Chani and Ash
It is difficult to write this briefly but we’ll try! What an incredible day, we were utterly speechless and overwhelmed with emotion and joy for weeks afterwards! Zena is seriously amazing and we cannot imagine how our big day could have been any better or in fact how it could have been the same without her. From the minute we met Zena we knew she was the woman for the job so we were so excited when she was free on our date and agreed to marry us. We were a bit apprehensive about writing our own vows and promises initially (we both do pictures, not words!) but Zena helped us through the process and we were so glad that we did it!
We also can’t thank Zena enough for making us do our homework (one of us more speedily that the other!) we now understand how important it was in enabling Zena to get to know us and in making the ceremony so awesome, personal and most of all a total reflection of our story and how all the important people sharing our day fitted into that (there was not a dry eye in the house and we can’t tell you how many guests told us it was the best ceremony they’d ever been to!). The ceremony was beyond our wildest dreams and Zena went above and beyond the call of duty in every way to make that happen (not just in the ceremony but in all the other things we roped her into!). We are so lucky to have had Zena as our celebrant and now we have an amazing new friend! Zena…thank you, thank you, thank you for making it truly the best day of our lives!
Sally Holland – Event Sales and Operations Co-Ordinator, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
I just wanted to drop you a quick email to say how much positive feedback I heard on the day of Jennifer and Rob's wedding and I know they were ecstatic! It was wonderful and definitely something I will be recommending to clients and I have sent your information round to the team. Hopefully see you at Cambridge Cottage soon!
Georgie and Dan
We would like to say a massive thank you to Zena for our wonderful wedding ceremony. My Grandpa told me it was 'the most romantic wedding ever' another friend said 'we can safely say that was the best wedding we have attended'. It moved grown men to tears, made us laugh, included everyone and truly reflected us, both individuals and as a couple!
We wanted something different, something fun, colourful and personal but still wanted to have some traditional parts! Zena wrote a ceremony that was all this and more. Aside from her own wonderful writings, she read beautiful quotes that were not run-of-the-mill wedding ones but ones she had found because they fitted!
Zena is warm, happy, super fun and also very professional. Truly a delight to work with, if we get married again we'll definitely ask her again!
Sam and Katie
Finding Zena was one of the biggest successes of our wedding preparations. We knew we wanted a humanist ceremony, but weren't sure of much else! So to find someone who is not just full of ideas - but is also full of energy, passion and joy - was a huge help and a massive relief. From then on, Zena became an integral part of the lead up to our big day: working with us to create a personalised ceremony that perfectly reflected who we are as a couple. At the wedding itself, Zena was fantastic - well-rehearsed, charismatic and charming. We had so many people complimenting us on our choice of celebrant.
Felicity and Robert
We got married in October 2012, and we were overwhelmed by how many of our guests said it was the best wedding they had ever been to; we feel very keenly that Zena's involvement had a lot to do with this. Her orchestration of proceedings, the text she had written for the ceremony, and her delivery set the tone for a gorgeous day. Zena is a pleasure to work with, and has the real skill of being able to balance lightness and wit, with respect for the solemnity of the occasion.
Her approach was inclusive and warm, which was particularly important to us given the diversity of beliefs amongst our guests. Having Zena as your celebrant means a bit more homework in preparation than having a civil registrar, but it is completely worth it.
Ben and Kathryn
We just wanted to email and thank you for the truly wonderful ceremony you gave us for our wedding. You captured our personalities and things that are most important us perfectly and all our guests said it was a beautiful service and very 'us'. Thank you for helping organise the barn before the guests arrived and I know that Ben appreciated your calming influence before the ceremony... more for his brothers!!
Both sets of parents didn't know what to expect and were - thankfully - overwhelmed at how wonderful it was. We really couldn't have asked for a more perfect ceremony to start our perfect day, so thank you so much!
Niccie and Jonathan
I wanted to write you a thank you email, but I'm honestly lost for words to tell you how grateful we are for the amazing ceremony! I'm reading through our guest book and pretty much every entry mentions how moved people were by the ceremony, how personal it was and how heartfelt! My 83 year old grandfather apparently asked, as everyone was sitting down, "why aren't we in a church?" but by the end, he thought it was fabulous! Between you and the choir, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house!
Lots of people told me last night it was the best wedding ceremony they'd ever been to and they loved the fact that is was so personal to us. I don't think anyone had ever heard a wedding ceremony that encompassed both European football and cushion etiquette! I'm also really grateful that you took so much time to talk to us (both face to face and by email) before the ceremony. It made a real difference to me to have a friendly and familiar face taking us through the ceremony, rather than someone we'd only met half an hour earlier, it isn't easy organizing a whole wedding from the U.S. I also really appreciated you making the effort to have a rehearsal with the full wedding party and to coordinate the choir!
Writing the 'story of us' and filling out your questionnaire was actually a really good exercise for the two of us to do. Jonno definitely used that as inspiration for his speech - and even talked about the process (and how rubbish he was at doing it!) in the speech. Apparently at one point he wrote a 5 verse poem (which I'm still trying to convince him to show to me!).
If you ever need a reference, or have a couple who are unsure about using you or having the humanist ceremony - please feel free to pass on my email address.
Patrick and Jackie
Thank you so much for our wedding on Saturday, It was great, we had the most fantastic day and are still on a bit of a high despite the return to work and normality. Everyone we've spoken to have been so positive about the whole event especially about you and the ceremony.
Sue Childs
I wanted to say how much I enjoyed meeting you on Saturday and to say how impressed I was with the entire ceremony. WELL DONE YOU! I have heard nothing but good feedback from all the other guests and Jackie and Patrick have told me that they are still 'riding on happiness'.
Carole and Ken
I would just like to say a huge thank you for giving such a wonderful service for Karen and Craig we thought it was beautiful. Everyone like us who had not been to a Humanist wedding before all said it was the best wedding they had ever been too. In some instances that included their own daughters. Once again a big thank you from her very proud Mum and Dad.
Steve and Sue Cox
Thank you for your wonderful ceremony on Ivan's and Natalie's wedding day. All three of you had so clearly put so much thought and warmth into it all (and as fond mother and mother-in-law, I was very touched by the fact that you were moved by it too). It was such an amazing day in every way - the two of them looking so lovely and so happy, your ceremony, the college, the weather - it really couldn't have been better. So, many heartfelt thanks.
Natalie Raybould and Ivan Cox
Zena, we're so so glad you had a great time this Friday: you were simply amazing, and we had and are continuing to have so many comments about what a beautiful, personal, warm and meaningful service it was. We are so grateful to you for your wonderful manner in the service, as well as of course designing and writing it too. It was perfect for us. Thank you.