There Is No Right Way to Get Married

One of the biggest misconceptions I come across is that there is a "correct" way to get married.

There isn't.

After spending more than two decades in the wedding industry and being involved in over 2,000 weddings, I have learned that every couple starts their wedding planning with one simple question:

"What are we supposed to do?"

Should we invite everyone?

Should we write our own vows?

Should we have speeches?

Should we get married in a church?

Should we elope?

Should we follow tradition?

The truth is, most of these questions have no right or wrong answer.

The only question that really matters is:

What feels right for us?

The Pressure to Have the "Perfect" Wedding

Wedding planning can quickly become a list of expectations.

Family expectations.

Social media expectations.

Wedding traditions.

Advice from well-meaning friends.

Before long, it can feel as though everyone else is helping to plan your wedding.

Except you.

I have met couples who apologised because they wanted to keep their wedding small.

Others worried that they did not want a first dance.

Some felt guilty because they preferred an intimate ceremony to a reception with hundreds of guests.

None of those choices were wrong.

They were simply choosing the wedding that suited them.

The Best Weddings Have One Thing in Common

People often ask me what the best wedding I've ever been to was.

The truth is, I cannot answer that.

Not because there have not been wonderful weddings.

But because the weddings I remember are not the ones with the biggest budgets or the grandest venues.

They are the ones where the couple looked completely at ease.

Where they laughed during the ceremony.

Where they forgot there was anyone else in the room.

Where every decision reflected who they were rather than who they thought they should be.

Those are the weddings that stay with me.

Your Wedding Does Not Need Anyone's Approval

Whether you choose to marry with two witnesses on a clifftop overlooking the Atlantic...

Invite twenty guests to a woodland ceremony...

Or celebrate with two hundred family and friends...

None of those choices makes your wedding more meaningful than another.

The meaning comes from the commitment you make to each other.

Everything else is simply the way you choose to celebrate it.

My Role as Your Celebrant

People often think they are booking someone to write a ceremony.

Of course, I will do that.

I will tell your story, help you write meaningful vows if you choose to, and create a ceremony that reflects your relationship.

But my role goes much further.

Sometimes it is answering questions you think you should already know.

Sometimes it is reassuring you that your ideas are completely valid.

Sometimes it is reminding you that your wedding does not have to look like anyone else's.

If, after every conversation, you feel a little calmer than before, then I know I have done my job.

Because there is no right way to get married.

There is only the right way for you.