Blog – Page 3 – Nick Webb Celebrant

Naming ceremony – Not just for babies!

Often when people think of naming ceremony their thoughts are immediately drawn to the idea of newborn babies, presented neatly in beautiful outfits ready to make their earthside debut. Whilst a truly beautiful image and one often seen this isn’t the only look for a naming ceremony. Did you know that you can hold a naming ceremony for older children too?

With no age limit on a naming ceremony it means that it is not confined to exclusively being a ceremony just for babies. It may be that you never got around to organising something for your little one and now find you have the time and would like to have this special memory together. For older children it is often paired with a special or significant time in their life, a milestone birthday is a popular choice for timing. With a birthday party you already have much of the family gathering so having a naming ceremony and a party is a popular way to go.

It may be that you have had more children since your first and would now like to hold one ceremony for all of your children. This is a lush way of signifying the growing family and allows older children to really get involved in the ceremony itself. You may want them to read a poem or choose a song to be played, whatever it is the involvement for a child in a ceremony such as this can provide them with a real sense of achievement and pride making the day feel all the more special to them.

A naming ceremony is also an incredibly popular choice for adopted children of any age. This way of celebrating and welcoming them into your family is ever growing in its popularity. Rounding up some of your nearest and dearest to celebrate in this way is something many of us are opting to participate in. Its also helped that a naming ceremony is completely bespoke to you. You can meet with your chosen celebrant several times prior to the day and plan out every aspect together, meaning no two ceremonies will be exactly the same.

So why not think about a naming ceremony for your little ones, no matter their age/s. You can find everything you need right here on my website but if you want to talk things through then go ahead and contact me today and lets have a chat!

I just got engaged! What next?

And just like that, the day you’ve been waiting so long for has arrived. You’ve gotten engaged to the love of your life, YAY!

Congratulations to you both!

But now that the engagement party comes to an end your left with one question… what do I do now? Having never had to plan a wedding previously this bit can suddenly feel very overwhelming so here’s my answer. Decide on your date AND choose your celebrant!

These might not have been the answers you expected but let me explain myself. It is vital that you get a date pinned in. Some of the most sought-after dates can get booked up way in advance and so if you have an exact date in mind then it really is important that you get that set-in stone. Once you know the date then the next best move you can make is to choose your celebrant.

You may not have thought that this would be particularly high on your list of things to do but choosing the right celebrant can make everything else about planning your wedding just that little bit easier. With the right celebrant you will soon know and understand that their job is so much more than rocking up to help you say your vows and leaving again. Once you have chosen your celebrant you can have as many meetings with them prior to your wedding as you want. The main job role of the celebrant is to help you plan out the ceremony and take care of that aspect of the day, but you might just find that they can help you in other areas too. It may initially feel a little odd for your celebrant to be asking about the other parts of your day, but having worked many weddings your celebrant just might hold the answer to other suppliers you might need. If you have an exact vision for your day, then it might be that your celebrant has previously worked with someone they know can deliver and can dive into their contact list and help you find the person you need. Alternatively, you may be sitting across from your celebrant with no firm ideas and so need nudging into the right places to find people. Either way the right celebrant for you will be wholly focused on you and your special day. They will ensure that your ceremony is everything you need it to be and can walk you through the entire process step by step. Making this part of the planning run so smoothly can be a huge weight lifted from your shoulders freeing you up to tackle all the other areas of the day.

The important thing is to be completely reassured you are not alone in the planning process. Don’t let the planning stage consume you, you want to be able to enjoy all of the build up as well as the big day once it finally arrives.

How long should the engagement be?

It’s an age-old question that couples often find themselves asking shortly after the question pops. Firstly, you’re finally engaged to the love of your life and so I start by offering my heartfelt congratulations! Now comes the somewhat daunting task of thinking about the wedding day itself, eek!!

One of the first decisions couples make about their special day is setting the date and so that brings us back to our starting question; how long should the engagement be? Did you know that the average length of engagement in the UK is 23.5 months – just shy of a year. This leads to another interesting fact I recently leant. Did you know that this is why many couples propose in the month of December, more specifically New Years Eve? I certainly didn’t.

Many couples find themselves getting engaged around this time and opting for a year long engagement. This is widely considered long enough to enjoy that magical engagement bubble but allows plenty of time to plan for a special day! For many couples it adds an extra aura of magic to be one of the very last proposals of the year and starting a new year in a new chapter of life. The same being said for the big day itself. More couples now look to those last few days of December as options for their wedding day with factors such as the family already being together for the festive season weighing in.

With all that in mind the reality is that there is no “perfect” length of time to be engaged prior to your wedding day. The key is to find what works for you as a couple and your relationship. For some an engagement looks like 6 months and for some it looks like 3 or more years, the choice is yours to decide. Whatever you decide, you can always talk to a celebrant for a professional perspective. Personally, I am always more than happy to help my couples when making key decisions. The important thing is to know you are not alone in the process and to make sure you still allow yourself to enjoy every part of this new journey together.

How can I make my wedding unique?

Having had the honour of taking many wedding ceremonies now its fair to say I’ve seen many different things that people include as part of their special day. From including pets, to wedding outfit requests, to assigning roles to unlikely people there are tons of ways that you can make your day unique and totally memorable. I’ve gathered up 4 of my favourite ideas of ways to make your wedding day unique before you even think about personalising the ceremony.

Save the date – This is one of the first things that guests will receive as you start to plan your special day. A quirky play on words, requesting to be pencilled in whilst giving a little keep sake too. This is a clever way of getting your guests excited about your wedding from the very start. If you’re looking to DIY this yourself then you can play around with exactly how you want it to look ensuring that it will represent you as a couple.

Themed seating plan – So, the big day has arrived and now your guests need to know where they’re sitting. Choosing a themed seating plan can add a little fun or humour to your wedding, especially if you have chosen a theme that means something to the two of you. The above idea is a clever play on the classic board game monopoly and would be perfect if you’re two people that enjoy games together. Perhaps even better if you have your own funny monopoly story to go with it? The beauty of this is that you can choose any theme you want. Whether you have a love of Disney or Marvel, a love of music or books, there are so many possibilities, and this really can inject your personalities into the day.

Alternative guest book – Every bride and groom want something from their wedding day to look back on or maybe listen to? I just love this idea for an alternative guest book. Here lies the audio guest book, instead of writing you a message your guests can record you one. This is a lovely way for you to not only hear the kind words your nearest and dearest want to share but also hear the sincerity or perhaps laughter in their tone of voice. It is also a clever little photo op. You could perhaps combine the telephone box with a camera on the table and have each guest take a photo of them recording the message? This is certainly one you can play around with.

The reception – We all know the British weather simply cannot be relied upon no matter the time of year and so having something in place in the weather turns chilly is a lovely touch. This sweet little verse to accompany a stack of blankets is something your guests will really be able to appreciate. You can keep the blankets within your colour scheme or simply grab blankets of any sort to fill a box, no matter how you choose to do it you know it’s the little touches that your guests will love.

However, you choose to personalise your wedding day, get in touch with me today and we can discuss what ideas you may have. Let’s work together to ensure your wedding day can be a beautiful reflection of you as a couple. Let’s inject as much of your personalities as bride and groom into your special day!

Fur babies and wedding day bliss

Today I sit with my cuppa and a small bundle off fluff at my feet, reminded that our beautiful pets are a wonderful extension of our families. On what is so often described as “the best day of your life” we want to ensure all our family is included and present… so does that include the more fury family?

The first thing to consider when planning to have your pets included as part of your big day is, gaining permission from your venue. Got the thumbs up from them? Well then, I’m game if you are! Knowing that our fury friends are loved as part of the family means that we should include them if we can. And I can help with that.

Now we have permission from your chosen venue, it’s time to plan exactly what this may look like on your special day.

Before we fall totally in love with the idea of a cocker-spaniel ring delivery, hear me out. There are a few things to ensure you have fully considered before committing to the idea of having pets at your wedding. Not only does it depend on your venue, it also depends on your pet themselves. Nobody knows your pet like you do so only you know whether your pet will cope with the big day once it arrives. The obvious pet that people include is dogs and they are usually the easier pet to manage, however it has been known for cats, rabbits, or even horses to appear so it really is possible.

How might this look for you? Well, there are a few ways you can include your beloved pets.

Arrival
Now perhaps you have a pet on somewhat grander scale. Well, why not include them as part of your grand entrance. After all, arriving on horseback is indeed very regal don’t you think?

At the ceremony
One way your pet can have a big impact on your wedding day is to enter front and centre down the aisle. You could ask one of your bridesmaids or groomsmen to walk them down the isle ahead of you. This is great if you know that your pet will be well-behaved on a lead and sit well throughout the ceremony. Or perhaps you can entrust your pooch or puss with an important job such as ring bearer or have them in place of a flower girl. Now obviously I’m aware of the lack of hands to hold such items but a cleverly placed basket of petals or well attached ring box on a collar can be effective.

Photos
It might be that you know your pet won’t be up to sitting throughout the ceremony and so maybe just having them for some photos will work for you. In this situation it may also be wise to consider having someone that can tend to your pet during the ceremony and then bring them out to you. Did you know you can hire a pet chaperone? This may be a way for you to include them and give yourself peace of mind too.

Guest donation
So maybe you’ve concluded that it isn’t possible to physically have your beloved fur baby in attendance. That doesn’t mean you can’t still honour them in some way. In leu of wedding gifts, you could ask your guests to make a donation to a local animal shelter in honour of your pet and your special day. The act of actually giving wedding presents is decreasing in popularity and this is a unique alternative you could use.

The small details
If you have decided against your pet attending you can still include them. Maybe they can feature on your wedding cake or as the cake topper? Use images of them as table numbers or on the order of ceremony. You could even include them from the very beginning of this journey and have them in your engagement photos that you may then print and have as part of your décor on the day itself.

So, you see, there are many ways to include your pets and I am certainly open to exploring the possibilities with you. I must say that on a recent wedding I had the pleasure of taking, there was indeed something truly sweet about watching their beloved cocker spaniel come bounding down the aisle – the very picture of joy and excitement. And after all isn’t that love and joy precisely the emotion, we want to depict on such an occasion.

Naming ceremony – more popular than a christening?

A new baby in the family is the best feeling – yes I said it! There is something about that new life coming into the family format that always brings a tremendous amount of love and joy that is simply infectious. So, how do we celebrate such a love filled occasion?

A choice that is becoming increasingly popular is a naming ceremony. This type of ceremony is increasing in its popularity with many families opting to have a naming ceremony instead of a Christening or baptism.

But what exactly happens at a naming ceremony?

Well, for starters no two naming ceremonies are the same. As your celebrant, I will write your ceremony to be completely personalised to you and your child. The idea will be to tell a story of you and your family and mark this life event in the presence of your loved ones. You have an opportunity to share your hopes and dreams for your little one. A popular thing to include is the meaning of your chosen name/s and your reasons for choosing them. If you wish you can include any readings, poems, music, as a further way of personalising your ceremony. Don’t worry if you don’t come from a family of angelic singers, you can choose whether you want your nearest and dearest to sing along or if you simply want music played for you and your guests to listen to. The choices are all yours, just remember that this is your opportunity to celebrate the love and life of your little one and your growing family. It needs to be special to you, and exactly what you want it to be!

A common ask is whether you are still able to include Godparents at a naming ceremony. Of course you can! Unlike a christening there are no “rules” or restrictions when choosing Godparents. They don’t have to of been christened themselves, so go ahead and chose whoever you wish. Any special person in yours and your child’s life can be a Godparent and will be called upon to make commitments to your child during the ceremony. So, its ok to choose that nutty friend who we call “auntie” or that crazy uncle who instigates all the mischief, we don’t judge – in fact we may just rebrand them the odd parents instead! Plus including Godparents is another beautiful way of personalising your ceremony.

Don’t forget that a naming ceremony isn’t just for your newborn baby. Perhaps you have just adopted a little one and want to celebrate this? A naming ceremony is a perfect way to do that. And maybe you want to include older children or siblings in the ceremony? Well, we can absolutely accommodate that too! The truth is with a naming ceremony we really can do whatever you want to celebrate the occasion. This means I can guarantee you a special and joy filled day that is as unique as you are! With no age limit for a naming ceremony, it means you can choose to have a naming ceremony at any stage. Want a unique way to celebrate a 1^st birthday? Have a naming ceremony. Your child just became a teenager? Have a naming ceremony. You just want to shout about how much you love your child? Have a naming ceremony. There really are no rules here! You get to be as creative as you like.

Let me help (and perhaps inspire!) you: together, we’ll celebrate your child’s naming in a way that brings happiness for years to come.