Love conquered all when Carla and Hugh were forced to abandon their wedding plans in July only to discover that Jacquie could re-imagine a beautiful and meaningful ceremony for them in the warmth of their new home. The wedding ceremony took place in the cosy surroundings of their garden amongst close family and friends and their beloved cat Frank. Carla and Hugh chose a ring warming ceremony and created a magical time capsule which they will open and share on their first wedding anniversary.
Serendipity Celebrants have just spent a day working with a specialist Grief Counsellor discussing new learnings in the field of grief and healing at times of loss. This was an extremely enlightening experience and we found the all new insights in this area so helpful in our work conducting funeral and remembrance ceremonies. The team at Serendipity Celebrants recognises the importance of staying up to date with worldwide developments and are committed to delivering best practice in all their ceremonies.
At Serendipity Celebrants we are adapting and recreating our wedding and vow renewal ceremonies to meet our clients needs during these ever changing times. Be assured we are responsive and supportive if you have to change your wedding plans. Re-imagining ceremonies for fewer numbers in intimate settings is a trend we believe may continue, and you know what they say … small is beautiful!
For many of us who have lost a loved one in these current times and were deprived of the chance to mark their death with a celebration of life we are here to help you do just that. Whenever the time is right for you and your family we at Serendipity Celebrants can create a unique memorial ceremony for you. With a curated selection of poems, readings and music to choose from we do all the work. Mind you, you never know what you would find in a spotify account or music selection of your loved one. We have plenty of ideas to share like candle ceremony, ritual remembrances, memory capsules, tree planting, ash scattering so just give us a call
Yes, a Celebrant can legally conduct your wedding ceremony in Ireland. Your wedding ceremony can be conducted by a Celebrant and the legal registration of your marriage can be done by a Registrar in a local registry office.
A Celebrant led wedding is where you decide to have your wedding ceremony as your public declaration of your love to family and friends in a ceremony designed specific to your values, your beliefs and your wishes. Couples will make an appointment in the local registry office to do the legal piece, the signing of the wedding papers on a day either before or after the wedding ceremony itself.
Something else that will help with your decision is that with a celebrant led wedding there are no restrictions on Venue or day of the week. This is very relevant if you are choosing to have your ceremony in your own home or in the great outdoors.
A Wedding celebrant will officiate your marriage ceremony specific to your personal requests reflecting your values, your beliefs your wishes. In other words, your dream ceremony.
(see useful links below)
Can we confirm our commitment to each other without legal ties?
Absolutely yes you can. We can help you to design a wedding ceremony to reflect your values and your beliefs. As we say the most important part of any celebrant led wedding ceremony is the public declaration of your love to one another and the commitment of shared lifelong love and friendship.
There is no requirement to complete the legal wedding documents or the signing of a registry.
What is The difference between a Registrar and a Celebrant?
There are 5 key differences between a Registrar and a Celebrant
1. As professional wedding Celebrants we design, create and deliver a personalised ceremony reflecting you both, your love story and include your family and friends throughout the ceremony. A Registrar is obliged to deliver a standard ceremony and within a given time slot
2. A celebrant led ceremony will be as long or as short as you wish and we only ever do one ceremony in any given day. Registrars are required to work to a very strict time schedule and will conduct a number of wedding ceremonies in any one day
3. Celebrants do not complete the legal documentation, the signing of the registry. And you can be assured that because of the personalisation of your ceremony your guests will not even be aware that there is no signing of the marriage papers. We can design a wedding certificate for you to sign on the day for optics and pictures if you wish. A Registrar can legally complete the paperwork for the marriage documents.
4. A Celebrant can perform your ceremony in the location of your choice, you dream. Let your imagination run free! A registrar can only perform their services in a Registry Office or in a registered venue which must be a permanent structure with four walls and a roof.
5. In making the decision to have a Celebrant led wedding you will choose your Celebrant, someone who is the perfect match for you both. Who will work with you right up to your wedding day and with whom you will be at complete ease. A registrar is allocated to your ceremony by your registry office and unfortunately you do not get to choose the registrar nor is there any guarantee you will meet them in advance of the day.
(see useful links below)
Planning a destination wedding in Ireland?
Celebrant led weddings are the perfect choice for a destination wedding in Ireland. Are you an Irish couple living overseas and want to return home for your wedding ceremony and celebration? Are you a couple in love with Ireland and looking to have your wedding ceremony and celebration in Ireland? Or are you the ultimate romantic and looking to elope? One way or another we say a Celebrant led ceremony is ideal giving you all the flexibility and choices around your ceremony, location feel, tone and vibe. We can connect you with Ireland’s most beautiful, romantic and secret locations and destinations for your wedding ceremony (see useful links below)
Let us help you plan your Celebrant led Wedding
Feel free to contact us for a chat or a consultation no matter what stage you are at in the planning of your ceremony as we just love to hear of your wishes, dreams and love story so far. There is little that will shock us, scare us or put us off when it’s all in the name of love
Annie, Caroline, Elaine and Jacquie
Useful links
IECS https://www.iecs.ie/
WIPA https://www.wipa.org/ireland
HSE https://www2.hse.ie/services/births-deaths-and-marriages/how-to-get-married-in-ireland/how-to-get-married-in-ireland.html
Author Bio
Jacquie Marsh is a Co-Founder of Serendipity Celebrants, a qualified and practising Family Celebrant and member of both IECS (Irish Ethical Celebrant Society) and WIPA (Wedding Industry Professionals Association) International.
As a lover of the great outdoors and with over 30 years in Events and Hospitality Jacquie knows the perfect locations for Celebrant Led weddings across Ireland and has conducted ceremonies on land and on sea, on mountains in valleys and almost anywhere in between.
A Funeral Celebrant will prepare and conduct a ceremony for the deceased in a venue of your choice. This ceremony will be centred around the life of the loved person and is created by those who wish to celebrate this person’s life, in a close, loving alternative way.
“The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living” Cicero.
We have all grown up with traditional funeral ceremonies; the smell of incense, singing of hymns, lighting of candles and saying of familiar prayers. These are familiar rituals and traditional rites but do you know that there are beautiful ceremonies which you can prepare, with our experience, for the end of life celebration of your loved one. We at Serendipity Celebrants will help you with creating a ceremony that is right for your loved one and also for you.
Here is what we do and how we do it.
We organise and structure an alternative personalised ceremony in an warm and respectful way, stitching together different memories and moments of the life of the person who has died.
Your chosen Celebrant will meet the family via Zoom or by calling to the house. She will spend time with family or friends, and will get a sense of the loved one.
We will then create a template for the ceremony to include readings, music, poetry, eulogies and final committal, all chosen by those close to the deceased. The final ceremony will be given to you before the day of the funeral.
What about the Funeral directors?
All through this process, we will link up with your funeral director and ceremony venue, regarding the ceremony practicalities and also our attendance at the venue.We are very familiar with the venues for these special ceremonies and the wonderful staff who run these special places.
Our aim as Funeral Celebrants is to help the grieving family and friends to organise a loved person’s final funeral ceremony. This will then enable all to transition through grief and pain and allow the long process of healing and acceptance to flow. “There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart”. Mahatma Gandhi
Feel free to call us at any time to chat about a funeral ceremony, remembrance ceremony or scattering of ashes ceremony for your loved ones.
(https://www.dctrust.ie) (https://www.mountjerome.ie) https://greengraveyard.com/
If you are a couple trying to decide on what type of ceremony to have and who will perform it for you – read on and I’ll try and shed some light on the issue. There are so many choices out there it’s not surprising that you might be confused!
The phrase ‘Celebrant led wedding’ usually refers to wedding ceremonies that are performed outside the context of a particular religious faith. Now perhaps you thought that would simplify matters but there’s more. Within the realm of celebrants there is increasing choice. Some celebrants adhere to a particular set of values such as Spiritualists, Humanists, Pagans, Druids and Interfaith Ministers. If you don’t feel you fit into any one of these categories then an Independent Celebrant is the way to go.
So what does an Independent Civil Ceremony mean in reality?
Rather than seeing our ceremonies as being ‘alternative’ we believe they are ‘appropriate’ as we design them to your exact wishes. No two couples are the same and sometimes it’s only when we all sit down together to explore your values, wishes and dreams that you as a couple discover the most appropriate style of ceremony for you. So for a ceremony that is unique, personal and a joyous celebration of your love and union look no further.
What is included in an Independent Celebrant or Officiant led wedding ceremony?
Your love story is the centre-piece of the ceremony, from this everything flows. We can also incorporate readings, poetry, songs, prayers, and cultural traditions of your choice. The ceremony is further enhanced by ritual elements that symbolise your commitment to each other in marriage. These can include a celtic handfasting, a sand ceremony, a union candle ceremony, a wine box love letter ritual and a personal scent blending ceremony. You can even have your family and guests get involved in a beautiful ring warming or wishing stone ceremony. In truth the options are as endless as your imagination and we the team at Serendipity Celebrants love making your wildest dreams a reality.
Can we choose or write our own vows?
Yes and yes! Your exchange of vows is such an intimate space in your ceremony. Time seems to stand still while you both express your love and promises to each other. The beauty of our ceremonies is that you can choose exactly the words you want to say with no legal constraints. We particularly enjoy hearing the many and varied ways couples choose to say ‘I do’. And don’t worry, help is always at hand if you need some samples or ideas for your vows.
Where and when do these ceremonies take place?
Flexibility is paramount, so you have complete choice of:
As Independent Celebrants we ensure you have control over every aspect of your ceremony while bringing lots of imagination and creativity to the planning and realization of the perfect celebration of your love and union.
So if you are a couple who is looking for a wedding ceremony that is more personal and meaningful, why not give us a call or drop us a mail – we’d be more than delighted to chat.
Author’s Bio Caroline Mc Namara
With a passion for celebrating all of life’s milestones and a love of making the smallest occasion into an event, being a celebrant is everything and more than I could ever dream. My motivation for training as a celebrant was my wish to offer choice. I embrace a world of diversity and inclusiveness and believe everyone deserves the opportunity to celebrate their lives in a personalised way that is as unique and individual as each and every one of us is.
Caroline is an Independent Civil Celebrant performing Weddings, Baby Namings, Coming of Age and Funeral ceremonies. She is part of the team at Serendipity Celebrants and is a member of the IECS (Irish Ethical Celebrants Society).
As a professional funeral celebrant, working alongside my colleagues in Serendipity Celebrants, I know that the end of a life and the end of a funeral ceremony, are mirrored in the closing of the curtains. Gently, the fine tuning stops and the beautiful fabric of a person’s physical life closes. The beat of loving hearts and the metronome of a loved one’s history are reflected in chosen music, readings and tributes. When any ceremony is taking place, I take care with my appearance, my words and my genuine care for all those present. That is the respect I pledge to those who place their trust in my professional deliverance of the ceremony for a loved one, as a funeral officiant.
Grieving families
Our families grieve for a loved one no longer present but whose spiritual presence is evoked and created in our finely tuned remembrance ceremonies, for all they were and always will be. It is my privilege to be part of the process and help and enable loving relatives to remember the deceased, in a beautiful nuanced ceremony.
The meaning of end of life ceremonies
Death is a given but as a celebrant it is important to bring the deceased to life in the ceremony, during that special hour. It is such a privilege to be given this task and my work gives back to me in a life enhancing meaningful way. It is a beautiful path to travel as a funeral officiant.
Useful Links
www.mount jerome.ie
Bio
Elaine Hartigan is a professional funeral officiant, and has worked as an end of life celebrant for 8 years. She has officiated at many funerals in all crematoriums in Dublin and also in many funeral homes throughout the 26 counties. She also prepares end of life ceremonies for those who wish to have their funeral organised in advance.
I have just completed my final baby naming ceremony of 2024 and what a year it has been, so many happy moments and memories. My naming and welcoming ceremony last Sunday was for baby Indie. Meeting her for the first time with her gorgeous mum I could feel her independence and Mischievous nature which is exactly what her name stands for! She arrived a little early into the world, but as her mum said it was a bonus because they got to share their very first Mother’s Day together just five days later.
All these details are shared when I tell the story of Indy’s birth to everyone gathered in her home. The intimate atmosphere of being at home surrounded by parent’s grandparent’s godparent’s friends and neighbours is beyond special.
So what is a naming ceremony exactly?
It is an alternative to Christian baptism or other religious ceremonies to welcome your new baby into the world. And for Indy’s naming ceremony her parents chose a Holly Tree a Centrepiece for the ceremony. In my research I discovered that in Celtic mythology new-born babies were bathed in the water from the holly leaves for protection, my heart skipped to beat.
When we finally bestowed Indie with her chosen name I looked over at her proud parents bursting with joy while streamers and balloons filled the air to which Indie let out a glorious squeal of delight.
I left with a heart full of joy and love smiling quietly to myself.
I love this job.
Authors Bio
Annie O Reilly, Professional Celebrant and founding Member of Serendipity Celebrants designs and performs life ceremonies especially baby naming ceremonies wedding ceremonies and vow renewals