Lynn Tierney Ceremonies

Maybe because it was my first wedding or maybe because the couple and I just clicked right from the first point of contact, but I'll never forget L and D's wedding. They had found their dream venue - an empty barn space for their wedding celebrations but without a license to carry out civil ceremonies. No problem for a celebrant though. We worked together to create their dream ceremony, including their favourite music, readings and film references. Family arrived from all over the world for their outdoor ceremony on a beautiful July day and the whole thing was watched over from on high by two magnificent red kites (the feathered variety) who circled round and round each other above the ceremony space. Truly symbolic.

This is how I have been described in the testimonials I've received. Lynn is ..... calm, warm, good-humoured, personable, professional.

The thing that gives me the most pride in my work is the fact that, because I have spent the time to get to know each couple before their big day, they can have confidence in the person standing with them in front of their gathered family and friends as they commit to each other not just for today, but for the rest of their lives.

Remember that this day is all about the two of you. Make it special, make it personal, make it unique in every way.

I start by meeting with the couple to chat to them about their wedding. What kind of feel do they want to create, the when and the where. Inevitably we get into where did you meet, how did he propose, tell me some stories. I then go through how I work, what I can add to their day, what they can expect of me and a quick run through the kinds of things I have found that could be included in their ceremony. Hopefully, after this meeting, they will know whether I am the right celebrant to work with and will book me for their day. We then have email and phone contact and will be sharing ideas that we come across, be that symbolic ceremonies, readings, music. I also send them a questionnaire to complete that asks loads of nosey questions - I'm getting my info here. About three months before their wedding we will have a longer meeting to really plan the structure of their ceremony, before I take everything I've learned and weave it together to make their highly personal and unique ceremony draft. This then gets sent to the couple for their approval and amendments and is worked on until it is absolutely perfect. There will then be a 'rehearsal' at the venue as close to the day as possible, to choreograph entrances, movements, positions and exits so that on the day itself everything runs so smoothly. And then I'll be there on the day about an hour before the ceremony is due to start, to ensure that everything for the ceremony is in place and ready to go. And I won't be dashing off to another wedding straight afterwards, either, so if the bride wants to be fashionably late, then that's fine with me!

Careful planning, leave plenty of time to complete tasks, communicate clearly and in a timely manner, and one wedding in a day for me to concentrate on wholeheartedly.

Being able to create a ceremony that will bring a smile to the lips, a ripple of laughter, a catch in the throat, a tear to the eye. And a memory to last a lifetime.

Obviously the ceremony - isn't this what it's all about, after all? And which part of the ceremony? Well, it has to be those personally written vows, the promises that each makes to the other, spoken from the heart.