Photo Gallery of Humanist Wedding Ceremonies

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#weddingdetritus #joywashere #iwillnevertireofta

#weddingdetritus
#joywashere
#iwillnevertireoftakingphotosofweddingdetritustheyaremyfavourite
#childrenatweddings
#lovetour22
#confettiscramble
#treasure

Today’s woodland wedding was quite magical. Nat

Today’s woodland wedding was quite magical. Nat and Adam knew they had found the perfect place to represent them when they discovered @thedreys - it was so atmospheric under the trees’ canopy the rain very gently decided to join in. But not in a disruptive way, simply adding the pitter patter of sound and a scent to the woodland floor that was somewhat intoxicating.
As @natlimbrey and Adam spend so many of their happy memories hiking, adventuring, getting engaged in gale force winds at Clashnessie Falls - an atmospheric forest couldn’t have been more apt.
We all shared in some Shinrin-Yoku (forest bathing “bathing in the forest atmosphere, or taking in the forest through our senses.”) to remember those who weren’t able to be with us - I’ve not specifically done this for a period of time within the ceremony before, but it worked so beautifully and was an incredibly special shared moment.
And Nat and Adam’s friend discovered a poem to surprise them with which in my 11 years conducting weddings, I hadn’t heard before. Swipe to read. It’s really ✨👌🏼🌒
Thank you Nat and Adam for trusting me with your story, your ceremony, your love. And may the ever so slightly rain smudged certificate always bring you the remembrance of the love that was surrounding you in that little nook of woodland!
#bridegroomcelebrantselfie #lovetour22 #forestwedding #shinrinyoku #woodlandwedding #atmosphericwedding #atmosphericceremony #humanistceremony #wordscount #zenasparish #michaeldonaghy #humanistcelebrant #uniqueceremony #createmagic
#storytell #storyshare #sequinsinthewoodland
📷 @kirstymackenziephotography
🦸🏻‍♀️@the_wedding_dolls
🌲🌳 @thedreys
🌸🌼 @the_floweralchemist

Ibizan wedding - well worth the wait! It is alway

Ibizan wedding - well worth the wait!
It is always such a privilege to be invited to create a ceremony for this beautiful island, where memories seem to be made ten fold. Every ceremony I have done here has been so packed full of personality, love and desire for guests to have the time of their lives and Megan and Rob’s was a perfect example.
Postponed twice, this was third time lucky with a kapow!
Megan and Rob invited their very favourite people, guests who meant the world to them and as such, when Rob threw down the gauntlet ‘we can’t pretend we are anything but us, we have to have a ceremony that reflects that’ I was in my element. This is what ceremony is for! To make memories, be honest, laugh our heads off, cry our eyes out, smile and and be grateful we are all alive and gathered - the full roller coaster of life!
Rob and Megan’s story is so bloody wonderful, so funny, so unexpected, so damn delicious that we all got to revel in it properly.
2 sensational self penned readings, by groomsman, bridesmaid and bridesman. Achingly funny, with just the right touch of poignance.
Personal vows that had my little eyes a-welling.
And Rob gifted every single one of us with personalised magnesium place settings. He invented this particular alloy. The bonus of marrying a scientist 🙂
The sun shone and set magnificently, Negronis flowed, Paella (a meal important to their story) was served, a dream team was gathered and man alive did we celebrate the sheer brilliance of Megan and Rob’s marriage.
Ibiza really does have a special kind of magic to it. As do Megan and Rob ✨✨
👰🏻‍♀️@megzob1 🤵🏻@rthorn1000 🦸🏻‍♀️@criscrownibiza
📸@natashamarshallphotography
🎥@weddingvideoibiza
#bridegroomcelebrantselfie #lovetour22 #ibizawedding #uniqueibizawedding #memorableibizawedding #loveandsunsets #ibizacelebrant #gettoknowyourcelebrant #weddinginspain #humanistceremony #wordscount #zenasparish #europeancelebrant #englishspeakingcelebrantspain #ceremonythatsoundslikeyou #ibizamakesgoodmemories

Yes there’s a thumb in this shot! ..Because you

Yes there’s a thumb in this shot! ..Because you follow photographers for the exquisite perfection and me for the real life adventures 😜
Sincerely though, this #bridegroomcelebrantselfie means the absolute world to me because (and I’m certain he won’t mind me saying) James wasn’t convinced from the outset that a wedding let alone a celebrant was a good idea for him. And look at these beams in this shot. My heart explodes!
Don’t get me wrong. There was never even a millimetre of doubt that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Sophie, that truth and commitment has been long acknowledged. He just wasn’t certain a wedding, a personal ceremony and all the shenanigans that accompany it were for him. And this is where I absolutely bloody love my job the most. Making those hesitations or resistances become the moments of brilliance to be treasured and remembered for ever and most of all to be enjoyed in the moment. The most important part!
I too have hesitancies over the institution of marriage, especially it’s patriarchal history. I make no secret of this. But I’m also convinced it’s part of what makes me good at my job, my constant and unquenchable enquiry into why a couple are choosing to get married?
And let me reiterate that - choosing- because we are privileged enough in this country to mainly not have to do this out of obligation. So the reasons behind getting married are endlessly fascinating and continuously different for every couple I create a ceremony for. Which is why every ceremony I craft is to make you, the couple, feel proud, confident, comfortable and HAPPY inside every moment of it.
Swipe to the next slide to see the brilliant words S&J just sent me. And this is what makes the role I get to play with you the most special and rewarding thing. S&J getting to know you both, finding trust and comfort with you both - the pleasure was absolutely all mine.
#zenasparish #humanistwedding #wordscount #funceremony #yourceremony #lovetour22

I’ve just been sent this little video by @gem.k8

I’ve just been sent this little video by @gem.k84 @tatlioglu2014 @antonia_lloyd85 and Charlie and my heart leapt out of my chest!
Truly #zenasparish
Timor&Gemma 22.04.17
Antonia&Charlie 17.07.21
#caniusebythepowerofzenaandnotbeadick?

Five years! From this first photo on their wedding

Five years! From this first photo on their wedding day to yesterday at Violet’s naming. And what a privilege it is to go on this journey with the astounding Ella and Rory.
When covid stripped me (and so many others) of my job, I had a really wonderful clarity of realisation. That amongst the ashes of a pandemic I could see that my life was interwoven with my work. My vocation. I have the privilege of a real immersive experience that the word job is just too small for.
Couples, like Ella and Rory who I am so proud to also call friends, make what I do the absolute joy that it is.
Yesterday we celebrated Violet Lemon Rose Evans in her naming ceremony. We interwove stories and reflections from not just her little life so far, but from her godparents, her grandparents and her one true love, Rosie the dog - who barked multiple times as we talked about her. Definitely agreeing 😉
We were able to reflect on how rich and real the journey through life together is as we talked about and honoured Ella and Rory’s first daughter Millie, who sadly passed away before she was able to experience this world. We shared how integral she is to the very fabric of Violet and their family. And how all of their daughters will share her middle name Rose.
Ella and Rory are that beautiful combination of honest and heartfelt, realistic and funny and most of all kind. Violet has been born into a warm and generous family and reaching out and sharing that with their extended family of friends and relatives yesterday was a sheer magnificent pleasure. The sun shone. Violet was wrapped in love and the ceremony was so full of her and the promises and care that surround her that I was as ever humbled at the role I get to share in peoples lives.
Thank you @__ellaevans and @illusion.dc for all the trust and love you share with me. It’s a damn pleasure to be your family celebrant 😘🥰
#zenasparish #namingceremony #humanistceremony #stillbirthawareness #sands #lovewins #wordscount #familycelebrant #lovetour22

Shot 1 - when Joe and Emily love you enough to cro

Shot 1 - when Joe and Emily love you enough to crouch.
Shot 2 - when they stand back up and their 6ft plus to your 5ft 2 shines ☺️☺️☺️
(Groom’s dad - “are you really that small? Zena, you project taller!” 🤣🤣😍)
#bridegroomcelebrantselfie #lovemycouples #zenasparish #lovetour22 #aswarbyweddings #humanistceremony #aswarbycelebrant #realweddings #tallandsmall #fromcelebranttofriend

Never fails to make my day. #weddingdetritus

Never fails to make my day.
#weddingdetritus

We met in 2018. To be wed in April 2020… Or,

We met in 2018.
To be wed in April 2020…
Or, April 2021…
But today. Just now. We created #finallyshaw
We’ve had cliffside hot chocolates, Dartmoor pub pies, zoom gazing and bless their wonderful souls more and more homework from me along the way. And it’s been a privilege. To find a covid silver lining, I’ve enjoyed having you both close for four years and the memory of pronouncing you married today will always make my eyes water in the very best of ways. Congratulations @quitamwest and Aaron, we at last got the #bridegroomcelebrantselfie we’d been waiting for.
#1447days #zenasparish #lovemycouples #celebrantjourney #knowyourcouples #wordscount #loveincornwall @dentaldinosaur #trevenna #realweddings #worththewait #lovetour22

Quita, Aaron and I have been on a long journey tog

Quita, Aaron and I have been on a long journey together. Meeting two years before their planned wedding in April 2020 - the global pandemic truly altered that waiting date! But, 1447 days later and FINALLY, today, I get to celebrate them both properly. And it’s going to be spectacular!!!
#thereaintnowaitlikeacovidwait #humanistceremony #cornishwedding #cornishcelebrant #anticipationforthewin #love #lovetour22 #zenasparish #trevenna #finallyshaw

Well hello #lovetour22 - I do believe my knees are

Well hello #lovetour22 - I do believe my knees are weak and my tummy has butterflies. I think you’re going to sweep me off my feet…
…and I can’t wait.
@saradon83 and Paul’s daughter told me that marriage means “mummy and daddy kiss” and those are the wise words we ended today’s ceremony with. What a wonderful, wonder of a blue sky’d, human communing, six years waiting, magnificence of a day.
#lovemycouples #bridegroomdaughtercelebrantselfie #zenasparish #londonwedding #humanistceremony #reallove #realwedding #wisewordsofafiveyearold #bestceremony #barbicanwedding #love #bathedinthepurpleglowofleds

It’s worth remembering that you can have your ce

It’s worth remembering that you can have your ceremony WHEREVER you would like to. Life is all about making memories and these memories forged between @alexcooper @bestburrows, their friends, family and me, six years ago are as fresh in my mind as if they were yesterday. Live lives less ordinary. We only have the one.
See stories for more photos.
#happyanniversary #destinationweddingcelebrant #haveyourceremonyanywhere #mountaintopceremony #italianwedding #dolomites #sancassiano #zenasparish #wearabrightlycolouredcoat #humanistcelebrant #travelcelebrant #chooseaweddingdestinationthatmeanssomethingtoyou #makememories #weddingmemories #brideonskis #groomonsnowboard

Marian and Rob were my first wedding of #lovetour2

Marian and Rob were my first wedding of #lovetour22 - and what a start! Riding the coat tails of Storm Eunice and Franklin - Marian became Mrs Wild, in a wildly appropriate manner!
Marian knew, whatever the weather, she would be arriving by boat to meet Rob and us all at the Boat Shed - a place they both pass daily whilst walking their dog (the magnificent Bessie) and so, no strangers to the weather, it was a case of we will find a way, no matter what.
The Boat Shed, by some miracle was nestled out of the strong gusts that blew us all along the cliff path and as you descended the festoon lit steps, you knew instinctually magic was going to happen down by the boat shed. And so it did.
24 special guests gathered on the quayside (red carpet laid out, wedding shoes ready to be swapped from wedding wellies) and the scent from the mulled wine wafted through the rafters. Marian’s son and his husband played Sailing By on the flute and keyboards as we all stood to welcome Marian’s approach.
The ceremony itself was a joy. So many incredible memories to celebrate and share, each guest was woven into the ceremony (the privelge of an intimate gathering), Marian’s daughter in Australia also made a surprise guest apperance (keeping that a secret was a joy!!) and the weather softened its heart - with rays of sunshine beaming down on Marian and Rob at poignant moments, and coming fully out as they kissed at the end!!!
As Marian and Rob set off back down the river to meet all their other guests at the pub in their village, I was reminded that embracing the things that mean the most to you in life, and then allowing yourselves to truly revel in them is about as good as it gets.
Oh #lovetour22 what a sterling, sterling start! #bridegroomcelebrantselfie #humanistwedding #devonwedding #realwedding #humanistcelebrant #zenasparish #weddingadventures #personalceremony #borntobewild #outdoorwedding #myailseistheriver

Valentine’s Day - Banksy brilliance. ⠀ I saw t

Valentine’s Day - Banksy brilliance.
⠀
I saw this poster at Dismaland a few years ago and it tickled me pink. If you are married a healthy dose of fantasy does not hurt one iota!
⠀
If you are single, fantasy is a magnificent play ground.
⠀
If you are in an open relationship fantasy can often be the precursor to reality.
⠀
In short, the pleasure we can have in our imaginations never ages and is a source of creative and restorative joy.
⠀
So, here’s to the many fucks we never have and all the wonderful one’s we do 💚
Swipe for some more Valentine’s Day messages by the brilliant @wastedrita all found at #dismaland - one may be the right one for you…
#reallove #alternativelovemessages #imagination #foreveryone #banksy #imaginationneverages #notclintoncards #revelinlove #loveforsingles #loveformarriage #loveforall #love #wastedrita #humanistwedding #humanistlove #postbackbypopulardemand

Thank you @leegar.land for capturing just how happ

Thank you @leegar.land for capturing just how happy I truly am to see my couples for the first time on the day.
In this instance, after so many months and a long drive in a borrowed car (mine had temporarily died) in the midst of a fuel crisis - being allowed in to the sacred space of a bride’s bedroom after so much anticipation was just about the most exquisite thing. And Lee, you captured that joy. I can’t thank you enough.
As for you, @livsophlow I can’t tell you how much I love this photo and you and Sam. But hopefully, you already know. It’s been an absolute privilege getting to know you both and celebrating you properly. Thank you for sending these to me. Thank you for the treasure of the Laika photos you’ve sent (they will make an appearance here soon!!). You generated this smile in me, your open heart and deliciousness! See you soon, my village pub and I will ALWAYS welcome you. 💚
🌱 Just as the first snowdrops are appearing in my garden, so too are some sensational photos like this one from ceremonies I took last year and they are nothing short of a gift. May I take my hat off to all photographers who are still editing from last year. If I could wrap you up in love and ease your fatigue, I promise I would!! Thank you for your magnificence. Keep sending them on to me when they’re ready 😉😉😘
#lovemycouples #humanistwedding #humanistcelebrant #fromcelebranttofriend #realweddings #realweddingphotos #momentscaptured #firstglance #genuinejoy #lovemyjob #lovetour2021 #zenasparish #engagedaf

The class of #Lovetour2021 We did it! We really

The class of #Lovetour2021
We did it! We really made up for lost time. And I love each and every one of you from the bottom of my fully rejuvenated heart.
Weddings. Namings. Funerals. All moments of true celebration, gratitude and the honouring of LIFE and all of its ridiculous splendour.
As I enter my 11th year as a humanist celebrant I thank each and everyone of my couples, past, present and future for enriching my life. You’re my vocation, my pulse, my story givers, my friends, my life long compadres, my joy and my wonder.
Here’s to 2022. No matter what - revel in the stories of your own lives.
#bridgroomcelebrantselfie #fromcelebranttofriend #zenasparish #humanistcelebrant #wordscount #momentsmatter #whatagang

It would seem that even the most conscientious of

It would seem that even the most conscientious of us cannot evade the tenacity of covid.
I hold my hands up and surrender to covid today and say an odd thank you. Because although personally, this is outrageously bad timing, at least this year, I gave you everything I could! I didn’t miss a single wedding. I didn’t let a single person down. So, apart from my poor mum who will now be having to wait for a delayed Christmas! I have 100% fulfilled my celebrant duties.
That folks, is dedication 😜😜😜
Have a happy and healthy or safe and germy (much more likely!) Christmas one and all. I can’t wait to start 2022 with an even stronger immune system 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
#lovetour2021 #celebrantcommitment #lft #keeptestingstaysafe

I was recently sent the exquisite photos from my b

I was recently sent the exquisite photos from my beautiful couple Abby and Pete's wedding (which was postponed and then so deliciously awaited and then celebrated this summer). The power and intimacy in this three human look is making my heart explode this evening.
I remember these moments so viscerally, and treasure them. The love they had for each other in their eyes - shining and true, and the fact that I, incredibly, get to have some of that gaze shared with me.
I've been a little absent on here recently as my heart broke into a thousand pieces for my dog, Laika when she died. But memories like this, reality like this, brings me right back to the truth of it all. That being fully alive means being ready to feel all the feels.
And this photo captures all the feels.
What lucky humans we are.
@flo_brooks_photography thank you for this wonder of a photo.
@the_abbybond and Peter. I love you so.
@maunselhouse #humanistwedding #fromcelebranttofriend #wordscount #gettoknowyourcelebrantitmakesadifference #humanistceremony #lovemycouples #thelookoflove #vows #lovetour2021 #engagedaf #dorsetweddingcelebrant #realweddings #whenifallforyou

Laika ✨ 17th August 2008 - 29th November 2021 #

Laika ✨ 17th August 2008 - 29th November 2021
#laikathelovedog died naturally, peacefully and without pain or fear in my arms late in to the night yesterday. Thank you all for loving her, for welcoming her to your ceremonies, embracing her brilliance in any and all ways. I don’t have words at the moment. I’m so very bereft. Long live love to the best and most unique creature and companion this girl could have ever wished for.

We did something completely brilliant yesterday ☺️
This may look like an accidental phone photo, but look closely, I’m pointing to a ring box. We (myself and the best men) firmly fixed the two wedding ring boxes underneath two seats chosen at random before the ceremony.
This wasn’t a gimmick. This represented something very essential. The genuine importance of each and every one of their guests. E and S had told me when choosing their guest list it was a real labour of love. Every single invite held intention, this is their community and they need their support. S joked, “please don’t take this invitation lightly!”
One of the really powerful things about a humanist wedding ceremony is that it truly acknowledges that you aren’t holding yourselves accountable to a deity, but that your public statements of intent are being expressed in front of the people in your lives whose opinions matter to you. This is a powerful social action. And one that requires active participants. So, we should design a physical action to indicate this and forge a memory around it. And so…
…we tucked the rings under the chairs and when the time came I contextualised. Never once taking the importance of the best men and the value of the tradition out of the equation…I explained their role in hiding them and then stated -
“BUT, who actually has the rings?”
The looks of genuine excitement as everyone leaned forward was just toooooo delicious. To witness every single person engaged, full of anticipation and excitement. And genuine squeals of delight when they were found and held aloft for the best men to collect. I’ll never forget it. The atmosphere was so heightened and as E&S exchanged their rings every guests’ body language was forward leaning and engaged. Active witnesses.
Creating moments which mean that little bit more to all involved are the real moments of wonder at the brilliance of human connection for me. And yesterday was packed to the brim.
What a privilege it is to help express intention and meaning with couples and to remember that sincerity and earnestness do not have to be po-faced, we can dance around the joyful and playful too.

It’s just so DAMN special when I get to name the

It’s just so DAMN special when I get to name the children of the magnificent people I get to marry. @katiebuxton83 @ramor99 What a superb little human you have made. It was such an honour to help create today and speak again with all the important friends and family in your life. I also loved so much, what your dad said Katie - we did indeed create a real compendium of Louis life, people and loves so far. Louis reaching for me made my heart skip a beat 😉 I can’t wait to continue being part of your adventures, you spectacular Amors.
#familycelebrant #frommarriagetochildren #zenasparish #humanistceremony #humanistnamimgceremony #naming #namjngceremony #alternativechristening #secularchristening #nonreligiousbaptism #celebratinghumans #makingmemories #wordscount #storiesconnectusall

My lovely little dog has been astounding this year

My lovely little dog has been astounding this year. In spite of her two heart attacks back in April, creating rapid onset diabetes followed swiftly by complete blindness she quickly decided that being left behind wasn’t on her agenda!
13 and a bit years old, she has still accompanied me to all of the weddings she’s has been invited to and this gorgeous shot taken by the magnificent @binkynixon was at @elmorecourt back in the height of multiple-postponement-summer madness!
Laika is a lesson in intrepid fearlessness and absolute zen presence. Something I’ve done my best to channel throughout this year!
I’ll treasure this photo. Thank you Binky.
#laikathelovedog #schnauzersofinstagram #bestdogintheworld #mygreatestcompanion #dogsatweddings #myheartontheoutside #onecelebrantandherdog

Analogue love. There is nothing, NOTHING, like a

Analogue love.
There is nothing, NOTHING, like a handwritten thank you. I’ve been absolutely floored by the outpouring of love and the time and thoughtfulness my exceptional couples have spent to make my little heart warmed this season.
Please feel free to take the time to read each of these. I love that it actually takes the eye and the mind a little longer to read handwriting than typed text. A call back to when we all used to revel in taking a little more time.
Every single couple and every single marriage and thus every single wedding ceremony is as unique as handwriting itself.
It is my pleasure and honour to keep creating distinct and meaningful and honest memories with you all. The process is as rewarding for me as I hope it is for you and when someone joked many years ago that they were part of #zenasparish I cringed a little at the hashtag as it felt too self aggrandising. But it really isn’t, it’s a word that encompasses the the giant patchwork of brilliant humans I have had the privilege of being welcomed into the lives of. You’re the parish. And I’m beyond lucky to be the staple in the parish newsletter that holds it all together.
#handwrittenheartfelt #celebrantwedding #thetimetakentowriteandpostthisdoesntgounnoticed #weddingthankyou #ceremonythankyou #iwillalwayshaveyourbacks #maketheceremonythebestbit #uniqueceremony #uniquewedding #makememories #wordscount #humanistcelebrant #handwrittenthankyoucard #iadoreseeinghandwriting #imissseeinghandwriting #penandink #arareandmagnificentbeast;-) #happytobestuckwithyouforever #imnotreallyoneforaquickglancepost #instagrampostthattakestenminutestoread #🤣 #helpingustoshowus #findacelebrant #oxfordweddingcelebrant #cornwallweddingcelebrant #devonweddingcelebrant #somersetweddingcelebrant #wiltshireweddingcelebrant #herefordshireweddingcelebrant

YOUR GUESTS SHOULD BE THIS HAPPY AND ENGAGED. Tha

YOUR GUESTS SHOULD BE THIS HAPPY AND ENGAGED.
Thank you @akudiva_photo for capturing the insane happiness, laughter, frivolity, emotion and extreme outpouring of love throughout Rose and Pascal’s ceremony. It came in at nearly an hour and a half, (in that heat!!) and it’s spectacular to know that there wasn’t a moment throughout where R&P’s guests weren’t 100% engaged. I always hope for this fact, seeing it in the timeline of photos is downright tear inducing for me. These reactions. This response. This level of engagement is what it’s all about. It’s worth all the hard work we put in. Make your ceremony count. Remind your friends and family why you love them. Retell the stories everyone actually gives a damn about. Get your guests involved. Forge connections. Make memories. Revel in ritual and celebration. We only live once, let’s all eek this much joy out of it.
#humanistceremony #ceremonycounts #yourguestsareeverything #storytelling #engaged #love #wordscount #spanishwedding #zenasparish #lovetour2021 #loveyourguests #bestwedding #engagedaf #humanistcelebrant #realweddings #weddinginspo #locationwedding #notjustbumsonseats #yourguestsareyourpeople
#activewitnessesnotpassiveobservers @roaming.rose 💚✨
📷 @akudiva_photo

I gave myself (finally) a day off. It was this bea

I gave myself (finally) a day off. It was this beautiful.
#autumnlight #dayoff #restandrecouperate #leaves

Still giddy with happiness as I wake this morning

Still giddy with happiness as I wake this morning after marrying @markwbo and Jen yesterday. I don’t often wobble in a ceremony, but when Mark’s dad faltered during an immaculate reading of John Steinbeck’s letter to his son, just as he said “Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I’m glad you have it...” and Mark joined him to help him continue, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room and no professionalism in the world could stop me from welling up (especially as Mark had already got me going when we tried to practice his vows pre-ceremony!!). The sentiment, support, joy, hilarity, and sense of relief to finally all be here after postponements was goosebumpingly palpable. We all sang Carole King’s You’ve Got A Friend, and Mark, Jen - count me 100% within that sentiment. Always.
#bridegroomcelebrantselfie #reallove #zenasparish #lovetour2021 #wordscount #humanistwedding
All the glorious components @bruisyardhall @dominicwhitenweddings

Jessica and Tom. Stole my heart. 15.10.21 @100ba

Jessica and Tom.
Stole my heart.
15.10.21
@100barrington
#zenasparish #lovemycouples #processiseverything #love #reallove #realweddings #reallovesytories #lovetour2021 #bridegroomcelebrantselfie

It’s my birthday. This is my beautiful mum who b

It’s my birthday. This is my beautiful mum who by the miracle of all things wonderous on this planet, brought me into existence. How grateful I am!
What a thing it is to live.
May you all have a bloody exceptional day full of joy and ordinary marvel, splendour and exquisite observation. Please take a second, regardless of how excellent, dreary, complicated or sad the day may actually be to see something simple and beautiful.
Feel free to share with me what you found. Or else, just have a bloody good drink this evening and know that I am grateful to know you. Happy 8th of October one and all!

I really have been so very, very lucky with the va

I really have been so very, very lucky with the variation and beauty of all of #lovetour2021 wedding locations. This was what seems like a lifetime ago but was actually only July! In the astoundingly magical Queens Wood cafe in Highgate, which came to the rescue after many postponements. Maddy and Patrick - I adore these photos. Thank you so much for sending them through. And thank you for the following brilliant words… 😍
“we're emailing to say the most enormous thank you for our ceremony. What we wanted was something that felt like what marriage feels like to us - personal, significant, funny, and lots of other sometimes contradictory things - and you gave that to us. You made my mum and Ness feel part of the ceremony rather than an addition. So many people have told us how special it felt to them, and we're so grateful. We're so grateful for everything else you did too - adapting to the change of venue like the pro you are, helping us calm down in the garden beforehand, and staying to celebrate in the evening. The consensus is that you were an excellent addition to the aunts table, and that you definitely won the bingo..!”
All perfectly captured by @threeflowersphoto
#woodlandwedding #londonwedding #humanistceremony #wordscount #zenasparish #yourceremonyyourway #makeitpersonal #funceremony #surprisesingingperformance #ahitwiththeaunts

So deeply grateful that my friend @hannah_hart_wed

So deeply grateful that my friend @hannah_hart_weddings stepped in and lent me their car so I could make it to this wonderful wedding we have waited so long for. Whilst my car is currently AWOL. To be in a pickle and then helped out by others in the @humanists_uk network is proof that our network is magnificent!
Also, Olivia and Sam are about a foot taller than me. I love that my couples will scooch down and snuggle in 🙂 Proof (if it were ever needed!) that my couples are also truly magnificent 😉
So happy to have made it to you and thank you for inviting Laika 🐾💚 she told me she thought your friends and family were sensational 😉
#bridegroomcelebrantselfie
#zenasparish
#realcouples
#realweddings
#humanistcelebrant
#love

I’M. A. GUEST!!! Also, Tyler, my epic second co

I’M. A. GUEST!!!
Also, Tyler, my epic second cousin and I aren’t even in fancy dress. This is how we are 😍
My magnificent cousin Jade married her exquisite wife Jess today. In a woodland. With all the family. And I am so damn happy, delighted, relaxed and off duty!!!! #readytoparty #iownadiscoballheadressofcourseido
#colourfulfamily

Silly. Daft. Proud. As. Punch. Our book is out t

Silly. Daft. Proud. As. Punch.
Our book is out today.
It isn’t just about weddings. It’s insightful about love, life, sustaining relationships, being alive.
Link in bio.
#fullofjoyfulinsight #littlebookofhumanistweddings #love

I have only one word. LOVE.

I have only one word.
LOVE.

When I was 20 I met a remarkable woman, Siobhan, w

When I was 20 I met a remarkable woman, Siobhan, who became a life long friend, but it began when she asked me to babysit her two beautiful children. Cue the first time I met and fell in love with an 8 year old Rose and a 9 year old Laurence.
All those years ago we would laugh around a family kitchen table, I would read them books about mischievous hamsters as they interupted, giggled or just simply bewitched me with their loveliness from the bunk beds. They were the first children I fell in love with as a young adult.
And here I am standing today in between two extraordinary grown ups. I feel at once old and eternally young. What I feel more than anything else is such pride in the brilliant humans they have continued to be.
Tomorrow I get to marry Rose to Pascal, with Laurence and Siobhan walking her down the aisle. I am overwhelmed with privilege and so fucking excited it doesn’t bear trying to put into words.
The journeys we get to walk in life, the stories we get to shape and share, the paths that weave their magic in and out of our time on this planet is something to marvel at. And this evening, rehearsal done, as I sit here and practice the last few moments before tomorrow, I stand tall, as a tiny 5ft 2’er in between my 6ft amazonion beauties. (Thank you for crouching a little to my tip toes!)
It's been a treasure in my life to watch you grow.
It’s been a riot in so many ways over the years to keep making memories.
L & R, just know, you have my fierce and sentimental heart now and evermore.

Last night’s Peruvian Fire Ceremony 🔥 We rew

Last night’s Peruvian Fire Ceremony 🔥
We reworked a tradition I had learned in a different context to fit with the brilliance of being alive- to celebrate Ursula and Tim’s 17 years together, 14 years of marriage and the amazing community of friends and family they have accrued - with a hearty fire which grew heartier with every story, memory and anecdote.
⠀
Many years ago I conducted a dear friend’s celebration of life, one of the people she had met on a trek through Peru before she died contacted me & told me about a ritual they use to honour the life of the deceased, you take as many logs as there were years in their life and invite someone to relive a story of them before adding the log to the fire.
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But we should all hear, revel, delight and celebrate in the stories we share whilst we are alive. So yesterday, after celebrating Ursula and Tim’s family vow renewal ceremony in the daytime with their two gorgeous boys, we let the celebrations unfold & develop into the fire ceremony as dusk arrived.
⠀
So many stories were shared, hilarious anecdotes, moments of real meaning, emotional tributes, some malteaser blowing 😉 revelations and reminicsences of the lives they have all shared together. Some people who swore they could never publically share a story, found themselves being drawn in to the intimate magic of the moment. It was a safe space, a warm space and space of immeasurable love. I didn’t know when I started it how it would quite unfold, we took a leap of faith that it would work & work it did. It was insanely moving - each time someone took up a log or piece of kindling we didn’t know what story ride we were about to embark upon.
⠀
By the end of the ceremony, as we transitioned from story to song and into some proper party dancing, the fire was stoked, kicking out heat, warming hearts, making eyes glow with tears and happpiness in the flickering fireside & I swear the forging of human to human love and life was as cracklingly palpable as the fire’s sparks.
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This is being alive.
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This is being loved.
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Tim and Ursula, Xav and Neo - the true wealth of life is all yours.
#peruvianfireceremony #thestorythatstarteditall #teamtav #love #weddingrituals

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