Commitment Ceremonies ..... are you ready to tell the world about your love?!
- joyaneal
- Mar 5
- 3 min read

I love the fact that ceremonies and celebrations can be as unique as the people at the heart of them.
One of my favourite things about being a celebrant is that I get to ask people all sorts of personal questions (!) and then craft their words and experiences into their very own 'love story' which can form part of a committment ceremony. Whether it's love for a partner, a new baby, an adopted child, or a re-affirming of love after many years together - bearing witness to your story is the greatest privilege of my job!
The average wedding in the UK in 2024 cost £23,250 (eek!) and the wedding industry is keen to sell you all the shiny expensive options.......but it is posible to create a memorable day on a much more sensible budget - either for a wedding, a vow renewal, an adoption ceremony or a baby naming.
For my own wedding (20 years ago!), we hired a community centre with a big outside space, had a BBQ, a bouncy castle, and a Mr Whippy icecream van for dessert and a friend's VW van as the wedding car. We roped in our mates to staff the bar, and decorate the space, and made our own wedding cupcake tower. It was simple and fun, inexpensive, and just what we wanted!
I know that for a lot of people, the food, drinks, music and the party is the main attraction - but don't overlook othe importance of a beautiful and bespoke ceremony to bring everyone together and create a focus for your day.
A celebrant-led ceremony can be exactly how you want it to be. Informal, traditional, humorous, poignant........whatever feels right for you!
I work with you, listening carefully and taking the time to understand exactly what you want.
I then bring my own experience, magic and creativity to create a truly special ceremony to celebrate your love!
Weddings
Civil Partnership Celebrations
Anniversary Celebrations
Adoption (or celebrating a new family member)
Baby Naming Ceremonies (welcoming a new baby into your family)
Vow renewals
Partnership celebrations
(Note: in terms of the 'legalities' a celebrant led ceremony is not legally binding. For some types of ceremony this doesnt matter, but if it does matter to you, you will still need to register the civil partnership, birth or marriage for eg. at a registry office before or after your celebration)
Some of my favourite recent ceremonies have included:
....An urban wedding in SE London for a millennial couple, with a ceremony themed around their favourite cocktail!
.....Then there was a very rustic festival-style wedding in a field – creative and colourful and homespun!
......There was a surprise vow renewal at a 20th wedding anniversary party where none of the guests expected to find themselves at a very emotional handfasting ceremony!
.....Another lovely one was a baby naming ceremony in a woodland setting with 4 generations of the same family there to celebrate a precious new addition.
......And on the first anniversary of their private Civil Partnership, a couple chose to invite all their friends for a spring festival with a handfasting ceremony to celebrate their union!
I’d love to hear your ideas and work with you to make them come to life!
For more information, or to book a free, no-obligation chat about your ideas please contact me.

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