Tie The Knot Wedding Directory

Brides & Butterflies

By Chris O'Malley, Civil Celebrant Symbolic actions - Butterfly release According to Native American folk lore if you catch a butterfly, make a wish and then release the butterfly the Great Spirit will hear your wish and grant it. The butterfly is a symbol of change, joy and colour. There are specialist companies who will provide butterflies for ceremonies. I would advise only releasing native butterflies at a time of year when they would normally be active. On the same theme you could also consider releasing doves. White Doves are a symbol of purity. When release by a couple they can be a visual representation of the new journey on which the couple are embarking, leaving behind the past and moving into the future. The doves are trained to return to their owner. They are are delivered to the ceremony either in a decorative cage or basket which can be opened at the appropriate time. Which would you prefer at your wedding? Tell us To find …

A Wedding in Provence

The beautiful village of Gordes is set on a hilltop in the Vaucluse, on the western side of Provence. It has been called one of the prettiest villages in France. The Bastide de Gordes is a lovely luxury hotel nestling into the hillside, with garden terraces below. A perfect spot for a wedding! We conducted two wedding ceremonies there this summer. The first was in June for Claire and Richard, whose twin sons stole everyone’s hearts. The second was in July, for Su-Ann and Francis who had travelled all the way from Malaysia with their families to celebrate their wedding in Provence. It was a very hot day with a strong warm breeze blowing across the gardens. In fact the breeze was so strong that a sudden gust caught hold of Su-Ann’s veil in the middle of the ceremony and carried it up into the air and over the terrace wall where it then fell down 20m to the little road below. Luckily, one of the hotel staff used the service lift to dash off to retrieve it …

So what IS a wedding celebrant?

So what exactly is a Wedding Celebrant?... Sarah Baker is an Independent Celebrant who has been trained by and is a member of the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants. She also worked for many years within the Registration Service, including a management role which involved the recruitment and training of Ceremonies staff, so she has a wealth of experience when it comes to marrying people! Sarah is based in North Norfolk but travels far and wide to conduct ceremonies, including to overseas destinations. In terms of ceremony style and content, nothing really fazes Sarah! On several occasions she has written and conducted ceremonies for the CBBC show ‘Marrying Mum & Dad’, where the themes were generally pretty weird, wacky and wonderful! Her ethos is very much that your wedding ceremony should truly reflect you, both as individuals and as a couple, and she is passionate about creating ceremonies which are as meaningful and memorable as they can possibly …