…and making sure they are right for you
There are so many decisions to make when it comes to planning your perfect day. Every couple has an idea of what their looks like in their heads, so how do you turn this into a reality. Some of the decisions you have to make are, on the face of it, more simple than others.
If you have got to this page then you are probably already decided that your ideal day does not begin in a Church or a Register Office. So where do you go now to make it all happen?
Top Tip Number 1.
Pinterest – create a Pinterest mood board about the different options that match your thoughts of your day. You will get more pictures and wonderful ideas that you can shake a stick a stick at, but don’t just look at them as pictures – look at them as words.
Now you use those words as your search engine guides – outdoor, regency, gothic etc. this will help you find the right venue to match your dream.
You may wonder what this has to do with looking for the right Celebrant, and I am getting to that.
Top Tip Number 2.
Between you, think of the words that you use to describe yourselves, words that your family and friends use to describe you. Please don’t write nice – it doesn’t really cut the mustard – chose the words which conjure up emotion and drama – are you crazy, bohemian, romantic, ethereal?
How are you get going to get all that personality into your perfect day?
This is where we are going to start pulling it all together.
Top Tip Number 3.
Choosing your Celebrant is very much like going onto a Dating App – you are going to have to swipe right a few times, maybe find a few swipe lefts, until you have whittled it down to the best match for you.
Find a good directory – like The Celebrant Directory. It is the preverbal ‘does what it says on the tin’.
What do you do with all these Words and Pictures?
We have to start with your vision – is your ideal day on the beach? is it in a barn in the countryside? or is it a hotel wedding with a sit down meal? Is it formal? Is there a festival vibe? It is no good spending your wedding trying to be anything less than who, and what, you genuinely are as a couple.
So lets say, from your mood boards the colours you have in mind are, white and dark green, and you have thoughts of mason jars filled with little lights and at your venue you have the choice to have an outdoor ceremony and an indoor reception. How do we leap from here to getting you the ideal Celebrant – see I hadn’t forgotten.
We now need to think about how you want to see yourself in this picture. You might have been together for a few years but the one thing you can both agree on is that you laugh – and I mean a lot. Neither of you can see the ceremony being boring, after all the dress is going to be green to match the foliage, all of your friends say you are both crazy in love and crazy in life. What if the Celebrant doesn’t like a laugh?
No problem, remember Top Tip Number 3 up there
Go to that directory – some of the work will be done for you because not all of the Celebrants will work in your area and not all of them will do weddings – that narrows it down a bit.
Visit the pages of all the Celebrants that match your area – some you will just decide don’t look right when you picture the person standing in front of your ceremony – that’s fine, as we are. Like life, not a one size fits all.
The ones who do peak your interest, do a bit more digging on their profile – have they got a website, do they have loads of reviews or do they have none. In my book that’s not such a problem because they might be new or they might just not have encouraged couples to add a review.
How do you choose?
It would be very unusual for a Celebrant to not offer a free, no obligation chat – this is because it matters as much to us that we are the right one, as it does to you. Some will make it really simple and give you an email form to request a call or give you a link where you can book a call using Calendly.
The next 30 minutes (or multiples there of potentially) could be the best time you ever invested beyond your first date!
When you chat have some questions up your sleeve because the Celebrant will have a few for you:
- Have a description of your ideal day in your mind to tell them what you imagine.
- Ask if they have done this sort of ceremony before?
If you are thinking of something really unusual – tell them.
I can promise you that in 30 minutes you can work out if they are right celebrant for you.