Celebrations of Love and Unity:
Vow Renewals, Non-traditional Weddings, Elopements, Micro Weddings, Commitments, Civil Partnerships, Throuple
Whatever your age, sexual orientation, size, shape, ability; you are you and your love story is as valid as the next AND I am here to help all of you celebrate your love, unity and commitment to each other. Whether you have been married for years, never married, want to be legally married or don’t care about the legalises; whether you are a couple or throuple; I’m here to help you create the perfect ceremony to celebrate your love, unity and enduring love story
As the Alternative Celebrant
I will help you create a perfect, quirky, intimate, alternative celebrations of love, unity & commitment; forget all the rules; throw out others expectations and simply say , ‘I love you’ or ‘ I still love you” and affirm your mutual respect, promises and commitment to each other, where you want, how you want.
We recently booked Berni for our summer handfasting ceremony. We wanted a unique and very small ceremony, and Berni was the perfect person to help us plan things. She really listened to what we wanted, and went the extra mile to ensure the day was really ‘us’ – even presenting our vows on black card to match our personal style. She was also totally unfazed by our wild and remote venue! Most importantly of all, Berni’s friendly and relaxed personality meant that we both felt at ease on the day – which turned out perfect. Thank you, Berni! – Freya & Daniel
I love to enable people to embrace their unique extraordinary self and create no rules, no expectations ceremony that truly reflects their authentic selves.
You are all unique.
Your story, your ceremony, your celebration, it’s yours. I would love to help you create something special. Because ever single ceremony is about two or more individuals who’s celebration starts with a blank piece of paper; I do not have a flat rate. I am however, happy to give you a no obligation quote based on an initial conversation to find out more about you both and how and where you want to celebrate. And I’ll be there with you smiling all the way!
“OUR SOULMATE IS THE ONE WHO MAKES LIFE COME TO LIFE”… Richard Bach
Benefits of a Vow Renewal, Commitment Ceremony or Non-Traditional Wedding
You can celebrate any time, any place, any where
Make or reaffirm promises to each other, however you want
Make pledges of commitment, unity and love, dressed however you like
Organise a celebration at any point in your relationship. EG: to renew vows, or mark an important chapter chance in your lives.
Let friends who have been on your journey with you, share their stories.
“We’re going to have so much fun, creating your ceremony”
So, if you want to celebrate and bookmark a moment in your love story, I’m all up for offering ideas and bespoke activities to make your personal, unique and extraordinary celebration of love and commitment a milestone marker on your wonderous journey into your next great adventure. Of course, we can include rings, handfastings, bridesmaids and best men and any tradition you want. And of course you can go and do the legalese before or after a bespoke ceremony with me. All I’m saying is there’s more to love than the wedding!! Let’s celebrate the journey
“If you want to talk to me about your love story and find out if I’m the celebrant for you, feel free to drop me a message and we can arrange a 20 minute chat with absolutely no cost or obligation”
Getting married is an event of two parts.
For couples, there’s the legal bit and there’s the celebration bit. Some couples do these together with the same officiant. That is, they use their registrar for their religious or civil partnership to complete the legal ceremony and lead a structured celebration for you, usually followed by a reception elsewhere straight after. If this is what you want then I’m not for you.
Why use an Independent Celebrant?
Others choose the variety and flexibility of working with a celebrant. I am an Independent Celebrant. My training and quality is assured through continued CPD and approved training. You, as my clients, have the additional assurance of my membership of the Association of Independent Celebrants.
There are several ways to benefit from using an Independent Celebrant. Some people have a legal wedding with a registrar and their closest family and friends then have a second wedding, alongside the party (reception) on a different day at a different location using a celebrant to create a bespoke ceremony for you
Some couples use a registrar and a celebrant on the same day and at the same location. The registrar will do the legal bit and use the set words that are required to be married and you will sign and have witnessed the official paperwork. The celebrant will then take over, having spent time getting to know you both and having created you the unique content , vows, promises, rituals, congregation participation, that you want.
Some couples go off and complete the legal paperwork in a “2×2” ceremony at the registry office (some time before or even after the celebrant wedding). They view their celebrant-led wedding as the ‘main event’, as it’s the sharing of their promises to each other in front of all the people that matter the most to them. And they can do it however and where ever they want.
Others skip the legal bit altogether and choose to use a celebrant to help them authentically articulate their gratitude, love and affection for each ither and make promises to each other in a location that matters.
And then there’s the years after and all the opportunities to say “I still do”. And you can do that whether or not you have ever legally married.. There is always an opportunity to say how you feel, review what you’ve achieved or overcome together, and talk about what you are looking forward to in the future…
“Berni helped plan and conduct our marriage recently and I can only say she did an absolutely outstanding job🙏 It was not uncomplicated as we required a Buddhist based ceremony but Berni handled this with great expertise. Finally, all our friends, relatives and guests loved her. A big thank you to you Berni🙏” – Martin & Hanh
I am keen to do my bit for the environment.
Therefore I offer a special rate of £595 for a bespoke ceremony written just for you created from your own stories and delivered here at Cerdyn Villa, or in a location within 15 miles (ceremonies at any location in my local ward).