FAQ

 2023 FEES and FAQs

2024 FEES please ask

  

First and foremost, you need to know that I love what I do and you can be confident your day will be memorable, personal and wonderful. You can rely on me!

I am an in-demand celebrant and wise couples book early to avoid disappointment.

I always offer an initial conversation so we can get to know one another and you can put your finger on my pulse and judge whether I get your vibe.   I never ask you to decide whether you want me to be your celebrant. I ask you to take your time and choose the celebrant who ‘fits’ you best.

My fee structure is transparent, and set out below. Fees include the first 50 miles, after that it’s a standard 55ppm.  I can provide additional materials including vow bells, ribbons/cords for handfasting, horn cups for Viking weddings, oak ring bowls. wine cups.  

I live in Norfolk.  If you want me to be your celebrant in Warwick, or Andover, Spain, San Antonio or beyond, then I am happy to do so. Please bear in mind that there will be an additional fee that covers travel time and overnight stays.  We can discuss this before you book.

 I am often booked 24 months ahead at peak times.  A mid-week wedding is on-trend at the moment! I only do one ceremony a day, and that one will  be yours!

I also offer micro-weddings, elopement ceremonies,  so please do ask me about this if you are interested. Vow renewals, naming ceremonies, adoption celebrations, a ceremony to mark an important transition, or a landmark events are all part of my repertoire. It’s not just about weddings!

 

What is a Humanist celebrant?

A Humanist celebrant is trained, accredited and quality assured by Humanists UK www.humanism.org.uk

 All Humanist UK celebrants offer ceremonies without reference to religion. This makes Humanist ceremonies ideal where couples with families are from different cultures, or hold different beliefs or life-views and want a position-neutral ceremony that can incorporate all the family and friends. It is also the ceremony of choice if you have no faith or belief-system yourself.

Choosing a Humanist ceremony should be a positive and active choice – which will make your ceremony all the more special, dignified and memorable – and truly represents who you are and how you live your life. 

 Inclusion, Sustainability and freedom ?

   My approach to life, as well as ceremonies, is to treat everyone well, equally and with humour and with respect.  I positively welcome everyone – whatever their culture, gender, sexuality or belief, their physical and mental wellness or challenges.  I aim to run a sustainable business and aim to be paper-free by the end of 2022.

 

   Why choose me?

 My couples say I am fun, quirky, reassuring, engaging, flexible, easy to be with and reliable. I also have a campervan. For some reason, that seems to attract people and I found that over the past two years, 40% of my couples also own a campervan. Bizarre! You don’t have to own one of course, but it does mean I can meet you anywhere and we can have tea and cake!  

 

Is a Humanist wedding ceremony the same as a legal marriage?

 No. Humanist wedding ceremonies are not (yet) legal in England and Wales. (They are in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Jersey). We are campaigning to change this. At the moment if you want a legal marriage you will need to have a separate Register Office ceremony. Most of my couples have a simple ‘early bird’ legal ceremony with two witnesses at the Register Office either a couple of days before or just after their Humanist ceremony. Most choose to exchange rings and vows, during their Humanist ceremony. If you think it’s crazy that a Humanist celebrant can perform legal marriages in other parts of the UK but not in England and Wales, lobby your MP!

 

Do you write ceremonies that other people deliver?

 It is my practice to write AND deliver the ceremony.  My reputation and reliability is built on the complete package. Some celebrants write ceremonies for others to deliver, but I prefer to deliver the words I have written that reflect your relationship, and the relationship we have built in the months running up to your ceremony.

 

What’s the cost?  Depends what you want!

My clients often say to me “we only want a little ceremony”.  But believe me, the number of guests does not equate to the amount of time it takes to write a unique ceremony!  The guests just turn up, but it takes about 35 hours to meet, liaise, draft, craft, re-draft, source materials, coach you writing and delivering your vows, and to travel and deliver a ceremony within 50 miles of here.  A wedding ceremony will last between 30 and 40 minutes, renewals and namings about 25-30 minutes.  What you are paying for is experience, reputation, reliabilty, skill, confidence and presence.  Oh. And humour!

Phased payments

You can choose to pay the fee by payments phased over the time from booking to delivery, please ask if you want to do this. It certainly helps spread the cost.

 

BANK HOLIDAY BOOKINGS FOR ALL CEREMONIES 

£150 additional premium

Ceremonies booked before June 2023 for January-June 2024 ceremony are charged 2023 fees

A ‘booking’ is when a 25% deposit is paid and our agreement signed.  Only then is ‘your’ date confirmed in my diary.

Weddings

 Friday, Saturday Sunday 

 2023 Fee: Starts at £1250 includes two symbolic elements and travel within 50 miles

2023 Fee  Bank Holidays +£150

 Monday to Thursday

2023 Fee: Starts at £950 includes two symbolic elements and travel within 50 miles 

Micro-weddings and Popups

2023 Fee:  Starts at £650 depending on distance – tell me what you’re looking for and we can design something really special; note that a ‘micro-wedding’ or ‘pop-up’ is defined by being a simple short ceremony, often conducted in a non-standard venue. It is not defined by a small number of guests! 

 

Renewing  vows and promises

Friday, Saturday, Sunday 

2023 Fee: Starts at £650 & includes one symbolic element and travel within 50 miles

2023 Fee Bank Holidays +£150

Monday to Thursday

 2023 Fee: Starts at £550 includes one symbolic element and travel within 50 miles

 

 

Naming and ‘Welcome to your new World’ celebrations

includes new babies, adoption, age/stage of life transition for children and young people. Accommodates changes of status from married to single including divorce and celebrates the life you had together and your commitment to have positive regard for your ex-partner.

Also includes bespoke ceremonies to celebrate and affirm gender transition and reassignment, and gender reveal.

2023 Fee: Starts at £500 Friday, Saturday, Sunday includes one symbolic element and travel within 50 miles

 2023 Fee: Starts at £400 Monday to Thursday

 

Celebrating Life Itself!

Friday Saturday Sunday

(See Bank Holiday statement at top of this section)

A ceremony for your family friends to celebrate life itself, being together, bursting out the other end of illness or unhappiness, a landmark event, a graduation, a new job, or simply survival in this tough old world. This includes writing and leading a fully inclusive and fun ceremony with lots of laughing and involvement. It takes some planning but it’s well worth it!

Fee: Starts at £1300

 

 

Can I pay you after the ceremony later?

 Nope!  No more than you would go into a shop, choose a dress, take it away, wear it and pay for it at some point in the future!

 You will appreciate that as a business committed to providing you with high-quality service, a 25% deposit will be requested when you book.   Many couples take advantage of paying in equal instalments following the deposit payment.  If this makes it easier for you to budget just mention it when you book. Payment of a deposit with 7 days of telephone or email confirmation plus signing our agreement (what you can expect from me and what I need from you) confirms your date in my diary.  

I only do one ceremony a day. That day is yours.

 

Can I pay you in instalments?

Yes, of course. Let’s discuss it. See above.

What if something goes wrong?

 To be honest, things do go wrong sometimes but this is usually to do with the weather, or transport or lateness of guests or even the bride, hiccups with clothes, worries about nerves, someone backing out when they said they would read something……….. what you need to remember is that my job is to be in control of all these things and there are always contingencies up my sleeve!

 

What if I really want you to be our celebrant but our ceremony is on the other side of the country, or abroad? Can you still do it?

My aim is always to be clear about ‘extras’ before we contract to work together.

Don’t worry – I do loads of weddings miles and miles from my base. You simply need to know that depending on the distance, there will inevitably be additional costs. This starts with a £150 premium  which is for my time (it doesn’t cover my time if your ceremony is in Lands End but it is the fee I charge without being ridiculous about it!).  Distant weddings usually involve one or sometimes two overnight stays. Depending on where it is I will either travel in my campervan or book a Travelodge or similar. I charge mileage at 55ppm after the first 50 miles.  

  

 

Communication is the most important element in our preparation – the better the rapport, the better the ceremony – and I rely on you responding swiftly to my emails so I can produce the best for you. I also appreciate your understanding that I may well be preparing other ceremonies whilst we are working together – and although I am an old hand, and adept at pulling rabbits out of hats, I prefer not to finish your ceremony manuscript the day before the wedding!