if you don’t please give me a call or contact me via the contact sheet on my website. There is no such thing as a silly question! You will also find that on lots of occasions my answer is “you can have anything you want – it’s your day!” and in these cases I would give you my honest and professional opinion as to whether I think it is a good idea or how your idea will run smoothest on the day.
1) How long is the Ceremony?
As you will see above, there is no set answer to this question – however my price includes a half hour ceremony for weddings, or around 20 minutes for a Baby Naming. This is a pretty standard amount of time for a good quality ceremony. Any less feels rushed and much longer your guests will start to fidget!
2) How many ceremonies do I take on each year?
This is an important question for me to answer because I have a limited number of ceremonies each year. I’d say its around a maximum of 24. Crucially this is because I only take on one ceremony per day. Added to this is the fact that I have a very good work life balance which means I do not offer ceremonies every weekend – I like to have some family time too! I don’t go in to each year with set dates, I very much allow my enquiries to sculpt the year for me (apart from pre booked holidays away or family occasions).
3) How soon should I book?
Based on the answer to Q 2) above it is important that you book with me as soon as you can because once your date is gone, it’s gone! If you are set on using me but have no venue yet you can still book but I would need commitment from you that your venue will be within a certain area to secure a set price.
4) How long am I at the venue for on the day?
I aim to arrive 1 hour before the start of ceremony. This gives me time to check in with your venue staff as well as photographer or videographer and anyone else involved in the ceremony such as musicians. The extra time means I can ensure the room is ready, the people reading for you are ready and venue staff are fully versed in what is going to happen and when it’s going to happen as well as planning for playing entrance / exit music. Once the ceremony is finished I love nothing more than taking in the atmosphere of your confetti shot and some of your photos. When there is a break in photos I usually take my opportunity to say goodbye to you and wish you well.
5) Do I offer equal opportunities to all couples?
A big fat YES for this question. I know many couples find it hard to ask the question “Do you cater for the LGBTQ+ community?”. Yes I do. Love is Love and I embrace it all. It doesn’t matter to me who you are, where you come from or who you love. If you want a special and personal ceremony that’s all I care about.
6) What do I wear on the day?
I prefer to stay away from a corporate suit look and would rather opt for a formal alternative. I usually consider your colour scheme so that I do not match your bridesmaids for example. I would also need to factor in the weather if we are going for an outdoor ceremony – this can include sparkly wellies if required!
7) What is my contingency plan if I cannot attend on the day?
Firstly let me tell you that I would have to be on my death bed before I would even consider not turning up for your special day. But if the worst happens you can be assured I have a full plan of action in place to make sure you are not let down. At the very first opportunity I (or my family) would instruct a fellow Celebrant from a list of trusted suppliers to take my place and they would be fully versed in everything they need to know in order to deliver the script we have planned together.
8) Do I offer a payment plan?
I would be happy to discuss any payment plans with you on an individual basis. My terms are a 50% deposit at the point of our consultation with the remaining 50% payable 6 weeks before the ceremony. Depending on the lead time I would often require a 20% booking fee (non refundable) to secure your date. Between you booking me and the date of your ceremony we can work out a payment plan to suit you, so long as 50% is received before I start writing for you and the full amount is paid by 6 weeks before your ceremony.
If the answer to your question is not here please contact me to discuss.
