In this blog we will be looking back to a balmy summer day in a woodland setting for Hannah and Andy’s wedding.
Who: Hannah and Andy
Where: https://browningbros.co.uk/teybrook-orchard
When: July 2026
First Contact: Unusually I had a contact from one of my cousins to say that a work colleague was getting married and wanted a celebrant and could she pass my details on……Absoblumminglutely I replied!
Hannah is a nurse at Colchester hospital and was therefore entitled to a discount on their ceremony fee as a Blue Light Worker.
We had a video chat and discussed the look and feel they imagined for their wedding – boho with an emo edge and a little bit of Disney – I was hooked! We booked a face to face planning meeting and met over coffee at a local coffee shop. We talked about Hannah’s running mission (she ran the London Marathon in April) and how I would love to support fundraising by attending her quiz night. I also asked after whether I could get a deal on a tattoo from Andy to mark the occasion….
Writing the ceremony was easy, their connection and dedication to each other shone through, as did their love for their community of friends and the love of their families. We booked a trip to their venue on one of their open evenings and I drove them both to there – a service I think I’m going to offer more as it was a great way to spend sometime together, talking about all sorts of things, Andy and I even connected over wrestling heroes!!
Seeing them in their ceremony space as we practiced their handfasting was really lovely, I could feel the excitement radiating off them and it certainly helped them to understand the logistics of walking and standing points and who would sit where – I find that if we get that stuff out of the way, the day runs smoother.
Wedding Day: As always I arrived at the venue an hour early and made contact with the on the day coordinator to discuss music choices, ceremony key points and timings. I then met with Andy who had spent the morning getting ready with his mates and was in good spirits, feeling excited to marry Hannah rather than nervous.
Guests began arriving and they took shelter in the shade of the huts, yurts and more importantly the bar on a scorching hot day. Thank goodness the tress in the woodland circle gave us some well needed respite.
After a small hiccup remembering to get button holes out of the fridge and give them out to family and a last minute music selection for the certificate signing we were ready to go.
Andy stood ready with his groomsmen and Hannah was escorted to the ceremony area by her dad who beamed all the way down the aisle as Hannah and Andy shared some happy tears. A few deep breaths later we were on our way and revelled in a delightful story, heard a gorgeous reading from Hannah’s mum, laughed, cried and oohed and aahed as their beloved dog Skye to centre stage at the certificate signing! It was a joy.
Celebrant led: An open air ceremony, in a unlicensed venue, with music choices that had a religious undertone and a pagan ceremony of union within it – there is no way these important choices and personalised touches would have been permitted by the registration service – thank God the law will see a change soon (hopefully).
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