Celebration Services
When you say ‘Celebrant’ people think ‘ Wedding’ but there’s so much more to life than getting married!
I wouldn’t go so far as to say I celebrate every day (some days I’d rather have a lie in!) but to me, there are occasions in life that, while ordinary in that everyone experiences them, should be celebrated as extraordinary. There may be 7 billion of us on this planet but each and every one of us is unique. That’s something to celebrate in itself!
Naming Ceremony
Naming Ceremonies are an alternative to traditional church ceremonies welcoming a baby into the world.
They don’t have to be exclusive to a church service – where one welcomes a baby into the religious family, the other announces the arrival of a new member to the larger community. It’s not every day you get to welcome a new member to the family – celebrate it as much as you can!
These can be simple ceremonies, welcoming the baby in to the family and introducing them by name to the gathered party, or something a little bit more elaborate. Readings, music, rituals involving parents, family, guardians; whatever you can imagine, I can deliver in a format to suit.
With babies, don’t forget a short ceremony is best as they don’t know it’s their big day and if they want to cry, they will!
A Naming Ceremony tells your family and friends why you have chosen that particular name (or names) for your baby, the hopes you have for their future, and the promises you’ll make to them as their parent or guardian.
Naming Ceremonies don’t have to be exclusive to new babies either. You might have new children joining your family, through marriage, fostering, or adoption. A person may decide to have a Naming Ceremony as part of their transition process. A longer format is a beautiful way to introduce a new family member who is a little bit older and allow them to add their voice to their new family – literally!
Whatever the circumstances, I will work with you to design and deliver a Naming Ceremony that reflects your hopes and dreams for the newest person in your family.
I will guide you to readings, songs, poems and other elements of a Naming Ceremony so that the celebration reflects you, your family and the future of your newest member.
Coming of Age
Society has marked various stages in a persons life since time immemorial. Key ages tend to work around that magic number, 7! 7, 14, 21 – all big dates in a young person’s time line. Whatever age you wish to celebrate, I will prepare a ceremony to include the life story so far, the hopes and dreams of the child’s parents and guardians and readings or music to suit their personality.
Elopement
With weddings impacted severely by the pandemic, elopements have become a popular and acceptable way to celebrate a marriage. For a symbolic ceremony, you just need the two of you – and me, of course! Together we will create a ceremony that captures the love and energy that has brought you together and the promises you make to each other on your wedding day.
Commitment Ceremony
Some people just don’t like the idea of being married. Commitment isn’t an issue for them but there’s just something about putting it into a legal context that makes them anxious.
Commitment ceremonies are a perfect solution. Similar to a wedding celebration, vows can be exchanged, stories told and music played.
Vow Renewals
There’s something special about renewing vows. Some couples do so on a significant anniversary such as their 10th, 25th or 40th. Other couples celebrate their vow renewals following an illness or with refreshing honesty, after a particularly tough time in their marriage. Whatever the reason, I can write and deliver the perfect ceremony for you.
Celebration of Life
As non religious funerals and cremations grow in popularity in Ireland, people are searching for an appropriate way to commemorate their loved one. A Celebration of Life, or Memorial Service enables friends and family to gather and celebrate the life of their loved ones. As with all my ceremonies, a Celebration of Life is written especially for my clients, it can be entirely delivered by me or family members can be involved in telling their favourite story or reading or music. Alternatively, I offer a Eulogy writing service, listening to your memories and creating a Eulogy to be delivered by a family member or friend.
The beauty of a Celebration of Life is that it can take place at a time and venue to suit you.
Celebration of Life services are also a wonderful opportunity to remember the life of someone who lived and died abroad.
Retirements
Another coming of age ceremony; sometimes we just don’t have the words to thank our co-workers for the impact they have had on our lives.
These ceremonies tend to be shorter and are a great way to resolve the problem of who in work is going to deliver the speech. I will meet and gather information on the retiree from co-workers and deliver a story that captures their time of service, adding in their own wishes for the future.
Whatever the occasion
I will write a ceremony to suit you. If you can’t find the right words, I’m the woman for the job. I have words at will and am delighted to share them. I can attend and deliver the story or ceremony or simply write a story for you.
Let’s have a chat and see what suits you best.