As a wedding photographer, I had the pleasure of being part of some beautiful and meaningful wedding ceremonies. It is wonderful to witness how couples make their ceremonies unique, reflecting their personalities and incorporating elements from their cultural and religious backgrounds. In this post, Andri Benson explains the benefits of working with a wedding celebrant to create a truly authentic wedding ceremony. I met Andri many years ago at The UK Alliance of Wedding Planners event and I was drawn to her warm and friendly personality. Andri is both a wedding planner and celebrant, who specialises in creative, fun and inventive celebrations. It is not a surprise to me that many couples turn to her to make their vision come alive.

Andri Benson
Wedding planner & celebrant

Chances are, as your wedding day approaches, you’ll have a Pinterest board bursting at the seams with ideas for every last detail. The colours, the flowers, the table decorations: everything will have been carefully curated to make sure it represents the two of you and the things you love. If you choose a wedding celebrant to perform your marriage ceremony, you’re ensuring that your ceremony is just as personal and memorable.

Planning a wedding means opening yourself up to a world of possibilities and choices, and it’s easy to get bogged down in the details of the day. It can seem overwhelming, certainly, and it might feel like one choice too many to add a celebrant into the mix as well. But here are three reasons why this decision might just be one of the most important of the whole shebang…

FLEXIBILITY

There are laws in the UK that place limitations on the type of venue and location in which you can be married. With a celebrant on board, those restrictions disappear. You can choose to hold your ceremony wherever will make you happiest. Perhaps you’ve fallen in love with a venue that doesn’t hold a wedding license? Maybe you’ve always wanted to say your vows in the garden of your childhood home or the place you had your first date? Or maybe you’ve found the most incredible forest glade or wildflower meadow that you just can’t get out of your head, and that would be totally magical festooned with twinkling lights? All this and more becomes possible with a celebrant wedding blessing.

CREATIVITY

You’ve worked hard to plan your wedding and make sure it doesn’t feel like a cookie-cutter affair. Your ceremony deserves the same treatment. This day is your way to express and celebrate your unique love story with the people you care about most. So why stifle that story with a rigid set of promises and wording to pick from? In a traditional civil ceremony, you can only inject your personality into very small sections of the ceremony (the music you choose to enter and exit to, and one or perhaps two readings). If you choose a wedding celebrant, your ceremony immediately becomes so much more personal. I’ll take the time to get to know you, working with you to build a totally bespoke ceremony based on you, and what makes your relationship so special. We can include memories, stories, in-jokes and romantic details. I’ll also help you with your vows to each other so that you start your married life together based on promises that are relevant, modern and representative of your strength individually and as a couple.

PERSONALITY

Choosing a celebrant gives you another element of control for your big day. When you book a registrar, you get who you’re given. Now, don’t get me wrong, the vast majority of registrars are absolutely brilliant. However, there’s not that same guarantee that you’ll click on a personal level, and things can, therefore, seem a little bit less warm, and a little bit more business-like. With a celebrant, you can take the time to ask questions, have initial consultations and get a really good idea of whether or not there’s that all-important connection. This way, on your wedding day, you’ll approach the end of the aisle feeling comfortable and confident, knowing that your ceremony is in safe hands.

If you’re thinking about a celebrant-led ceremony and have any questions at all, please do get in touch and let’s have a chat. I’d love to hear about your wedding day plans and find out how we can work together to tell your love story.

Disclaimer time: A ceremony with a celebrant is many things – beautiful, memorable, personable. The only thing it is not is legally binding. You will need to separately register your marriage with your local council.

You can found out more about Andri’s celebrant services: ceremonies.alwaysandri.co.uk

and Andri’s wedding planning services: alwaysandri.co.uk

Image of Andri by Rebecca Goddard Photography

You can find out more about my wedding photography service here.