FAQ

Got a question?

You may find the answer to some of your questions below, but if there’s something else, please contact Margaret.

For creation and delivery of a bespoke ceremony, my fee for 2023 is £650.

Ceremonies for 2024 will remain at £650 if booked before December 2023. After that date, the fee will be £700.

Please see my process for details of what is included. If you live in, and your ceremony is in the county of Swansea, mileage is included. For any meetings and for ceremonies outside of Swansea, mileage will be charged at 45 pence per mile.

You're the Gower Celebrant – do you do ceremonies anywhere else?

Yes I certainly do. I’m the Gower Celebrant as that’s where I live. Most of my work is on Gower and in Swansea, but I am happy to travel to other areas in South Wales and beyond. Additional fees for mileage will be charged if travel is outside of the county of Swansea.

Can we have our wedding outside?

Oh yes! A humanist wedding can be at any venue, inside or outdoors, in a place that is special and meaningful to the two of you. It doesn’t have to have a local authority licence for marriages. In fact, it could be in your own garden if that is where you would like to get married.

Is a humanist ceremony legal?

The short answer is no, not yet. If you want to have your marriage legally recognised, you will still have to go to the Register Office for a short legal ceremony.

Having worked at the Register Office in Swansea for 20 years, I am well placed to advise you on the legal preliminaries needed for this.

The slightly longer answer is legal humanist ceremonies are on the way. They are already legal in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. The Government is currently looking at a Law Commission report that recommends that humanist ceremonies should be given full legal recognition.

Can we write our own vows?

Yes! Writing your own vows will make your wedding even more unique and meaningful.

If you’d like to say your own personal vows to each other, but don’t know where to start, I’m here to help.

Can we bring our pet?

Absolutely! If your dog is an important part of the family, they shouldn’t miss out on your big day! From entrances to ring bearers, I can make sure your pet (or pets!) are included.

If you’re an equestrian, I can even include your horse!

We would like to remember relatives we have lost, would that be possible?

Of course. A time to pause for a moment of reflection can be an important part of a wedding. You will be able to light a remembrance candle if that would be important to you

Can we have music?

Yes please! Music is such an important part of your wedding. You can chose music for the start of the ceremony, to play when exchanging rings or when taking part in a symbolic rite (handfasting for example or lighting a candle). Singing is a great way to involve your guests in the wedding too. Whether you have live or recorded music, it will make your day even more special.

We want to make up our own symbolic ritual, can we do that?

Yes you can. There are a number of symbolic rites that have been used in humanist ceremonies over the years. These include handfasting, sand blending, lighting a unity candle, drinking from a quiache (communal drinking cup).

If you’d like to create your own unique ritual, I can help you develop this. It might be related to an interest or hobby you have, or be linked with family traditions.

Humanists UK have a helpful FAQ section with additional information which you can visit here.

Yes you can bring your dog!

A humanist wedding ceremony is all about creating a personalised celebration of your love, and if that includes your four-legged friends…then that is what it shall be!

KIND WORDs

Everyone keeps talking about the ceremony and saying it's the best they've every experienced and I think that's just it, it feels like an experience to everyone because they are involved and not just onlookers.

Well Margaret what can we say that could relay just how special you made our day? Your guidance and collaboration on the ceremony made us feel like a team and you created the most unique and intimate ceremony with our closest family and friends. Your attention to detail was second to none. It was not only special for us but for our guests too as they were all embroidered into our story, took part in our ring warming and observed our hand fasting - such beautiful old traditions.

As we continued on to our reception, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t comment on the ceremony and on how you, especially, had conducted it - all saying it was the best and most unique wedding they’d ever experienced!

Margaret met us on the beach on the morning of the wedding, to make a circle of stones in the sand (where the ceremony was going to take place), which my grandsons decorated, and to make sure that everything was just right and that we all knew what we were going to do and that we were happy with it. Which we were!