Ann Panton Family Celebrant

09/03/2023

Tomorrow, all about the kind of naming ceremony you can expect from me.

So keep checking back here...

09/03/2023

Naming Ceremony

A Naming Ceremony is a unique occasion that allows everyone to feel involved as they pledge their love and support for your child’s future development. As the child(ren) can be any age, a Naming Ceremony is also ideally suited to welcome and celebrate an adopted child into your family or to embrace stepchildren into a new family. A perfect way to bond a family unit.

It is an opportunity to declare, before family and friends, your promises to be as good a parent as you can, and for adult friends or relatives to confirm their special relationship with your child(ren).

Your Naming Ceremony can be specially created using your own selection of words, poems, and readings and you can hold it wherever you want, even in your own home (depending on the number of guests). During the ceremony, a special commemorative certificate is signed and presented.

There are many ways to make your child’s ceremony a very personal, meaningful, and unique event for all those involved. You are able to include elements of a religious or spiritual nature if you choose to.

Parents often ask, ‘What happens at the ceremony?’

The answer is that it’s your ceremony and you choose what goes into it. However, the structure is usually along the following lines…
Introduction

Your Celebrant makes an introduction and welcomes your guests.
Readings

Poems or readings can be included, the first being near the start of the ceremony. These set the scene and can be read by the Celebrant or guest(s).

Naming of the Child or Children

The Celebrant asks you to confirm the full name you’ve given to your child(ren) and, if you wish, to say why the names have been chosen.

Parents’ Promises

This is the part of the ceremony where you promise, in words you choose, to be as good a parent as you can be. Many parents like to take the opportunity to make promises of commitment to each other.

Supporting Adults’ Promises

Choose as many friends or relatives to be your child’s Supporting Adults as you wish. During the ceremony they will make declarations of ongoing support to your child(ren).

Grandparents’ Promises (optional)

Grandparents love to be involved in a Naming Ceremony and it is a popular option to include them. During the ceremony they will make promises to support their grandchildren.

Presentation of a gift to your child(ren) (optional)

Many parents also choose to give their child(ren) a gift during the ceremony. It’s at this time you can express your own thoughts and feelings, and your own memories and hopes for the future.

Absent Guests (optional)

Sometimes important family and friends cannot make the ceremony, but they can be mentioned and their best wishes conveyed.

‘In memory’ (optional)

It may be that the ceremony is an opportunity to take a few moments to remember close relatives or friends who have passed away and the Celebrant will do this in a very sensitive way.

Closing Words and Certificate

Closing words can be written by the celebrant or the parents, you are presented with a special commemorative certificate which is signed by those who have made promises.

06/03/2023

Commitment ceremonies - £450-550

What is the process?

With all couples we would have an online meeting so you can get to know me. Once you are sure you want me to conduct your ceremony we would have a face to face meeting. During this I would get to know you both a little more and understand what you are looking for at your ceremony. The ceremony I deliver would ideally include everything that is important to you, and you need to be confident that I have fully understood your wishes and am able to deliver them.

I will always listen carefully to your requirements and support you in all your choices and decisions.

Services are very specific to each couple so there is no template or “one size fits all.” Instead, we would work together to create something bespoke that is just right for your occasion and relationship. I can offer advice on readings, poems, and music for your special day along with symbolic gestures to incorporate into your ceremony if you would like them.

After this I would write the draft script so we can check that all the details are as they should be and that nothing has been left out. On the day I would deliver exactly what you had asked for.

My fee includes:
• Initial video meeting to discuss your plans.
• Second face to face meeting to explore your ideal day.
• As many video meetings as you require whilst we discuss your requirements and start to build your ceremony
• Draft copy of the script and any adjustments you might require
• Final copy of the script before your ceremony to ensure you are 100% happy.
• Help with writing heartfelt vows if needed.
• Celebrant presence at your venue at least an hour before the ceremony to sort out any last-minute issues and calm nerves.
• Delivery of your ceremony
• Certificate where appropriate
• Souvenir copy of your script

Some additional costs that may apply:
• Candles, Sand, ceremony supplies, etc (prices given during consultations)
• Mileage if over fifty miles round trip ()
• Rehearsal (if needed) £50.

Whatever your choice, I will create your ceremony to reflect your wishes and you will be treated with kindness and respect at all times.

04/03/2023

Tomorrow, keep a look out for what I can offer for commitment ceremonies.

Next week, more about Naming ceremonies.

03/03/2023

COMMITMENT/UNITY CEREMONIES

A commitment ceremony gives couples an opportunity to celebrate their commitment to each other, without entering into a legally recognised marriage or civil partnership. You can give your promises to each other, exchange rings, and invite your guests to participate in the ceremony. Unlike a marriage or civil partnership, this alternative ceremony has no legal status.
A commemorative certificate is presented to mark the occasion.
You can decide on whatever venue suits you best for your ceremony. This may be a register office, your home or garden, a hotel, a village hall, or another suitable non-religious setting.
A unity ceremony is a symbolic ritual woven into the commitment ceremony. Among the most common unity ceremonies are handfasting, pouring sand, and the lighting of a unity candle. The unity ceremony takes place during the commitment ceremony. Typically, it follows the vow exchange and precedes the newlyweds' kiss. This can vary depending on certain cultures, religions, or unity ceremonies included.

Unity ceremonies are meaningful rituals performed during your ceremony to represent becoming a union. A unity ritual is certainly not required by any means, but there may be a ceremony option that's the perfect fit for you and your partner, whether you're looking for something religious, historical, or secular. Often, a unity ceremony allows for other family members to participate as well, furthering its meaning and representing two families joining together. It may also be the perfect way to celebrate you and your partner's heritage with tradition.

Unity Ceremonies I can offer are:

Lighting a Unity Candle (depending on permission from venue)
This is one of the most common unity ceremonies performed. The candle-lighting ceremony usually involves the couple lighting one large candle from two smaller family candles. Traditionally, the smaller candles are lit by each of their mothers, representing the merging of two families.

Creating an Anniversary Capsule
The time-capsule ceremony is a reminder of the durability of your love and the lifetime commitment. During the ceremony, all of these tokens of love are sealed up in a box, and the couple can open it on their five-year, 10-year, or 20-year anniversary. The time-capsule ceremony can also include friends or family who are invited to bring photos, letters, or keepsakes to seal in the time capsule.
Before the ceremony, the couple should gather up important mementos from their relationship: ticket stubs, hotel room keys, notes, and cards. In addition, each should write a love letter to each other.

Handfasting
Handfasting comes from an ancient Celtic tradition wherein the right hands of each partner are bound together during a portion of the wedding ceremony. Typically, I will read the vows while cords are wrapped around the couple's hands. This symbolizes their commitment to each other as they literally tie the knot.

Pouring Sand
The couple takes turns pouring coloured sand from personal vases into another vase, where they blend their sand together to make a beautiful display. This is one of the best unity ceremony ideas for blended families, as children can also add sand to the family vase.

Blending Paint
This fun idea adds a splash of colour. Artsy couples can each choose a different colour of paint and pour it onto a single canvas. The two paint colours blend and bring life to the empty canvas together, creating a modern-art representation of their marriage.

Wine or Beer Pouring
If you've ever stumbled upon the perfect red blend wine that you couldn't get enough of, this is definitely the unity ceremony for you. The couple choose two different, yet compatible, wines, pour them into a glass to create a perfect blend, and then drink the blend together. This can also be done with beer, or it can be done with tea or soft drinks for an alcohol free wedding.

Tree Planting
This is such a sweet ceremony option for a woodland themed or garden-inspired wedding. This creative nature-inspired idea is to plant a tree together, adding soil (perhaps gathered from both of your hometowns) to a pot to symbolize your union. Like the tree, your relationship will need love and care to grow and bloom. The tree can then be planted into your garden.

If you're planning on having a commitment ceremony then please do contact me to have a chat about what you want.

03/03/2023

Good morning.

Later today find out what a commitment ceremony is all about and what I offer as part of the package.

27/02/2023

I'll be available for:
Handfasting and other spiritual unions
Commitment and unity ceremony
Naming ceremony
Pet funerals
Croning ceremony
Divorce celebrations
Coming of Age ceremony

I'll be posting more about these and prices.

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14/02/2023

14/02/2023

Welcome to my newest project, an addition to my current business.
I'm very much looking forward to leafing the celebrations on all your most important events.