In this real wedding blog we see what can be done if it rains during your ceremony, if you keep your decoration simple and when the whole team pulls together.
Where: The Great Lodge, Bardfield, Braintree. https://www.greatlodge.co.uk/
When: July 2024
Who: Rachel & Matthew
1st Contact: Rachel and Matthew found me on Google in March 2023 when trying to find a celebrant who was based near their chosen venue in Braintree. Having read all about me and my fabulous reviews they made contact via my website and we booked in a Zoom call to have a chat about their plans and discuss how I could help them. It seems I made a good impression because they booked me shortly after and scheduled a planning meeting for January as they had just had their daughter, Beautiful Poppy and wanted to settle in as a family for a while.
I travelled to St Alban’s, their home town, for the planning meeting and to meet them both properly. Rachel was full of ideas and wanted to see how they aligned with their thoughts and plans and it was my job to offer the benefit of my experience and suggestions. Once I had left the plan was to take as much as possible that had been decided and make a running order, flesh it out with story telling, suggest some readings and leave them to select special words for vows and promises and to choose music.
Wedding Day: We had a couple more calls and bounced some emails around before booking in a rehearsal at their venue the day before so that their wedding party could practice entrances and exits, we could agree seating plans and I could meet with the venue team (a must in my planning of ceremonies). On the practice day we scheduled to meet at the same time as their wedding so we had a like for like comparison of light, location and maybe temperature but it was a scorching 31 degrees and storms were scheduled for the next day.
I was confident the rain, if any would come after the ceremony had concluded but I was glad that we were using a gazebo as a backdrop and this offered us a bit of shade, just in case it was still warm. As it was, it was a pleasant 26 degrees and sunny when I arrived. I had a chat with the father of the groom to see how they were all doing and had a look round at the gorgeous decorations before heading into the ceremony area to meet the musicians (Rob and Fiona) and get the space ready for action.
Everything was glorious. The guests all looked stunning, the sun shone, though there was a little more cloud as we waited for the Bride and her wedding party to arrive. Matthew was calm and chatting with family and friends and I got to talk logistics with the photographers and musicians whilst we waited.
Rachel and Matthew chose to have a good friend complete a reading of Whitney Hanson’s ‘Love is Like A River’ to set the tone of the ceremony and then we got into, garnering laughs a plenty as I told the story of their love and then we get into their promises to each other and a hand-fasting. Sadly, at this point, the heavens opened but the Groomsmen were amazing and sprung into action fetching as many umbrella’s as they could muster and we carried on into the exchanging of the rings and even the downing of a celebratory shot!
However the rain got heavier and Rachel and Matt were concerned for their guests and the electrical equipment of their musical accompaniment. A judgement call was made to have them sign their certificate and let the guests go and get dry and have a drink whilst they did so. But, they had not accounted for the resilience and determination of their guests who jeered and protested at the idea and where prepared to see it out – so on we went, certificate signed, congregation arose and it was my honour to announce them as a married couple to their nearest and dearest to much applause and cheering.
Some compromises were made – such as a musical interlude towards the end of the ceremony and the confetti shot had to be postponed but it made no difference in the end, the words of love were heard and shared, promises were made, Poppy made a valiant effort to hand rings over to her mummy and daddy but got a little stage fright but the essence of a good wedding was all there. The love and support of family and friends, an element that combines the bride and groom visually, spiritually and metaphorically, amazing staging, entertainment and photos – I think we did a cracking job.
As you can see from the pictures, the rain didn’t dampen their spirits and much rejoicing was completed that afternoon and evening.
Celebrant Led: The reality is that if there had been a registrar booked this wedding would not have happened like this. They would have refused to conduct a ceremony outside with impending rain, equally they would have done so if the temperature had been much in excess of 30 degrees. The bride was also ‘fashionably late’ as is her prerogative on her wedding day, however she would have been in danger of not completing her ceremony if the registry service was present due to their timelines!
We also had a free choice of music and the inclusion of alcohol as part of the ceremony as the guests toasted the newlyweds with a shot – not possible with a registrar! There would have been no preparation the day before, no practice walk down the aisle with a toddler and no way they would share a gazebo with a musician and singer. And let’s be honest, it just wouldn’t be the same without me!!
Supplier Love:
Jasmin – Coordinator of The Great Lodge
Catering – Lime Berry Catering http://limeberrycatering.co.uk
Photography – Katrina Matthews and Rachel https://katrinamatthewsphotography.co.uk/
Thanks to those who shared their pics on Insta – hence the quality of some!
