Sometimes in life, you feel yourself go full circle. Charlotte and Luke’s wedding was one of those moments for me. Conducting their ceremony at Alveston Pastures Farm was like arriving back at the start of something but feeling like a different woman. It was the first time I’d been to the venue since my own Humanist wedding there in October 2011 – a day which (amongst other brilliant things!) planted the seed of an idea which ultimately led to me becoming a Humanist Celebrant. And it felt SO good to be back!!
I’d secretly been worried beforehand that I might get emotional – reliving my own big day while desperately trying to do justice to Charlotte and Luke’s moment in the sun. And I won’t lie, I had a little tummy flip as I drove down the driveway. But there’s nothing like a nervous groom to focus your mind! In fact, Luke’s first words to me were “Oh god! Seeing you has just set me off again!!”, and he disappeared to pace at the end of the garden!!
Both he and Charlotte had said all along that they were uncomfortable being the centre of attention. Although there were no worries about committing to one another (a good start!), the thought of standing up in front of everyone seemed incredibly daunting. Luckily, I had plenty of reassuring words up my sleeve (and Luke opted to open the bar pre-ceremony which also seemed to help!). The thing about Humanist ceremonies – they’re not about awkwardly standing on show while someone dictates how you’re meant to feel about love and marriage. They’re about celebrating your relationship and the amazing people who surround and support it. They’re about sharing how and why you’ve all found yourself there on that day. They’re fun – and funny! There’s space and time for laughter, tears, songs and real, honest sentiment. And oh my, I was SO excited that Charlotte and Luke decided to include one of my favourite ever readings – the SEXY PRIEST’S SPEECH FROM FLEABAG!!!!
You only have to look at their beaming faces to see that their worries were short-lived…
Laura conducted our wedding ceremony at the weekend and was absolutely fantastic! We were both nervous but she took the time to put us at ease and in the end we needn’t have worried as the service was just lovely and fun! Everyone has commented on how nice it was to have such a personal and tailored ceremony. We cannot recommend Laura or humanist weddings highly enough!
Photos by lovely Darren: https://www.everybodysmilephotography.co.uk/
Venue: http: //www.alvestonpasturesfarm.co.uk/
