Why should you have a celebrant ceremony?
Photo: Diego Mariella | Celebrant: Apulian Ceremony
Personal, collaborative, and with no lengthy paperwork, we shine a light on why so many couples are opting for celebrant-led ceremonies for their Italian weddings. These are not second-rate ceremonies for those couples who didn’t have the time to organised the legal requirements to host a civil service; nor for an ‘alternative’ approach to marriage - but meaningful, tailored services which the couple have complete control over.
We caught up with our La Lista recommended celebrants - Nat Raybould, Tuscan Pledges and Apulian Ceremony to explain not only why celebrant ceremonies are a perfect fit for destination weddings, but how in the process you’ll build a special life-long connection with your celebrant too.
“With a celebrant ceremony, the ceremony creation journey is just as enjoyable, informative and memorable as the ceremony itself. When you begin a relationship of trust with your chosen celebrant, they will guide you to think deeply about your relationship – your values, your passions, and your wishes for your future together. Many couples begin their celebrant search thinking they are booking a cool 25 minute ceremony, and then they quickly learn that they have booked a much deeper, and much more significant, long-lasting emotional experience. There’s nothing like it, truly. And this is why UK couples having a destination wedding often opt for a UK celebrant, because it is far easier to meet up in person, and to revel in the creative process.” Nat Raybould
Photo: The Curries | Celebrant: Nat Raybould
Jo, Tuscan Pledges
"Not being bound to follow a liturgy or the requirements of a civil ceremony allows symbolic ceremonies to be special, tailored to the couple, and as personal as they want it to be. They might not be the right choice for every couple though, and we acknowledge that some couples are more private and prefer to stick to the traditional, possibly sharing their personal vows at a different moment."
Nat Raybould
"Anything that is fully bespoke is meaningful. A celebrant wedding ceremony is fully bespoke, and therefore can add unique meaning to every single element of every single ceremony. Big splashy differences or discreet in-jokes: whatever means most to you both must and will be included!"
Michela, Apulian Ceremony
"Symbolic ceremonies are really personal. We first “meet” the couple and have a video call and explain how we work and that we write personally each and every love story based on the couple’s history."
Jo, Tuscan Pledges
"We try to create a crescendo that leads to the exchange of the vows and rings, followed by us pronouncing them married, which is the best way to end the ceremony. If they wish to sign our parchment, we do that just before the final pronouncement, after which they are free to go party!"
Nat Raybould
"In my opinion, every couple requires some sort of personal promises or vows as the centrepiece of a ceremony, as they contain the commitment that the wedding ceremony embodies. Figuring out the ceremony format is a hugely fun part of the unique creative process. What’s perfect for some may be anathema for others, and that’s quite right too!
How do you figure that out though? My advice is to question all of the traditional formats of the wedding ceremonies you have ever seen or heard about. Question entrances, ritual gestures, structures – the lot. If you love it, it stays! – and if it means nothing to you, we can pop it to one side. It’s very liberating!"
Michela, Apulian Ceremony
"My recommendation is avoid letting a friend officiate. A friend should fully enjoy the ceremony and having this responsibility could create stress for them. What is awesome, is when I have been asked to guide the friend and co-celebrate the wedding."
Celebrant: Tuscan Pledges
Jo, Tuscan Pledges
Imagine not having to deal with complicated paperwork, not having to spend mornings in government offices instead of having fun at the pool with your guests? When I explain the hassle they need to go through, 95% of the time it's an easy win."
Nat Raybould
"Destination weddings are often chosen because a couple wants to marry in a magnificent venue, surrounded by distinctive scenery and beauty. You need your ceremony to match the splendour of your venue! In addition to this, a celebrant is also truly flexible in availability as well as content, so you can rehearse an unusual entrance or multiple family readings ahead of time, and even move the ceremony timing last minute if there’s a break in the weather! Ultimately you will have a firm friend AND an unwavering professional all in one, and they will be there for you, rooting for you, as you walk down the aisle. That combination of enthusiasm, friendship and technical excellence is a heady mix, and that stability can be even more of a support when you are marrying in an unfamiliar country."
Michela, Apulian Ceremony
"Generally speaking in the last year there has been a trend to have a celebrant ceremony not only for destination weddings. Destination weddings have been the pioneer, since they took care of the legal part in their own country and then they could focus on the most emotional part feeling freed from the paperwork."
Jo, Tuscan Pledges
"One thing I find quite questionable is the fact that some couples still consider symbolic ceremonies as less important compared to religious or civil ones, and for this reason ask me to pretend it is the real deal, as if choosing a symbolic ceremony is shameful. Sometimes this happens because the couple is worried about their older guests' reaction, but very often it's the actual couple believing our ceremonies are a second-best choice."
Nat Raybould
"I have sometimes heard couples and guests say to me that they thought celebrant ceremonies were only for “hippy”-style weddings. That couldn’t be further from the truth! I specialise in chic, cerebral, elegant ceremonies, that are highly personalised and intentional in every detail. The truth is a celebrant-led ceremony is EXACTLY what YOU make it! A good celebrant should follow your lead in every way."
Michela, Apulian Ceremony
"The biggest misconception is that a symbolic ceremony with a celebrant is not a real wedding.
From my experience, symbolic wedding are more felt, as the couple is absolutely free to create it exactly the way they want it to be. No time limits, loved one can read, rituals can be included.
Many couples choose to marry legally in their native country and then have their dream wedding in a place they particularly love. In our case it is Puglia."
Jo, Tuscan Pledges
"Despite the fact that our ceremonies all strive to be as personal as possible, and therefore very moving, nothing beats the possibility to celebrate the wedding of someone you know; the emotional charge is really thrilling and challenging at the same time. So far I have celebrated several weddings of photographers who work together; working at ceremonies we celebrated, they realized how much more heartfelt our ceremonies can be, and did not hesitate to have us conduct their wedding ceremonies.
Nat Raybould
"I have included a Tinkerbell aerialist raining fairy dust on a couple’s first kiss. Had a Rick Roll surprise within a ceremony, and even had Darth Vader make a reading in a couple’s ceremony (after all, he was the groom’s FATHER). But, with that said, I must say that to me it isn’t about how unique you can make a ceremony, it’s about how authentic you can be. Creativity is easy in isolation, but it has to be meaningful."
Michela, Apulian Ceremony
"It is difficult to mention only one. Really, all our ceremonies were wonderful and different.
Starting from a surprise wedding where the bride was not aware that she was going to marry, to an absolutely breath-taking elopement on one the highest rocks in Matera."
As Michela from Apulian Ceremony says “a celebrant is as important as a florist, catering or music”, so don’t leave it to the last minute to book this part of your wedding day. Need a helpful breakdown of what to organise and when? Download our Wedding Timeline - it will take you from here to your big day.
