Simply Divine Ceremonies

23/12/2023

17/12/2023

I can see why this would create differing opinions! Any thoughts......?

In a bold move that has ignited a social media storm, a bride has divided opinions by charging guests a no-show fee for last-minute cancellations to her big day.

10/12/2023

I recently received these lovely comments from my very last wedding ceremony here in France. They very generously wrote a long and a short version! This is the short one 😀. As always it has been a joy and pleasure to create and conduct wedding ceremonies for so many wonderful couples 💜

"Akasha officiated our wedding in France with unmatched professionalism, kindness, and dedication, creating an unforgettable experience for us. She established a genuine connection, taking our personal details and crafting a ceremony that was not only personalised but also incredibly fun and heartwarming. Her words had everyone smiling, laughing, and crying, and I felt remarkably calm, able to fully enjoy the moment. Working with Akasha was a delight, and we are incredibly fortunate to have had her as our celebrant. If you want a celebrant who goes above and beyond, Akasha is the perfect choice. Thank you, Akasha for making our wedding ceremony a cherished memory that will last a lifetime." J & H. Chateau Puissentut. https://puissentutweddings.com/
Photo by kind permission of Isabelle Souriment at https://www.photo-mariage-wedding.com/

15/08/2023

A tattoo artist at a wedding! Good idea or not? What do you think?

A viral video of wedding guests getting tattooed during a ceremony has sparked a conversation about whether it's wise to offer permanent party favors.

06/06/2023

This looked like a lovely, personalised wedding in our village at the weekend. Bride and groom were seated and for the time we respectfully watched from a distance, there were readings by family interspersed with music, and then the emotional exchange of vows. Very touching.... and just look at that backdrop! 💜

21/02/2023

Still one of my favourite pics of me, by the very talented Picasso Griffiths at a UK wedding in 2014. https://www.facebook.com/picassogriffithscartoonist

19/02/2023

'Thank you so much for the beautiful ceremony Akasha, we had so many compliments about you and how you conducted the ceremony, so thank you for everything you did and all the small details you put in it! I’m so sad it’s all over and want to do it all over again!! Thank you too for all the great recommendations for our little trip around France. We had the best time. xx
D and Z. Chateau d’Aix. 2022

I'm very blessed to work with so many lovely people 💜. This was my last wedding of 2022 at the characterful Chateau d'Aix with music by the lovely cellist, Samantha Bramley , and photo by .

13/02/2023

The first part is a bit quaint but the second is still pretty reflective of what is possible when two people love each other 💜.

Post courtesy of Francis Frith, home to thousands of old photographs. https://www.francisfrith.com/

11/02/2023

Some lovely words from one of my two final wedding ceremonies of 2022.......

'Akasha conducted our ceremony in August 2022. She came as a personal recommendation and after our initial chat over Zoom during lockdown (our wedding was originally due to take place in 2021) we knew she was the person we wanted to conduct our ceremony.

We were able to meet in person again around the time our wedding was due to take place in 2021 but due to restrictions in place and the cancellation of all our guests’ flights we could not go ahead and had to move back a year. Akasha was very understanding and sympathetic and maintained contact with us regularly to check in and offer much needed optimism and positivity.

Our day finally happened this year and we can honestly say that Akasha made it a truly wonderful and memorable ceremony. She conducted it with such warmth and humour, after really taking a lot of time to get to know us. The ceremony felt so personal. Despite the 43 degree heat and the ceremony being in full sunshine, Akasha was unphased and gave us a wonderful ceremony.

I can highly recommend her and in fact insist you use her for any ceremony in the south west region of France.

Photo courtesy of Antoine Dominique https://www.facebook.com/antoinedominique06
Taken at Chateau Immaculate https://www.facebook.com/immaculatechateau
Reception venue at the beautiful La Maison de Maitre www.luxuryholidayfrance.co.uk

09/11/2022

Goodbye Olive Archer....

On 23 December 2008 a local Wiltshire funeral director asked if I could take the funeral of an old lady who had recently died in a care home. She had been there for five years with no visitors, although she was local to the area. There would be no-one at the funeral except myself and the FD. I contacted the care-home and they confirmed what I had been told. I asked if they had any pictures of her and they said yes, there was one from her younger years. I went and collected it so that it could be placed by her coffin for the lonely farewell. The photo was beautiful; she looked like a Hollywood movie star.

I felt very sad and thought that someone must have known her and might want to come and say goodbye. So on my way home, I called in at the local newspaper and spoke to a reporter I knew. I asked if she could just put a small message with Olive’s name together with the date and location of the funeral. She said she’d be happy to. I was not expecting what came next….

The ‘little message’ that appeared on a very snowy, cold January morning was actually on the front page with her photo! Within hours the story started to spread, and this was before social media was the main medium for things going viral. Olive’s appeal and story was then featured in nearly every major UK newspaper as well as around the world. Over the course of a week, my husband and I answered more than 400 calls, received money from a Sikh businessman to pay for a wake, and numerous sympathy cards, some with poems. Olive was called ‘the real Eleanor Rigby’. It caught the hearts and minds of nations. So how did it end?

The appeal reached some family members who put an immediate embargo on any more media contact. They re-arranged the date of the funeral and the type; it was to have been a cremation. Eight friends also made contact, some of whom had worked with Olive. So on the day, sixteen people attended Olive’s farewell ……including a host of media who had found out where and when it would be! Why am I telling you this today?

Because this morning I received a lovely email from Lar Bradshaw who had been so moved by Olive’s story, that he’d written a song ‘Goodbye Olive Archer; famous for a day’ but for fourteen years he did nothing with it. However, encouraged by his family, he has now included it with some other compositions, and put it on Spotify. He sent me the link in case I might like to listen to it, and I just did. Not only did it inspire me to write this, but it reminded me of just how amazing and generous people can be. 💜

It’s a touching song which you can listen to at https://open.spotify.com/artist/47rNEOLjrba4NnJ3lRtIrR. Lar goes by the name ‘Talk it over’.

Photo courtesy of www.gazetteandherald.co.uk

20/09/2022

Dinner in the Woods

04/09/2022

I often find that unplanned photos are the best. This was taken by the delightful, and very talented cellista, Samantha Bramley, while I was having a post-ceremony chat (and small glass of bubbles!) with the beautiful bride. https://www.facebook.com/solocello1

16/08/2022

Thank you La Maison de Maitre!

14/08/2022

Planning a wedding in France from the UK can be daunting. Where to start? Venue, transport, extra accommodation, celebrant, food, flowers, photographer, musician, videographer, make-up, hair, decorations - the list is endless. Which is why it’s important to have someone in France who knows what they are doing and has a team of professionals who collaborate to make your dream come true. My personal recommendation for the 47 Lot-et-Garonne area is the Little French Wedding Company.

12/08/2022

.....and this was the cake!

Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Coate…… 🥂🥂🥂🥳🥳.. Have to say what a fabulous venue😱😱😱

12/08/2022

Juliet and Deane are already well known for their incredible hospitality, and considerate attention to their guests at their luxury gites. What isn’t so well known (yet!) is that they also host intimate weddings at their stunning location, Le Maison de Maitre, with a reception in their beautifully renovated reception barn. This is just one picture of the top table they created for a recent wedding I had the pleasure of creating and conducting. https://www.luxuryholidayfrance.co.uk/weddings-events-sainte-livrade-sur-lot.html

10/08/2022

Just off to this gorgeous chateau to conduct the previously postponed wedding of one of my lovely couples. Bonus is that it's quite close as well. I love what I do!

A spectacular holiday home in the heart of south west France, perfect for a family or group holiday of up to 12 people. www.immaculate-chateau.com

23/07/2022

Sixteen years ago on Saturday 22 July 2006 after two years of intense training, study of the major faiths of the world and ceremony creation, I had the honour of being ordained at the Essex Church (Kensington Unitarians) and becoming part of the OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation Community.

Since founding Simply Divine Ceremonies later that year, it has been my privilege to create and conduct hundreds of heartfelt ceremonies from weddings to baby-naming, and then the final farewell. Along the way I have also been able to combine my psychotherapy skills with personal and spiritual mentoring for those individuals seeking to live a vibrant, authentic life.

Today is ordination day for a new generation of Interfaith ministers and I wish them all as much joy along whichever path they choose to serve.

OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation offers education to open-hearted adults, exploring interfaith ministry, spiritual counselling & the world's many faith paths.

11/06/2022

So true! Staying happily married can mean lots of work, compromise and knowing when to ask for help.

02/05/2022

PLEASE don't use these Chinese Lanterns. They do look pretty and it's a nice idea, but they can cause severe damage. Fortunately, the farm owners below had a lucky escape but it could have been a very different outcome!

21/04/2022

Some wonderful wedding gift ideas for everyone involved.

Wedding Gifts for the perfect couple! From Spa Days, through to Personalised Memories there's something for every budget. The perfect wedding gift ideas!

12/04/2022

Just two spaces available now for 2023 so if you are looking for a beautiful, personalised ceremony to reflect your uniqueness as a couple, I'd love to hear from you.

11/04/2022

Here are some sneak-peek sketches from top designers for 2023 wedding dress trends.

Here's an exclusive preview of the dresses set to be released during New York Bridal Fashion Week.

22/01/2022

A beautiful venue for a French wedding.....

27/11/2021

I can happily say that no such disasters have ever happened at any of the weddings I've conducted. The closest potential was a lakeside ceremony which had decking. It had rained earlier and at one point the bride slipped and nearly fell into the lake. Luckily both the groom and myself grabbed her and all was well. They were about to give their vows and he cleverly adapted part of them to mention that he would continue to be her knight-in-shining-armour! Note to brides: Don't wear thin high heels if decking is involved 💜

For most people, their wedding day is considered to be the happiest day of their lives. For some, however, it's a cringe-inducing disaster they'd rather dismiss from their memory.

24/11/2021

What a wedding cake!! Thanks to Jane Beavers for posting.

Me cfar note e vlersoni punen time nga 1 deri 10?
do te isha i lumtur ta dija ☺️

20/11/2021

All proposals are special but this one had a few extras....💜

“New life goal: Get engaged in front of . 💍 https://t.co/ybfa922aHg”

01/10/2021

Oops! We often hear a procession of cars beeping their horns when there is a wedding. In fact I think it's quite a nice tradition but, like most things in life, it needs to be in moderation!

€8,370 fine for beeping wedding procession in southeast France