Humanist Ceremonies

We've had an inspiring day at The House Meadow.

This afternoon we had an informal meeting with Croianna Bradshaw, a celebrant for weddings and partnerships accredited by the British Humanist Association.

We, like many couples we have met, were a little unsure about what a Humanist Ceremony was all about. Upon visiting the humanist website I was still non the wiser, generally because I have the attention span of a gnat, so arranging a meeting with a local Celebrant seemed like the way forward. So, here's the low down as I see it...

A Humanist Ceremony is a non religious celebration of marriage. The ceremony has no restrictive boundaries, you can marry anywhere you like with no rule book dictating which 'licensed plot' you must marry within. Massive tick. Also, you can marry whenever you like...dusk, dawn, midnight it's up to you. Massive tick. So, the obvious places at The House Meadow would be on the island, in the woodland, under the oak tree...the choice is yours. The celebrant will lead the ceremony, however your vows, readings, promises (yes, you can make him promise to do the washing up!) can all be written by you. There are no set guide lines but if you need advice on how to structure the ceremony then your celebrant can advise you. Your ceremony can be as conventional or as laid back as you wish, it is so personal. If you'd like live music, cue the violinists, you can. Even great aunt Ethel who is mega religious can say a prayer, the celebrant just stands to one side. So, I'd say that keeps everyone happy wouldn't you?

I know I know, there is one problem in this, it's not 'on paper' an official marriage. I was shocked to discover that in Scotland Humanist Celebrants can be licensed registrars too, yet in England this is not the case, booooo. It is going to parliament though so fingers crossed for the future. Anyway, I digress. Yes, to be legally married you need to pop to the registry office (£40) with 2 witnesses to sign your marriage certificate, but (and this to me was significant) you do not need to be declared man and wife and you do not need to exchange rings. Superb. So your marriage certificate is merely your license to wed. A fabulous way of putting it was this "When buying a house you don't remember the day you signed the contract, you remember the day you moved in". I think I'd even keep it as casual as to put it on a to do list alongside 'pick up wedding cake', 'call the caterer'....'get marriage certificate'! Fabulous! Your ceremony will be the first time you exchange rings and the first time you are declared man and wife. Perfect.

Your ceremony is your declaration, a promise to each other celebrated in front of all your closet friends and family so now for the tingly stuff. I swear I must be a hippy at heart (that's what Rob just told me) but check out these ideas for something truly meaningful....

+If you have a small bridal party (up to about 40) you can run a length of ribbon to all your guests, and then, at the start of the ceremony the wedding ring gets threaded on to the ribbon. Your guests hold the ring and silently make a wish for the couple and then pass it on through the rest of the bridal party, ending back in the hands of the couple who then make their vows. Gorgeous or what?

+There is a special way (don't ask me how) to do a hand fastening. This is where the celebrant links your hands together during the ceremony and ties them with ribbon. Once your ceremony is complete you part hands and the ribbon streams away to allow your hands to separate yet reveals a knot to show the promise you have made. Awwwwww.

+Croianna also had a lovely vision of the two families camping over in separate yurt villages the night before and then following a dawn ceremony, the couple now married and their families, join each other in a day celebration.

+Croianna has also experienced many ways to link families and children into the ceremonies. A lovely idea for the families of the couples (namely the mother in laws) is to bring earth from each family home and as a gift to each other "I give you my son" "I give you my daughter" they mix the earth and keep it (probably in a pretty jar or pot!) but what a lovely way to show the linking of the two families. Cute. Also, many couples have children of their own and/or step children and the couple can write in promises to make the children feel included in the marriage and their families future. I know I'd make my babies a huge part of our ceremony given the chance!

These are all just ideas though, as ever, it's your day, do it your way.

Hopefully that covers the most of it, and I hope, inspires many of you to step out of the conformity we're led to believe we must follow. It's not wacky or crazily ritualistic, its just all about you and your love for each other.

I just would like to wrap this up by passing on Croianna's contact details, I know she'd be more than happy to meet with you here at The House Meadow to chat through the many more possibilities that are out there.

Croianna Bradshaw
croianna@gmail.com
07989 746580
http://humanist.org.uk/croiannabradshaw

Enjoy x

Little things....

Today I have been mostly writing out our terms and condition....yawn. We like to think we're pretty damm relaxed about things here but it's amazing how much thought has to go into these things! Anyway, the first draft it complete, so those of you waiting for me to finish it so you can book your weddings, fear not, it's on it's way! :)

Also, I've been compiling lists of local accommodation (whilst watching Moulin Rouge, obviously!) so that you can get all your guests booked up in one of the many guest houses in Biddenden and the surrounding areas! Lovely lovely.

Fabulousness. Signing off to soak up the Pareeeee love fest x

Part Two - Photo Shoot 1st May

Right, so the next part of the shoot was all created around old furniture and props that have been knocking around for yonks. We had old typewriters, leather cases, oil lanterns etc but when it came down to it my lovely friend Laura wearing a gorgeous lace dress from Forever Yours of Rye was all we really needed. We had been given the most beautiful boquet of roses from Scarlet Feather a new Florist from Sissinghurst and that was the perfect finishing touch. This set was located in our Old Kent Barn and although it made a fabulous picture we were more limited with positioning as the backdrop itself was so small.
Laura is one of my bestest girlies and after a lot of nagging from me she begrudgingly modelled for us and I think you'll all agree she makes a beautiful bride. Love you Laurabell x

Vintage Lace and Roses

Beautiful

After this shoot we got Laura out of the wedding gown and dragged her around to assist us with the rest of the photo shoot which moved outside.

The Meadow is really coming into life at this time of year and we are fortunate to have the most stunning Oak Trees in our Woodland area of the Meadow and this is where we set off first. Next to model was Rosie. Bless her heart, she didn't know a single one of us yet trusted us to strip her off dress her up and mess about with her hair and make up. Superstar!
The dress Rosie wore was again from Forever Yours of Rye . It's such an eye catching gown and it worked beautifully in The Meadow.

In the Woodland area of The Meadow

It was tricky getting her in the tree but it was worth it!

So Pretty!  Bouquet from Scarlet Feather

The Oaks at the top of the Woodland

The Oaks at the top of the Woodland

I love this piccy, beautiful Rosie

I love these images so much, they capture the heart of The Meadow so well. The appeal of our venue is all nature bound and these shots are so easily obtainable for any Bride - we'll even give you a hand into the tree :)
Thank you for all your time and patience Rosie, we hope to work with you again :)

Next up was our lovely Sophie. Another fabulous friend of mine. Again, she'd been super patient and had to wait around a good few hours until we were ready for her. Sophie's dress is actually one that we had already for previous shoots but no one else had managed to squeeze in to it! We were looking for an ethereal, festival vibe Bride with this shoot. So we threw the Heels to one side and let her curls tumble around her face and just let things flow....

A lovely little lamb from the farm

Possibly my favourite pic from the day

Walking in The Meadow

Sophie had made a friend by the end of this!

With "Muffin"

LOVE!

 

Sophie is holding both the bouquet from Scarlet Feather and also the other (seen in the Walking in The Meadow image) from The Flower Craft Workshop which was a stunning arrangement of cream and blush roses with bluebells and Rosemary highlights.

Lastly here are two more images of the lovely Emma posing outside the barn.

"So, who took all these lovely images?" I hear you cry. Of course it was our fabulous friends from Cap2ure. I love the way Cap2ure work. They are so fussy about the smallest of details, yet they still manage to keep the shoot flowing and most importantly they keep the models/brides at ease. That is a lot of multi tasking! Especially when they have me running in and out of shot fluffing dresses, tweaking hair, or, just making the models laugh when they're meant to be pulling posed faces. Brilliant fun. Full credit must go to them for pulling this off. Sure, we have the ideas but without their expertise it wouldn't turn out nearly half as well.

So that was our day. I hope you've enjoyed the images and all the wonderful supplies that feature in them and  I really do hope you like our venue :) Bookings being taken for 2012, call me.

Thanks for reading xxx

Part One- Photo Shoot 1st May

I am still buzzing (and exhausted!) after Sunday's photo shoot. 

4 models, florist, caterer, bridal boutique, photographer and The House Meadow

= 

An awesome giggly day of photo shoot fun!

It was pretty much fun fun fun from the word "Go". Nicci and Bryan from Home Gurr'own were first on set with some amazingly scrumptious food. It was really very very cruel to have all this delicious food about and yet not being able to touch it! They set up in the barn with two glorious food tables - one a cascading waterfall of everything sugary, a perfect cream tea, and the other, a savory selection of cheese boards, salmon scotch eggs (yes, salmon!), mouthwatering sandwiches and more. The highlight of the day was the genius "Trifle in a Jar" that Nicci put together at the last minute. It looked AMAZING and perect for a picnic style Wedding Breakfast. It is firmly on my wishlist for every party celebration coming up.

Enough of my babbling, the pictures say it all and check out the edible flowers...

Cheese Board

A salad I actually want to eat!

Smoked Salmon Scoth Eggs - YUM!

 Home made bread and a variety of scrummy fillings

Love love love! Mini Cream Tea sweet selection

Just because I love them so much

Savory Mini Cream Tea

Home made Quiche - delicious!

The Highlight of the day - Trifle in a Jar!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm YUM!

So. Although we'll never make you use our preffered Caterer we really don't know why you'd want to go anywhere else :) Fabulous stuff. Visit Nicci's website for the full low down on Home Gurr'own. Nicci, we love you!

Now, next on set was Emma from the Gorgeous Boutique Bridal Shop "Forever Yours of Rye". We've known Emma and her family for an awfully long time yet only recently discovered she is now the proud owner of the prettiest shop I have ever set foot in. I not only love the dresses yet also the Forever Yours shop is so very sweet, wonderfully shabby chic and to top it off you feel special the second you walk through the door. Emma is mad as a hatter but in the very best way :) Normally she wouldn't model her own dresses but on this one occasion she made an exception for us and we're very glad she did, we had so much fun with Emma and the dress looks fabulous!

Emma in her retro tea length dress - such fun!

Time for Tea

Soooo cute!

The veil is also from Forever Yours

I love this one :)

 Emma also does Bridal hair and make up and was very handy backstage getting the other 3 models ready. If you're reading this Emma (which I'm sure you will be) thank you so much for modelling for us and for providing us with such stunning Bridal Gowns, it would not have been the same without you!

Lastly in this sections I'd like to show you a selection of product shots from our Cream Tea table. Mum and I were busy baking days before and managed to make some rather delicious cakes for the shoot. We whipped up a traditional Victoria Sponge cake with fresh strawberries, a lemon drizzle cake with poppy seeds, cream cupcakes and the rather sugary three tier chocolate cake. We are all about 5lbs heavier now as obviously it couldn't go to waste. The bit I'd like to highlight in these piccies though is the China. I've been in love with it for about a year now and in my old job at Kensal and Gretel I had a field day with the new collections arriving - it felt like Christmas. My boss, Lottie, was kind enough to loan us a tea pot, milk jug, sugar pot and mugs for the shoot. This collection is sooooooooo pretty, but she also stocks the other Pip collections in her fabulous shop in Tenterden. It is the most colourful shop you will ever enter and everyone that works there is fabulous, I love them all! So, for a real WOW factor go and buy some of her China for your wedding reception - you could even use tea cups and saucers as favours or gifts for your special guests. 

Lastly, I have a bit of a thing about single stem flowers in glass decanters, jam jars etc. The lovely Juliet at The Flower Craft Workshop in Tenterden was so kind and provided us with a gorgeous selection of blooms. Without those flowers the images wouldn't look half as fabulous, so, thank you so much Juliet we love your flowers and the care and attention you put in to all of your work. Enjoy :)

Charity shop china - fabulous

Beautiful Blooms

Mummy's Victoria Sponge

Pip China

Pip China

We really like cake!

What a table!!!!

My Choccy Cake

:)

I'll talk about them a lot more later and really it goes without saying, but, Cap2ure photography are THE BEST and they "get it"...the personality of our venue comes through in every shoot they do for us and whats more they're fabulous to work with and technically superb...

Part II coming soon!

Thanks for reading :)