Ever wondered how a Tipi Wedding works?

I was delighted when I was recently invited to Guest Blog, on the growing demand for having your Wedding Ceremony in a Tipi. 

So this weekend I put pen to paper for Jodie, Director of Sami Tipi, a midlands based Tipi hire company, on the topic of leading Wedding Ceremonies in these outdoor settings.

Ever wondered how it all comes together?

Well take a peek into the blog and see if it answers your questions.  It'll tell you how to go about tackling the legalities of marriage - which then sets you free to have your personalised Wedding Ceremony in a Tipi.



http://blog.samitipi.co.uk/2013/12/02/meet-the-expert-carole-renshaw-civil-celebrant/

Enjoy the read!

xCarole

Age is only a number!......A blog from another site!

Well it's been 9 days since my last blog, and I was wondering which topic I should move onto next?

But then I came across this wonderful blog by another colleague, about age and it how we deal with it! 

I couldn't have said it better myself.............so I hope you enjoy the message........and the momentum the author creates!

• http://dianeholliday.wordpress.com/2013/10/15/age-is-only-a-number/

For me, the interpretation is simple!..........Be in the moment as much as you can......because that last moment you had............you'll never get again!

xCarole

"I wouldn't have changed any of it for the world!".........Marriage at its' best!

"Marriage............life..........togetherness.......................partnership!

 

Many of the Weddings, Vow Renewals and Funeral ceremonies I design and take, touch upon married life..............short marriages...............long marriages...............and just what it was about them that made them so perfect!  And whilst every marriage is different and unique...................the answers I get boil down to some pretty fundamental issues!

 

• That you stick at it................".......through thick n' thin!.....".  Marriage is for the long haul.............................so believe in it!

 

• That through all the laughs and tears................you give and take!

 

• That you never go to bed on an argument.....................every day starts afresh with a new day ahead of you!  And as one lady once said to me........."I always said.....Good Night.....and God Bless.......and then I asked him if I could turn over to sleep!"

 

It's not rocket science is it?  And yet they're probably some of the hardest things to do, in the struggles and challenges of modern life. 

 

I can see and hear many of the families and couples I've worked with, sitting in front of me now, telling me all about their marriage.  I laugh with them.  Often they cry with me.  It's part of a story that's given them the life they've loved and enjoyed!

 

 

 

 

We all live in an era of choice.............information about this.............facts about that.........decisions to be made everywhere!  But when someone says to me......"that they wouldn't have changed anything for the world.........".................then isn't that what really matters at the end of the day?

The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation - Be prepared to be blown away!

Just in case you've not come across this charity......do take a peek inside. It helps terminally ill people to have the wedding of their dreams!

Grab a coffee and read all about its' founder Naomi Thomas .........and how despite her own cancer diagnosis .......she's made the charity what it is today.

I was privileged to meet Naomi and her family in June this year, when I designed and led a very intimate Renewal of Vows ceremony for herself and her husband, Graham.  They'd made their first Wedding Anniversary!

Be prepared to be blown away!

XCarole

http://www.weddingwishingwell.org.uk/default.html



 

 

 

Walking down the aisle......but to what?!

So you have some choice over the song you walk down the aisle to!

You're thinking of current trends or favourite songs!

Or you might just be the traditional Bride who wants what's gone before.

If you're in the planning stage of your Wedding Ceremony, take a listen to this little bag of tricks from You Tube.  It's got a few traditional tunes that might just help you decide.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ymSZ3UsuKU

Enjoy listening.......and deciding!

xCarole

A Barn.......A Bassett Hound Puppy......A Wedding just how they wanted it!

The beauty of using a Wedding Celebrant to take your ceremony, is that you have complete freedom to do exactly what you like!

Hold it anywhere you want!

Involve who-ever and what-ever you like!

And have it written especially for the two of you........no other couple in the land will have a ceremony like yours!

And that's just the kind of Wedding that Leicestershire based Phil and Philippa wanted!  

They're two exceptionally creative people who knew from the very start, that they wanted a Wedding ceremony that reflected them - their values and beliefs and just how they were as a couple.  

They wanted it to be meaningful, sincere, personal and creative, balanced with subtle elements of tradition gently woven through it.    They were a fantastic couple to work with and I'm delighted that they've shared their wedding album with me.  Here's a snapshot of some of the moments their photographer captured during the ceremony. 

Imagine::..........rustic.......rural.......natural........formal and informal.........warmth.......topped with authenticity and sincerity.  That's how I'd sum them up as a couple.......and that's the kind of Wedding they had!







The barn all ready and waiting .......themed just how they wanted it.........
and they did it all themselves!



Think I'm having a little word with the Groom and the Best Man!

Here comes the Bride!

The rings are ready for their rightful owners!

I remember this moment well.....and what we were laughing about!

Little Olive the Basset Hound!

A moment for themselves...some relaxation!

"You may now kiss your Bride!"



Congratulations the new Mr & Mrs Lurcock!
Go safely.......Go gently.......Go make a difference with your lives!

And here's some of what they had to say after their celebrations:

"Thank you so much for playing such an important role in our day and making the ceremony so special and memorable.....................many assumed you were a close family friend or similar and that is also how it felt to us.

From start to finish, we felt that the most important part of our wedding was in safe hands - so thank you so very much for that..........."

So if you want a Wedding Ceremony:

• That truly reflects who the two of you are!
• That tells your story!
• And that's personal to you.......

Then do get in touch. 

You're two very unique people.  And you deserve a unique and memorable wedding...........something that your guests will still be talking about long after your anniversary date passes!

xCarole

(Photography courtesy of @CaughtTheLight2013)



To Pray or not to Pray.....that is the question!

Whenever I take a ceremony - whether that be a Funeral , Vow Renewal, Baby Naming or a Wedding - I'm not cloaked or gowned in anything that resembles a religious institution.  In fact you'll probably find me in a black, grey or purple co-ordinated outfit!

So normally, people who are in the audience are a little curious as to who and what I am.   Straight away, they believe I must be an Humanist.  Because that's the language that's been around for some time.  You either believe in religion - or you don't. 

And if you don't, then you're a Humanist, Atheist or whatever label you choose to give it!

I describe the role of a Civil Celebrant as someone who's 'Middle of the Road'.  Which to me, means that the world isn't so black and white as we'd like to imagine.  Religious or not - how about "I don't know!"

So people who book and commission me to lead a ceremony for them, know that they are completely free to include any aspect of religion or spirituality into their celebration.  They use me because they don't want the ceremony to be led by religious beliefs or by an individual espousing what should be happening in life. 

To Pray or not to Pray - that is the question!

And if you decide to pray, sing a hymn, or have a religious reading, then make sure you don't book a Humanist to lead the ceremony for you.  It's simply not possible because of the belief systems of that ideology.

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty clear which option gives me most flexibility!

xCarole