Weddings
Thank you so much for sharing and indeed being a big part of our special day. Colin and I were thrilled with everything in the ceremony and with the very professional yet informal way you put it all together and presented it. A HUGE thank you; we had the perfect day.
Helen and Colin.
Stop Press – History in the making
Pictured left, I am delighted to report that, still the only celebrant in Guernsey to be accredited by Humanists UK, I am among the first cohort of Authorised Civil Celebrants legally permitted to perform and solemnise marriage ceremonies within the Bailiwick. The affirmation of office took place before the Bailiff of Guernsey, Richard McMahon, presiding over a sitting of the Royal Court comprising Her Majesty’s Comptroller, Robert Titterington QC, Her Majesty’s Greffier, Jon Torode and Jurats on the morning of Monday, 29th March 2021.
The authorisation of Civil Celebrants followed introduction of The Marriage (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2020, which came into effect on 1st March. The new law replaces the Marriage Law of 1919, which was considered outdated and did not meet the requirements of modern society. The new law will allow couples far more choice in opting for a non-religious marriage ceremony, which may now take place anywhere within the Bailiwick of Guernsey, including its airspace and territorial waters.
Humanist marriage ceremonies are joyful and intensely personal occasions. Paraphrasing the lyrics of a song that was popularised in 1969 by Frank Sinatra, otherwise known as Ol’ Blue Eyes, they enable couples to ‘do it their way’. They are for couples that seek a more flexible and personalised alternative to either a civic ceremony or a religious service.
Unlike a civic or religious ceremony, which requires an exchange of vows, a distinguishing feature of the Humanist marriage rite is that a couple is asked to declare their ‘aspirations’ for a future together. They state their firm hope and intention of achieving their aims and honouring their commitments but at the same time, are honest and realistic enough to recognise that such aspirations may not, in fact, be realised in the long term, as they and their circumstances change. Nothing can be seen as certain in a couple’s future but by pledging or promising commitment to each other and ‘tying the marital knot’, they take an important step forward into it with confidence and with a clear understanding of the resolution that the path requires. Bearing witness to their pledges and promises, families and friends may only hope that a couple will uphold their intentions for as long as their relationship prospers. Yet with a determination on the part of each partner to rise to the challenges of making their marriage work, whether in health or sickness, happiness or sadness, ease or hardship, their relationship may endure till death shall them part.
However you seek to celebrate your alliance, marriage, partnership or union, whatever your sexual orientation, whoever you are, whenever, wherever and why you have chosen to marry, I can guide you in creating and staging the perfect ceremony. Please feel free to contact me.
Thank you so much for everything you did to make our wedding ceremony so special. It was exactly what we wanted. We have received many remarks at how beautiful and personal it was, and several people said it was the best wedding ceremony they had ever attended. Thanks!
Lisa and Jason.