Celebrant-led wedding ceremonies are a growing trend. Make yours as unique as you with Colette Ashby who officiates at ceremonies in Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire & Buckinghamshire

Your wedding ceremony is the heart of your day, not just the boring bit to get out of the way before the party!

More and more couples are looking for a wedding ceremony that’s less stuffy and formal, more personalised and fun. A celebrant-led wedding ceremony is the ideal solution, giving you the freedom to have your wedding, your way.

One of the great things about a celebrant is they work closely with you to tailor every aspect of the ceremony, so your celebrant will tell your story… your way. Whether traditional, quirky, fun, informal, romantic, lavish or beautifully simple, it’s your wedding and you have the complete freedom to choose the ceremony that’s totally you.

Colette Ashby is a multi award-winning wedding celebrant who creates and performs bespoke wedding and vow renewal ceremonies for couples who want a ceremony that truly reflects them, their personalities and wishes.

In the past few years Colette has officiated ceremonies in couple’s back gardens, tipis and marquees, stately homes, amazing hotels and even a London museum. She has seen couples dance down the aisle accompanied by their doggy ring bearers, held an emotional toddler bridesmaid whilst mum and dad said their vows, watched in awe as an owl flew over the guests to present the rings to the groom, and joined in with a mass singalong partway through the ceremony.

Colette tells the story of when and how you met, the proposal, your hopes and dreams for the future, and somehow always manages to make the groom cry! Lots of laughter and happy tears are the hallmark of a celebrant-led wedding ceremony.

Colette says: “One of my absolute favourite weddings from last year was a couple who first met in 1985! His first words to her (through the window of a car in a traffic queue) were ‘I’m gonna marry you one day’. And 37 years later I had the privilege of conducting their highly emotional wedding ceremony, in front of 40 friends and family members, complete with 1980s reference throughout!”

Celebrant ceremonies are not yet legally binding (we’re working on it!), so to legalise your marriage there’s a short ‘no frills’ process which takes place in a registry office of your choosing – it costs around £50 and takes 10 minutes. Think of it like registering the birth of a baby – get the paperwork done and then you can focus on your extra-special unique wedding.