Maxine Ward - Celebrant

(24)
1 / 10
Hi, I'm Maxine 👋
Creative
Professional
Warm
Every Story of Love is a Story I Love to Tell.I am a creator at heart and love the process of designing a ceremony or service that is highly personalised and unique to you.
I am a creator at heart and love the process of designing a ceremony or service that is highly personalised and unique to you. Words are everything, so I take great care in capturing the perfect tone and sentiment for your ceremony. I was a 2022 finalist in The Guides for Brides wedding awards and I enjoy my role so much that I train celebrants for The International College of Professional Celebrants.
Maxine Ward - Celebrant Pricing & Costs

Pricing for suppliers

Prices Start at
£795
Maxine Ward - Celebrant Details

Products and Services

Celebrant / Officiant
Speech Writer
Last-Minute Orders
Pre-Wedding Consultation
Maxine Ward - Celebrant Full Description
I have always loved a traditional wedding ceremony and think that you can have this without being constricted with the surroundings, order and words that are dictated by it. I specialise in taking the foundations of your traditions, those parts of it that you want to embrace, and explore how you can make it your own. There are no rules. Traditional words, hymns and prayers can be combined with ritual. You can choose to throw the rule book out of the window, have a small nod to your traditions or go fully traditional. Who says you can’t have a Japanese tea ceremony after a making traditional vows, a hand tying ceremony followed by a traditional reading or the bride and groom wearing something different whilst using the same words that were spoken at their parents ceremony? In one of my most memorable weddings the bride and groom were wed in their hunting jackets, made very traditional vows, before leaping on to their horses. Another was where the bride was driven up the aisle the back of a 2CV and the groom arrived in a Porsche. With a celebrant led ceremony you can have your wedding your way.

Personal Message from the Manager

Name of Wedding Contact: Maxine Ward
Planning a wedding can be overwhelming and its important that we connect and I am the right celebrant for you. I offer a free consultation so that we can get to know one another and have some fun talking about what would make your ceremony unique to you as a couple and create lasting memories for you and your wedding guests. You can book an appointment straight into my diary at a time that suits you. I love a good love story and I can't wait to hear yours.

Experience

No. of Weddings Hosted
Between 30 and 50
Public Liability Insurance
Yes
Reviews
(24)
Hanna and Josh
Happy couple married in July
November 2024
MAXINE MADE OUR OUTDOOR CEREMONY TRULY UNFORGETTABLE!
From start to finish, Maxine was warm, engaging and personalised everything to fit our story. She guided us through the process seamlessly and created a beautiful, heartfelt ceremony that felt uniquely ours. Despite the rain, Maxine went above and beyond to ensure we had the best ceremony which set the tone of the day. All our guests couldn’t stop raving about how touching and memorable it was. We cannot recommend Maxine enough and our wedding day would not have been the same without her. Photography by – Stories of Amore – Jessie Hawkes
Laura and David
Happy couple married in April
November 2024
WE COULDN’T THANK HER MORE
When we began planning the day of our wedding, a celebrant was one of the first things we looked for. As it happens, this was a wonderful choice because Maxine was brilliant from start to finish. Maxine really took the time and care to get to know us as a couple (through questionnaires and meetings) and this meant that out ceremony felt so personal and special. My mum commented afterwards that it felt like Maxine had known us for ages! She helped to walks us through the process of writing vows, planning what the ceremony would look like, accounting for the weather, organising the musicians, and sorting out the readings. She was also particularly helpful in suggesting different options for our ceremony and we decided to incorporate a handfasting and unity candle, which were such lovely parts of the ceremony. On the day, she was prompt and extremely helpful in helping us make last minute arrangements, moving around furniture to account for the small space, planning where the musicians would be, liaising with the photographer, etc. The ceremony she planned was perfect for us. It was thoughtful, clearly well planned, and superbly delivered. She spoke with such warmth and her passion for her work as a celebrant was evident. Afterwards, she remained with us to check in and ensure that we were all set for the evening festivities before quietly departing after a few pictures with us. All in all, Maxine was an essential part of the day’s success and we couldn’t thank her more for her support and kindness throughout the entire process.
Dakeney and Jack
Happy couple married in June
November 2024
MAXINE WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND
Biggest thanks to Maxine for putting together, and delivering a perfect, personalised wedding ceremony for us in June 2024. Our wedding ceremony was really important to us. Maxine went above and beyond to make our ceremony truly bespoke – unique and meaningful, yet light-hearted and funny too. All of our guests commented on how brilliant our ceremony was too! We absolutely loved our whole experience with Maxine. Thank you so much! Would highly recommend. Photography by – Scott Stockwell
Lisa and Liam
Happy couple married in April
November 2024
ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!
We couldn’t recommend Maxine enough, from the first initial meet to the big day. Maxine took the time to really get to know us and how we met and created the most beautiful story for our ceremony. She was extremely helpful when writing our own vows and giving us ideas of unique things to add in our ceremony. It was absolutely perfect, and we wouldn’t have changed a thing. Highly recommend if you want a personal, unique ceremony . Thank you, Maxine for everything. Photography by -Judith Parkin Photography
Imogen and Matt
Happy couple married in August
November 2024
A NATURAL CELEBRANT
Maxine Ward delivered our handfasting wedding ceremony at Jenners Barn and Great Farm in Whelford, Gloucestershire on August 3 2024. We were both so instinctively drawn to the Celtic handfasting ceremony as it felt authentically personal yet unique and inspiring for our audience let alone us. We will treasure our ceremonial ‘knot’ forever. Maxine gave us so much time and attention in the lead up with preparations. Guiding us seamlessly through a series of questionnaires across a few spaced months. First questionnaire clarified the perimeters. ‘We are ready to start creating your ceremony, it began’. The who what where’s of our wedding day vision. In her words the “basic structure of the ceremony, the atmosphere and what will make it unique, personal, and memorable.” The questions really helped us focus, discuss and eventually co-create the unique and precious details of our ceremony. Anything from ‘Do you have any specific seating requirements for the wedding party?’ to ‘How would you like your wedding ceremony to be remembered by your guests?’ The next round of questions were more personal about our “Love Story”. The challenge to be your most authentic self, answering questions like: How do we truly define each other? What do you love about each other? How did we know we were right for each other? Remembering, recognising and reflecting on our companionship and actually reminding us why we were getting married to each other. Maxine entered fully into the spirit of our Peaky Blinders theme by purchasing a lovely vintage dress to wear. She advised us where to get the various props required for the rituals. On the day the ceremony was beautifully structured and rich in content with rituals, readings, vows and stories. Maxine wove the nature of our surroundings and the elements into her words. The birds, the trees, the forests and the meadows around us all became part of our ceremony. Our 10 year old son and even our dog got involved. It felt truly magical and many of our guests were reaching for tissues to mop tears of joy for us! We feel so connected with Maxine now and consider her a friend. We look forward to inviting her back to renew our vows in the future and cannot recommend her highly enough if you’re looking for a celebrant for your special occasions. Photography by – Amanda Deadman Photography
Rachel and Teresa
Happy couple married in July
November 2024
WE KNEW SHE WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING
From the moment we met Maxine we knew she would be absolutely amazing and we made the perfect decision choosing her to be our celebrant. She’s so lovely, friendly, and a calming presence and we felt 100% supported all the way through the planning process. The ceremony she scribed bought tears to our eyes when we read it. On the day before she gave us a rehearsal and helped calm any nerves we had and on the day itself at Dulwich College she was brilliant in her delivery and everyone commented on how absolutely perfect our service was. She totally knocked it out of the park. I can highly recommend Maxine Ward to anyone who is looking for a wedding celebrant. Photography by – Joe Howarth
Hal and Kelly Anne
Happy couple married in October
November 2024
MAXINE IS A PHENOMENAL CELEBRANT
Between her warm personality and attention to detail in her questionnaires and consultations, she will help make sure your wedding ceremony is a memorable one. Maxine would always reply to questions and concerns promptly, sometimes within a matter of hours. She wrote a beautiful ceremony script tailored to our specific love story and ensured our personalities were reflected in her writing. You will not be disappointed hiring Maxine!
Virginia & Aaron
Happy couple married in August
September 2023
It's lovely how personalised your ceremony writing is
We also wanted to say a huge thank you for being such a wonderful celebrant. You exuded warmth from our first meeting, and it really came across in the ceremony. We appreciated your co-ordinating meetings that fitted our global time difference, and for the 'walk through' that we did in person a couple of days before the day itself. You very much calmed all nerves in that meeting! Your ideas and advice on how to make the ceremony meaningful and incorporate our various heritages were super helpful. The extra support on sourcing such beautiful handfasting cords for us was very much appreciated. It's lovely how personalised your ceremony writing is - the way you built a story about our relationship made us realize how by chance we came to be together and how amazing and romantic that actually is - something a lot of couples take for granted I think.
Lauren and Matt
Happy couple married in May
September 2023
She made our ceremony unforgettable and truly magical.
We used Maxine as our celebrant on the 6th May 2023. We wanted a non religious ceremony that was centered about us as a couple and Maxine delivered. We didn't know where to start and Maxine was great in giving us options and guiding us through the process. We ended up with a handfasting ceremony and it was wonderful. Everyone commented how they didn't know that is where the saying 'tied the knot' came from. Maxine communicated our love story in such a humorous yet beautiful way that everyone was laughing one minute and tearing up the next. She made our ceremony unforgettable and truly magical.
Nina and Luke
Happy couple married in July
September 2023
Maxine helped make this important day a brilliant experience
My wife and I had the pleasure of having Maxine marry us in July 2023 and we would like to express our thanks for her expertly crafted ceremony which made this day incredibly special for us both. We cannot recommend Maxine any more highly. Maxine took care and time to get to know us as a couple and helped make this important day a brilliant experience for us to treasure
Maxine Ward - Celebrant Location & Contact Details

Address

Bromham, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom

Follow This Supplier On

FAQs
Find out a bit more from our FAQs

What is your most memorable wedding?

In one of my most memorable weddings the bride and groom were wed in their hunting jackets, made very traditional vows, before leaping on to their horses. Another was where the bride was driven up the aisle the back of a 2CV and the groom arrived in a Porsche.

Describe your style in 5 adjectives.

Romantic Warm Creative Stylish

What about your business are you most proud of?

During my training to be a celebrant, following some great feedback, I became completely overwhelmed. I realised that this was exactly what I was meant to do and I have never looked back. Before I lost my dad, he and I talked often about all sorts of things including the fact that I had not really realised my vocation or purpose. When he passed, I organised his funeral and read at it, still not thinking much about it. Following his death I was made redundant from my corporate role and started Life Coaching, which i still do now. I used my coaching techniques and took some time to think about what mattered to me. That is to understand people, help them on their own terms and to celebrate their brilliance and uniqueness. Love is amazing, brilliant and unique. Be it in remembrance of a life passed, a celebration of meeting the love of your life or welcoming a new person into the world being celebrant is my vocation and my dad helped me to realise that.

What is your No. 1 wedding planning tip for couples?

Take your time and work together. Think about what is special to both of you, what kind of ceremony really reflects your uniqueness. Your wedding , Your way.

What is your favourite personal touch you have seen at a wedding?

A couple who were both marrying for the second time and opted for a handfasting ceremony. The hand tying cords were made by their children who also laid them on the hands of the couple and made a wish for them

Describe your typical process with a couple.

Your first consultation – You come to me with lots of ideas and we start to imagine your dream ceremony. We will begin to get creative as well as discussing all of the practical aspects like dates, times, T&Cs and fees. Let’s get started – Now we begin to create your ceremony. I will send out a questionnaire to help get you thinking and talking to each other, and your family and friends about what would make a perfect day. The creative process – How exciting! You will now have thought about how we will create your unique ceremony. We will meet and go through your questionnaire and I will write your dream ceremony and the plan. The plan – It’s important to know who is doing what and when, the dates on which everything has to happen. I will create a plan for everyone so you don’t have to worry about it. We work with your wedding planner, photographer and venue host to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Delivering the ceremony – Once I have written the ceremony you will get a first draft for your approval and we will then work together to make every element perfect. On the Day – I will be at your venue well ahead of time, to meet your planner and/or host. I will ‘check in’ with you and anyone else who has a part in your ceremony. I will be there to welcome your guests and then we are ready for that exciting moment when the magic begins.

How do you ensure a stress-free wedding?

I’m a Curious Listener My background as a life coach enables me to put people at ease and get the best from them. I am supportive, compassionate, enjoy writing and making every ceremony beautiful and bespoke. I like to get to the very heart of your love story so that you can tell it to the world and remember it forever. I’m a Wordsmith I love the process of creating a ceremony or service that is highly personalised and take great care in choosing the right words, creating the right tone and atmosphere. I am Well Organised I have years of experience working organising large events at many locations across the country. I have strong project management skills and meticulous attention to detail. I have to know the when, where, how, who and why. The practical management of your ceremony is key.

What do you love most about your job?

Always make time to listen to one another, work together to create your ceremony, be unique and have what you want not what others want for you and finally make sure that you have everything planned so that you can relax and enjoy your day.

What is your favourite moment at a wedding?

Definitely the vows. This is such a wonderful time and you can be as creative as you like. These are the words that should be carried with you throughout your life together.
Press & Awards
All our awards & press mentions

Bridebook Benefits

Bridebook Discount5%
Bridebook Special Offer5% Discount on ceremonies booked before the end of February 2024