Be Our Guest
Coastal Ceremonies
A UNIQUE INSIGHT INTO THE WONDERFUL
WORLD OF WEDDINGS...
Your wedding ceremony is a time for you, as a couple, to declare your love and commitment to each other by making promises and vows in front of your family and friends. The person standing with you in front of all your guests, welcoming them and officiating your ceremony, will be one of the most significant people at your wedding.
Your celebrant’s role is to work with you to create the ceremony that reflects you both collectively as a couple. A wedding celebrant should be a good listener, communicator, writer, planner, speaker, and at all times maintain a calm and supportive manner. That is a lot of boxes to tick, so it is important to do your research to find the perfect celebrant for your special day. Offering couples a wedding ceremony which is personalised, meaningful and memorable, Coastal Ceremonies share their unique insight into the wonderful world of weddings as our special guest this month.
Based in Ennis, County Clare, Coastal Ceremonies have extensive experience officiating various types of ceremonies and vow renewals. Established in 2017 by Clara Malone, Orla Cronin and Susan Eyles now complete the dream team and collectively, they provide a celebrant service for symbolic weddings, elopements, vow renewals and baby naming ceremonies.
“We love telling stories, we love meeting people and we love family celebrations, so we really have the dream job! To be a part of someone’s special day and helping couples to create lasting memories is such an honour. We are also incredibly lucky to live so close to the sea. We spend a lot of our time officiating ceremonies in beautiful places like the Cliffs of Moher and Loop Head, as well as castles, ancient ruins and even lake-side gardens.
No-one could have predicted the world as we see it now. A global pandemic has interrupted and disrupted our lives as we know it. Some weddings have gone ahead with reduced guest numbers, some have postponed, and some have unfortunately had to cancel. It is not something any of us in the wedding industry could have ever foreseen and with the updates and guidelines changing so rapidly, we are all trying to navigate through this together.
ADVICE FOR WEDDINGS AFFTECTED BY COVID-19
Our advice is to discuss your options with your venue and plan for numbers for each level of the current government framework. Have a Plan A and a Plan B in place. Some couples have already moved once, if not twice, so try and go with your wedding date and work with the government guidelines in relation to guest numbers. However, if this is impossible due to restrictions, or you really feel a smaller, intimate wedding is not for you, consider planning for 2022 or beyond when things should be a lot clearer. If you are planning a destination wedding in Ireland or abroad, we would advise speaking with your wedding planner before you make any decisions.
With smaller guest numbers this could be an opportunity to look at quirky, non-traditional venues for your wedding; maybe rent out a country house for the weekend, hire a chef and design your own menu with local produce, or get married on the Cliffs of Moher with a dinner afterwards in a converted barn or pub. You can plan more for your guests with less numbers so you can be really creative. Again, if this is something that you might find overwhelming, a good wedding planner will be there to advise and support you every step of the way.
Overall, make sure the focus remains on you both and do what feels right for you as a couple. The day is about you, your love for each other and your celebration of your future together. Keep this in mind when planning, keep it simple, fun and memorable, while also adhering to guidelines and ensuring a safe environment for everyone. !
CELEBRANT OPTIONS IN IRELAND
Your wedding ceremony is the most important part of your day — people often forget that while planning their wedding. We tell couples how important it is to hit the right tone from the start so choosing the right celebrant for you is so important. There are so many options out there and so many incredible celebrants. When choosing a celebrant, you have to think about what reflects you both as a couple, your personalities and your belief system.
LEGAL MARRIAGES IN IRELAND
Regardless of the celebrant, or ceremony, you both decide on, everyone must follow the same steps in order to be legally married in Ireland, (i.e. through a civil (legal), secular (non-religious) or religious ceremony), the registration process is the same. You are issued with a Marriage Registration Form (MRF) by the Registrar, following your notification appointment, which gives you authorisation to get married. To be legally married, the MRF (sometimes referred to as a marriage licence) must be signed after your ceremony by a Solemniser. A Solemniser is a person who is authorised to perform civilly (legally) recognised marriages in Ireland including civil registrars who are employees of the Health Service Executive, Humanists and members of the various religious denominations who are nominated by their religious bodies. So, if you are having a religious ceremony in a church or with an Interfaith Minister, Humanist or Spiritualist celebrant, the MRF is passed on to the HSE registered solemniser (Priest, registered Interfaith Minister, Humanist or Spiritualist celebrant) who will witness the signing of this document at your ceremony.
INDEPENDENT CELEBRANTS
Independent celebrants can officiate at non-religious, semi religious or mixed faith ceremonies. Cultural additions or traditions that are meaningful to you both, such as hand-fasting, sand ceremony and so on, can usually be incorporated into your ceremony by your celebrant. We would recommend choosing a celebrant that is part of the Irish Ethical Celebrants Society. As accredited Ethical Celebrants, we provide a modern approach to traditional ceremonies, while always respecting the importance of ritual and ceremony in Irish culture. The most popular wedding venues are HSE approved (check when booking), so HSE registrars can come to your venue and legally marry you in your wedding venue.
Holidays are full of great traditions that tend to bring a smile to our face as we scroll through old family gathering photos. Some of the best stories happen when families engage in time-honoured traditions and begin to pass those traditions down to younger generations. Maybe it is teaching someone a secret family recipe, fussing over which football game to watch, or picking the perfect Christmas tree to cut down.
Tension and stress are often a part of family get-togethers. Vow to put aside differences on Thanksgiving and focus on the aspects of your family for which you are grateful. While easier said than done, this provides an excellent model for children as they learn about relationships and family.
Thanksgiving is a celebration of sharing and abundance. Talk to children about where all of the delicious food comes from and how it was prepared. Everyone can share what their favourite food is and why. Develop a tradition of sharing with those who have less and involve children in contributing to a food shelter or other charities. This can help children to be thankful for what they have and learn the importance of helping others.
This Thanksgiving is especially poignant due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as many people have lost loved ones or are experiencing financial hardships. Consider donating money to an organisation or charity that is meaningful to you. Thanksgiving is also a very busy time for food banks and a very popular time to volunteer. During the pandemic, food banks and shelters are taking extra precautions to keep volunteers and visitors safe. This may mean that they need many more hands to help out. Check with your local food bank to see where they need help, bundle up and bring the whole family.
It is so easy to forget to capture the moment so why not take a photo to commemorate the occasion. For the ultimate group shot, surprise your guests with some holiday-themed accessories and gather around for the ultimate group shot.
If you live in a warmer climate, consider taking advantage of the nice weather by throwing an outdoor party. It is easier for multiple families to gather at a safe distance outside, whether it is a park or your own backyard. A potluck with a designated food station allows each household to take turns dishing up their plates. Alternatively, you can portion the food in advance in separate containers and distribute it at the gathering.
This year, your loved ones might be scattered across the country. But just because you are physically separated does not mean you can't make their day special. Send custom gift bags or pre-packaged goodies to show your love. If you have done your fair share of stress baking during the pandemic, shipping some of those calories to family and friends is a great way to show them you are thinking of them.
“When choosing a celebrant, you have to think about what reflects you both as a couple, your personalities and your belief system.”
CEREMONY OPTIONS
To craft and create the perfect ceremony, a consultation with your celebrant is key. This is where the celebrant asks a series of questions about your ideas, your thoughts, your music and reading choices, your bridal party, your processional and so on. It is a very detailed chat, ideally done in person or via a video call. This is when each couple’s ideas and wishes are put on the table and the celebrant then incorporates them into the ceremony. For us, it is the most important part of the process, and ensures the ceremony is personal, meaningful or memorable.
1. Choose the right celebrant for you. There are so many options out there and so many incredible celebrants. When choosing a celebrant, you have to think about what reflects you both as a couple, your personalities and your belief system. For some couples it is important that they get married in their venue or location of choice, and therefore an independent celebrant might suit them best as they can officiate at a wedding ceremony at most locations or venues seven days a week. For others, they want to be able to incorporate the legal signing of their marriage certificate on the day. Therefore, an Interfaith minister, a humanist, spiritualist or a registrar is most suitable. Remember it is your special day, so it is important to choose the right celebrant for you both.
2. Choose the right wedding suppliers for you. The Irish wedding industry has the best suppliers in the world (yes, we are biased, but they are great!). Your suppliers and vendors will have a huge impact on the smooth running of your day so it is very important to choose them wisely.
3. Put your own stamp on your ceremony. This is so important. It is your ceremony and it is the most important part of the day, so whatever you want to include, it will set the tone for the rest of the day. Make it all about you as a couple and don’t include something because it is trendy, or someone else said you should. If it doesn’t resonate with you, forget about it.
“Make it all about you as a couple and don’t include something because it is trendy, or someone else said you should. If it doesn’t resonate with you, forget about it.”
4. We love music and really believe the right pieces of music can enhance a ceremony. It is so much fun choosing the perfect musicians and the right pieces of music. Maybe there is a song that reminds you of your first date, your first holiday, or your proposal. You typically need three pieces of music; processional, interlude and recessional, but sometimes it is nice to accompany certain elements with music throughout the ceremony. We have officiated ceremonies where a harpist has played “For the love of a Princess”, from Braveheart, during the hand-fasting. It is such a perfect accompaniment.
Visit our most recent blog here where we share our helpful advice in choosing your wedding ceremony music.
5. Similar to music, the right readings can really tie the whole ceremony together. We particularly love song lyrics and poems. If you are struggling to find the perfect reading, take time to look at old literature or lines from your favourite movie.
6. Include your story in the ceremony. Telling each couple’s story is our favourite part of the ceremony. It is where we tell everyone the story of how and when you first met, your first date and kiss, your first holiday, your engagement story and finally what marriage means to you both. It never fails to raise some laughs, and of course some tears! We particularly love telling proposal stories, and we have heard some absolutely brilliant ones. From really romantic stories where everyone is crying, to crazy ones where the dog runs off with the ring, or the groom-to-be gets stage fright and can do nothing only stare at his soon-to-be fiancé while down on one knee!
7. Write your own vows or personalise traditional ones.
You will never regret writing your own vows. Some people think that they could never do it because they can’t write or have no way with words, and then they produce the most amazing words we have ever heard! We always encourage couples to send us their vows separately before their wedding day, so on the day they hear the vows for the first time.
Visit our blog here where we share our expert tips for writing your vows and some beautiful poems to inspire you.
8. Add ceremony enhancements. We love including them, but they have to be something you both want and resonate with. We include hand-fasting’s, sand ceremonies, ring warmings, unity candles, love letters and wine box ceremonies. During outdoor ceremonies, we have encouraged couples to have a sip of whatever they have included in their love letter and wine box ceremony. We have had cups of tea, whiskey and wine!
9. Don’t leave things to the last minute. You do not need any extra stress leading up to your wedding. Ideally, the ceremony should be finalised two weeks before the ceremony. If last minute changes are required, then at least the most part of the ceremony is already prepared. If you are writing your own vows, try and do this the week before so you do not feel under pressure.
10. Most importantly, relax and enjoy your ceremony, your celebrant will have it all in hand!
Small and low-key ceremonies might seem especially appealing now because they can be adapted to whatever restrictions might be in place in a year. The uncertainty around the phased easing of restrictions means that nothing is clear or certain which makes it hard for couples who are planning to marry in the coming weeks and months to know whether to push on with their plans, however altered, or postpone the wedding altogether to a much later date.
For those of who you decide to go ahead, significantly downsizing your guest list and accepting the new normal when it comes to social distancing, you can very much still enjoy a small, intimate 2020 wedding with your close friends and family!”
“The day is about you, your love for each other and your celebration of your future together. Keep this in mind when planning, keep it simple, fun and memorable, while also adhering to guidelines and ensuring a safe environment for everyone.”
