Last night I watched some other celebrants on YouTube, because I realised I’ve never paid much attention to what others do. It turns out I do things quite a bit different. So I thought it would be worth a blog post to explain what I talk about in a wedding ceremony. I’m an encourager, not an educator. I’m making the assumption that when you walk down the aisle you know what you’re getting yourself into and in the 15 minutes we’re in front of grandma you don’t need relationship or sex-ed. I believe you’re smart enough to figure that out for yourself and seek help and education if you need it. I think a wedding ceremony is a happy time, not a sad time, so I’ll stay away from the yucky things of life and focus on the positives. I talk about a few things the law asks me to talk about, but I do it in an encouraging way, not in a weird “this is what the law tells me to say” kind of way. And I think that a wedding ceremony is a forward looking ceremony, the opening ceremony, not the closing ceremony. We’re not ignorant of the past, but we’re heralding in a future. So we don’t not-mention the past, but we’re talking about how exciting the future is. I think people should laugh in a wedding ceremony, and sometimes cry and sob a bit if it’s moving enough. I don’t think everyone should sit there silently and well behaved. So in summary: I’ll encourage you that you’re making an awesome decision. I really believe that you are. And then I’ll help everyone else encourage you and applaud you and to make you feel all warm and fuzzy. Because I’m a celebrant, a person who makes a celebration. And I’ll leave the marriage education to the marriage educators.
