“Marriage is more than a promise to love you on the good days. It’s a vow to love you for always, no matter how hard, because love takes commitment and I choose to love you every single day for the rest of our lives.”
Congratulations to you both
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When you choose to have an independent Celebrant led Wedding, you are giving yourselves a blank canvas. One on which you can create the ceremony of your dreams, where and how you would like.
I purposely chose to be an Independent Ethical Celebrant and not do the legal side of weddings so that I would be able to offer you complete freedom in planning, crafting, writing and performing your perfect ceremony. |
Hello and welcome, my name is Sue Anne O’Donnell, a wedding celebrant based in Fethard, Co. Tipperary. I travel the country offering a wide range of alternative ceremonies, which typically are non-religious and are written and performed to your specific requests and wishes. One such alternative ceremony is a civil wedding ceremony.
With a civil wedding you can write your own vows, exchange rings in non-traditional ways, include enhancements, have a ceremony-signing ‘keepsake’ to mark your special day. These are just some of the options which both wedding and commitment ceremony couples can choose to include in their celebration ceremony.
Many couples getting married wish to include their children in the ceremony. We can explore ideas and enhancements fitting for your family unit.
With a civil wedding you can write your own vows, exchange rings in non-traditional ways, include enhancements, have a ceremony-signing ‘keepsake’ to mark your special day. These are just some of the options which both wedding and commitment ceremony couples can choose to include in their celebration ceremony.
Many couples getting married wish to include their children in the ceremony. We can explore ideas and enhancements fitting for your family unit.
An important note
In Ireland, celebrant led weddings are officiated separately to the legal signing of the registrar which you arrange for a time and date either before or after your ceremony. It's a very straightforward process, and when we meet, I can talk you through the necessary steps, so that you can have this organised and out of the way! You will find all the details on the HSE website.
Opting to go this route brings huge benefit. With the legal bit done and dusted with yourselves and your two witnesses, you then hold the ceremony of your dreams with family and friends free from all restrictions. This means your ceremony can be in any venue of your choosing: your back garden, favourite pub, the restaurant where you first met, on the beach at sunset, with just the two of you, or surrounded by family and friends.
Opting to go this route brings huge benefit. With the legal bit done and dusted with yourselves and your two witnesses, you then hold the ceremony of your dreams with family and friends free from all restrictions. This means your ceremony can be in any venue of your choosing: your back garden, favourite pub, the restaurant where you first met, on the beach at sunset, with just the two of you, or surrounded by family and friends.
Also, your celebrant led wedding can be themed, relaxed, formal, include spiritual, semi-religious, or be non-denominational and tradition free as you both wish. It’s your Ceremony after all, and the choices are endless.
Many couples who had to postpone their 2020 wedding have opted to go ahead and sort the legal bit with their witnesses and have chosen to change to a Civil Wedding Celebration with all their family and friends at a later date.
Many couples who had to postpone their 2020 wedding have opted to go ahead and sort the legal bit with their witnesses and have chosen to change to a Civil Wedding Celebration with all their family and friends at a later date.
Planning your civil celebrant led wedding
You’ve decided to get married, what’s next is really up to you. Planning your perfect day can take many forms. You may want a small intimate ceremony with family only, or a big celebration with family and friends.
You may want elements that are spiritual, traditional, or religious included or you may opt to have something totally different, reflecting you, your love story. Maybe it was your love of a particular hobby that brought you together.
You might want to walk in together rocking to your favourite band, including the words of a song filled with meaning to you both as one of your readings.
What I cherish about Civil Weddings is how the list of what we can do together to personalise your day is simply endless, be it symbols that reflect you, poems you love, enhancements like handfasting or sand pouring. I have included some enhancement ideas here and we will chat about these in more details at our initial meeting.
You may want elements that are spiritual, traditional, or religious included or you may opt to have something totally different, reflecting you, your love story. Maybe it was your love of a particular hobby that brought you together.
You might want to walk in together rocking to your favourite band, including the words of a song filled with meaning to you both as one of your readings.
What I cherish about Civil Weddings is how the list of what we can do together to personalise your day is simply endless, be it symbols that reflect you, poems you love, enhancements like handfasting or sand pouring. I have included some enhancement ideas here and we will chat about these in more details at our initial meeting.
Handfasting
Sand Ceremony
Candle Ceremony
Stone Warming
Rose Petal Blessing
Tree Planting
Memory Branch
Honouring the Departed
Sand Ceremony
Candle Ceremony
Stone Warming
Rose Petal Blessing
Tree Planting
Memory Branch
Honouring the Departed
What is a commitment ceremony?
Some couples wish only to make a commitment to each other and some wish to have their marriage recognised by the state. And so, to answer a question I am often asked, what is the difference?
With a wedding ceremony, as a couple you have decided to complete a 'Legal Signing of the Register' on a date either before or following your wedding ceremony, and generally include vows in your ceremony.
While with a commitment ceremony you have no wish to legally register Your marriage and often choose to include commitment words in place of vows.
With a wedding ceremony, as a couple you have decided to complete a 'Legal Signing of the Register' on a date either before or following your wedding ceremony, and generally include vows in your ceremony.
While with a commitment ceremony you have no wish to legally register Your marriage and often choose to include commitment words in place of vows.
Why choose me as your Independent Ethical Celebrant
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When we meet, you’ll discover that it's all about you from the start. I focus on you, on what matters to you, i listen to your ceremony needs and wishes so that your personal wedding ceremony, reflects, you, your love, your story. No two ceremonies will ever be the same.
My aim is to support you every step of the way. Creating a ceremony you will both remember, and cherish for years to come, allowing you to look back and say, 'We loved that day, we loved how our ceremony was a celebration and reflection of our love'. I am the Celebrant By Your Side every step of the way. Give me a call and let's get planning your perfect wedding ceremony celebration today. |
Our Ceremony Planning Meeting: What to include and do
At our ceremony planning meeting, we’ll talk through everything, working successfully together, to create the perfect feel and structure for your ceremony. We will discuss readings, poems, music, and enhancements you might wish to include and of course focus on the heart of your ceremony. I am there to answer questions and I always have ‘My ceremony suggestion and idea kit' on hand to help get the creative juices flowing!
We want you as our celebrant, what's next?
- Contact me by email (sueannecelebrant@gmail.com or phone (+353868239431)
- Check that I'm available on the date.
- Arrange our initial meeting.
- Discuss and decide on the various aspects of your ceremony
- Pay your deposit as this secures the date
And then...
- I save the date
- Arrange a ceremony planning meeting with you, where I gather all details required to craft your ceremony.
- Send the ceremony draft to you for approval, making any adjustments, or additions before completion.
- Check in with you 2 weeks prior to the wedding.
- Have a full spare print out of the ceremony on the day should any of the readers forget their copy.
- Arrive one and half hours prior to your ceremony to be on hand for any questions.
- A pre wedding practice is available should you require for a nominal fee.
- Present you with a copy of your ceremony as a keepsake
Call or email me now to save the date, book a face-to-face meeting and let’s get started on creating your perfect ceremony today.
Location
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Based in County Tipperary, Ireland, I offer my in-person services as a civil celebrant in Tipperary, Kilkenny, Limerick, Waterford, Cork and other parts of Munster and Leinster.
I’m also available to host online ceremonies. |
Words of a newly married couple
Help us always remember how strong our love is today.
Help us to remember to be kind in what we say.
Help us to remember the power of the words, ‘I love you’ and to remember to say them to each other every single day.
Help us always remember how strong our love is today.
Help us to remember to be kind in what we say.
Help us to remember the power of the words, ‘I love you’ and to remember to say them to each other every single day.
