Hello and welcome along to this week’s blog! Today I’d like to introduce you to Commitment ceremonies; Commitment ceremonies – meet our lovely readers! 

Now, if you’ve heard of commitment ceremonies, then that is FAB! Maybe you’re thinking “yeah, I‘ve heard of them, but don’t really know what they are”, or perhaps you haven’t got the foggiest what I’m going on about – never fear! – let me tell you all about them!

Who is a Commitment ceremony for?

A commitment ceremony is perfect  for any couple who wish to publicly affirm their relationship without all the legal implications (when I say ‘publicly’ affirm, I don’t necessarily mean in front of the whole world – it’s perfectly ok to have a small and intimate ceremony with a select few nearest and dearest, or even just the two of you!). And commitment ceremonies are for couples of any gender and identity – they are open to all couples.

Why have a Commitment ceremony?

There’s a wide range of reasons why you might choose to have a commitment ceremony instead of (or as well as) a legal marriage or civil partnership. These are some examples:

• Your previous spouse/civil partner passed away and there are legal and financial implications that could affect you if you were to get legally married/civil partnered again.
• You have been with your partner for a long time, even own a home and have children with them, but being legally bound together just isn’t for you – that’s a personal choice and totally ok.
• You’ve booked a licensed venue for a legal marriage/civil partnership ceremony, but there’s a last minute issue with the venue’s licence (some venues have been known to inadvertently let their license expire because it wasn’t renewed on time!) – a commitment ceremony could save the day.
• You are planning to get legally married/civil partnered at a later date, but a family member is terminally ill and may not be here to see the legal ceremony. (I had a client earlier this year who held their commitment ceremony for this very reason. Grandad was given only a few months to live, so they knew he wouldn’t be a part of their planned wedding day. So, they had a small commitment ceremony so that Grandad could be involved, see them join together as a couple; and the couple now have those precious memories of Grandad being a part of their story).

What’s included in a Commitment ceremony?

As with any Celebrant led ceremony, you are free to choose the location – you don’t have to have a licensed venue. You could choose your back garden or family home, if you’d like.  You can be as traditional (or non-traditional) as you like; you can have a bit of religion in there if you want to, or none at all. You can pick and choose what you’d like in your ceremony and as your celebrant I can give suggestions and ideas of what you could do, or if you have your own ideas, I work with you to find a way to make them happen.

The key is, as with all ceremonies,  to create a ceremony that is perfect and authentically you.

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