The Country Celebrant: The Country Celebrant: Weddings

The Country Celebrant: The Country Celebrant: Christmas Weddings:

I was asked today whether I had ever conducted a wedding at Christmas. It got me thinking .... I never have and I wondered why that might be.

What influences the choice of date? Is it that we are most likely to have decent weather in the summer, or is that the choice of flowers and the comfort of a beautiful dress without the worry of being cold is uppermost in our minds?

Christmas is a time for family and couples often get engaged at Christmas, but actually if your family are all around you anyway - why not get married then.

I feel I posing more questions than I am answering; historically the short days of winter are a quiet time and what better way to spend a quiet time than celebrating your love for one another?

A wedding dress in sumptuous velvet, red and gold and green decorations, such a panoply of light and delicious scents everywhere.

The weather is expected to be dreary - if you were really lucky there might be snow, but a crisp frost and that wonderful clear light followed by inky darkness and the warmth of log fires and spicy mulled wines.

I am getting rather enthused by this plan ... possibly a little late for 2017, but for next year, why not!

Comments

Respect for the Bereaved

In the last year I have conducted all manner of funerals. There have been the timely deaths of beloved people where the ceremony has been one of quiet, or raucous, celebration of a life lived to the full and ended peacefully. There have been tragic deaths through suicide and illness, where the person has been snatched from those that love them in a way that is cruel and heartless. A cold, bleak time when all you can do is hug the pain into some sort of temporary submission. There have been slow lingering departures where there has been time to prepare and say goodbye, to plan the ending and to tie up all the loose ends, so to speak. I have been in awe of the dignity and composure of both those leaving and those being left. The stories that I have had the honour of retelling. The poignant words written by children about their Grandparents. The gut twisting pain of listening to a husband talk of his wife and what she meant to him. The keepsakes that I ha...

The Country Celebrant and Carer

The Country Celebrant and Carer: Loss Here we go again, preparing to celebrate the family are gathering the presents are bought and wrapped. But under the tree and in my heart there is a hole so small and dark that only I can see it. Sometimes I lose myself for a moment and the hole is diminished but mainly it pulsates with pain and loss. I can smooth the edges with light and warmth I can fill the void with laughter but the cold creeps back and the laughter fades away. Where are you? Are you safe and sound? Do you look at us from your eyrie? Can you hear our dreams and see our wishes? I would turn back the clock I would rekindle your fire that burnt so bright I would walk a thousand steps to see you again. To hear your words and see your smile to share a hug and be with you again would make my day complete. In the meantime, I will smile and nod and remember you in my heart and look for you in the shared memories that we have.

Confessions of a Doula's Dog | Compassion | Country Walks

I thought that some of you might be interested in my work as a Doula. I have worked with families for a very long time; I am a Mother to three wonderful and very nearly grown-up people and I have run a pre-school in Hampshire since forever. When my Father died I wanted to honour him by burying him on his farm. I struggled to talk to him about his wishes right until the end; I did not have the courage to raise such a personal issue. As is so often the case, events overtook us ... he was terminally ill and had made it clear to the doctors that he wanted no further intervention. He died in his own bed with those whom he loved carrying on as best they could around him. We buried him in a clearing on the farm. The only people present were his immediate family, a very compassionate funeral director (who happened to be my son's rugby coach) and the dogs. I knew then that I needed to learn to do this job properly and by that I don't mean the formality of being a ce...

The Country Celebrant and The Country Carer

Search This Blog