wedding at home — Blog — Wild & Oak - Ceremonies & Celebrations by Tamryn Lawrence

There are so many reasons why couples choose to work with a wedding celebrant. However, when I speak to my lovely clients, there’s one reason that comes up time and time again - outdoor wedding ceremonies. As a celebrant-led wedding can take place anywhere, everywhere is a potential venue. I’ve led ceremonies in woodlands, in gardens, in a vineyard and even on an island in the middle of the River Thames! If you like the thought of taking your vows outside, here are a few tips to make sure that your ceremony is absolutely perfect.

Always have a Plan B. Whatever your plans, you can’t control the weather. Always have a back-up plan in case of showers and make sure that all your suppliers know what this is. Also, decide who’ll make the decision to move to the alternative plan and when they’ll make that call.
Get creative with your seating. To make sure that everyone feels part of the ceremony, you could seat everyone in a circle around you or even let some guests stand whilst others sit. Of course, if you like the traditional format, that works perfectly too.
For summer weddings, consider where the sun will be when you work out the layout of your ceremony space. You might want to make sure you’re standing in shade or that you’re not facing into the sun and squinting throughout your vows! Little details but they’ll make a big difference.
Think about microphones. I’m pretty good at doing ‘the big voice’ when needed but if you want to make sure everyone will be able to hear your readers, or your vows, you might need to think about mics, particularly if you’ve got lots of guests.
Consider your backdrop. It might be that you’ve got a particularly pretty spot in mind that will form the backdrop for your ceremony or you might install a super cool backdrop to frame you both. A great backdrop really does make a difference and really brings the wow-factor.
Don’t be afraid to sit down! Standing up throughout your ceremony, particularly on a hot summer day, wearing a big dress or heavy suit, can get hot and tiring. Why not set out two seats so that you can sit down for part of your ceremony?

If you’d like to talk to me about your own outdoor wedding ceremony, do get in touch. I have a real soft spot for al-fresco ceremonies and would love to work with you to create something super special.

The term ‘wedding celebrant’ is one that you’re probably going to hear a lot more of over the coming year, even if you’re not quite sure what it means right now! You see, over the last decade or so, we’ve all become rather brilliant at personalising every aspect of our wedding days apart from the most important bit – the ceremony itself.

Now I know that you can choose your readings and choose your music but aside from that, the format of your ceremony has remained pretty much untouched for years. It’s true that more locations have become registered for ceremonies but there are still a whole heap of restrictions in place that could well stop you from having the style of ceremony that you want in a spot that means the world to you at a time that suits you best.

Victoria & Jon, 2018. Image by River & Fern.

However, with a celebrant-led ceremony, you can absolutely throw that rulebook out of the window. If you want to hold your ceremony in a park, on the beach or in a meaningful location that’s not legally registered, you can. As the saying goes - any time, any place, anywhere.

Now as great as that sounds, that’s not even the best bit. What makes a celebrant-led ceremony so very special is you. Instead of repeating standard words in a ceremony led by someone you might well not have ever met before, your wedding ceremony becomes totally and utterly yours when you work with a celebrant.

Vows written by Wild & Oak. Image by Hannah Duffy.

When you work with a celebrant, your ceremony is extra special. Instead of a script drafted by government bureaucrats, someone who’s got to know you and your amazing, wonderful, personal story writes yours with care.

You can include elements from various religions and cultures that are significant to you, you can involve many people in many ways and if you’ve got children, pets, extra special friends or adored family members who are no longer with you, they can all be included and honoured in a way that works for you.

Compare that with a ‘traditional’ ceremony where to become legally married, you need less than fifty words. Your history, your relationship, your hopes and dreams for the future don’t have a place in what should be the centrepiece of your wedding day.

Lucy & John, 2019. Image by Sanshine Photography

I can also promise you that your ceremony will still ‘feel’ like a wedding. We’re so conditioned to believe that weddings can only follow a certain pattern in certain places that it’s easy to think that anything else will somehow feel ‘wrong’ or ‘less’.

But this is your day, your relationship and most importantly, it’s your love story. You do have the option to tell it in the way you want and when it’s such a unique and special thing, doesn’t it just deserve the most personal celebration ever? I’m very sure it does.