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Festive Table Set

CEREMONIES

WHAT KIND OF CEREMONY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

What ever the ceremony type, I am here to help and to create a meaningful and symbolic ceremony for you. For a friendly, caring and professional service and for a unique and bespoke ceremony that you will remember Forever, please get in touch

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ENGAGEMENT CEREMONY

The proposal was amazing and it’s a....YES!  Congratulations
Why not announce your engagement to family and friends with a very special Engagement Ceremony.

 

If you are planning on getting married in two or three years or possibly longer, then why not mark the occasion NOW and have a celebration to let everyone know how excited you both are to be engaged, and that you’re getting married. Hooray! 


Engagement Ceremonies are still a very important event in many cultures and faiths across the world. They also have a long historic background in Western traditions, as it’s when the bride and groom to-be announce their betrothal, and this starts the journey towards marriage and the wedding ceremony.


You can include wonderful traditional, religious or faith blessings within your Engagement Ceremony. Or you can have a more informal, spiritual or humanist ceremony with rituals like a Ring ceremony, a Handfasting, a Flower or  Tree-planting ceremony, or a Love Letter ceremony. You can  create your own ceremony and ritual for your special event, so let your imagination go crazy, it's your party!  


You might like to have the event in a beautiful woodland, by a lake, at a special venue or even where you got engaged. It can be a lavish celebration or a small, intimate party. This is your special day so you can choose anywhere and whatever you like.
 

Being a Celebrant, I can help you with ideas for symbolic rituals, assist you with planning your ceremony, I will write a  bespoke, personalised ceremony script that reflects the two of you, and I will present the ceremony the way you want it to be, it's your special event.

 

Your Engagement Ceremony is truly the start of something wonderful and a new chapter for you both. And let’s face it, it's another great reason to throw a fabulous party! 

Engagements
Weddings

WEDDING CEREMONIES

Congratulations, You're getting married !

Your wedding day is for you and your love partner to share together with friends and family, the way you want. It’s all about the Two of You.

It can be a small, intimate ceremony in your back garden or a large celebrity style ceremony at a hotel. It can take place on a beach at sunset, or whilst skydiving (although that may be too extreme for most) - either way, it’s your special day, so you can choose where and how.

As an independent Celebrant, I will conduct your Wedding Ceremony anywhere you want, so you don’t need to be restricted to licenced venues or rigid scripts with a registrar and specific venue. If you want a ceremony in the woods, by a river or on a boat, you have the freedom to have the creative ceremony you want. You can even travel abroad and have the wedding of your dreams, say on a sunny Greek island or a winter wedding on the slopes of the Alps.

Your Wedding Ceremony can include special vows, readings, poems, music, dance and song, You might like to include; unity candles, a handfasting and sand ceremony, ring blessings, or any special wedding rituals that are meaningful to you. You can include any religious, spiritual or humanist content within your ceremony to reflect your faith and beliefs, your cultural background and LGBTQ status.  Whether it’s a same sex wedding, or a non-gender specific wedding, together, we will make your special day Extraordinary!

 

It is entirely up to you what type of wedding you would like to have. Traditional or modern, formal or informal, creative or even whacky, I can help you with ideas on symbolic rituals, help plan and liaise with your wedding planner (if you have one), and make your day one that you and your guests will remember forever.

As your Celebrant, I would spend time to get to know you and what you both want from your ceremony. I will create a totally personalised and unique ceremony Script and blessing, which will reflect both your personalities, interests, beliefs and wishes. 

 

So get in touch today and we can start creating a wonderful Wedding Ceremony that reflects the two of you perfectly. It’s all about the TWO of YOU

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Vow Renewal
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VOW RENEWAL

Would you like the opportunity to renew the vows you both shared when you first got married? Would you like a celebration to commemorate the love that binds you both together?

You may want to celebrate a significant milestone in your lives, such as a special Anniversary or the birth of a child. Or after a period of struggle that has resulted in a stronger, more loving relationship. Or simply, a reconfirmation of your love for each other. 

 

A Vow Renewal Ceremony is your chance to re-declare your love for one another. You might repeat the same vows you originally had (if you can remember them that is), or perhaps write totally new vows, to express your love for each other now.

 

A Vow Renewal is a beautiful way to say ‘I do’ all over again. It’s a time to reflect, celebrate and look forward to your future together as partners for life and forever.

 

I can help you create a wonderful Vow Renewal Ceremony, full of the important messages and symbolism that you wish to share. I will write a personalised Ceremony Script to suit you both and reflects the life and love you have shared.

The ceremony can take place anytime and at any location; perhaps the venue where you got married or engaged, in a castle, a garden, on a river, or somewhere tropical, exotic or faraway. It can be just the two of you, or in front of your family and guests. It is totally up to you how and where.

 

It’s YOUR special day, so let’s get creative!

Naming Ceremonies

NAMING CEREMONIES

Naming Ceremonies are usually held for babies and toddlers to celebrate a new arrival, but this  ceremony can be held at any age. They are an alternative to traditional church Christenings and Baptisms. They are  a meaningful and joyful ceremony to introduce a new child into the family and community.

 

Welcoming a new baby is an absolute joy and this can be shared with family and friends through a Naming Ceremony, which is a lovely celebration and opportunity for all, to meet the new arrival.

There are other significant reasons for having a Naming Ceremony. Perhaps you're getting re-married and would like to have a Naming Ceremony for your children and step-children, to celebrate the importance of ALL of you, coming together, as one family,

 

Or you may have adopted and would like to have a Naming Ceremony to officially welcome your adopted child or children into your family, and provide a special, memorable day all about them and for them.

 

​The Ceremony is there to reflect a meaningful moment in your family’s life.  You can choose how to celebrate and where. Perhaps at home, in the garden, at a venue, a church setting, or at the beach, in a forest, or even a fairy tale castle,, and how cool would that be! 

 

The ​Naming Ceremony can include some wonderful symbolic rituals, such as poems, music, songs and dance. It could be themed or even fancy dress. If the Naming Ceremony is for an older child, then get them to join in the planning, as children have such wonderful, imaginative ideas!  

Godparents, Guardians, Mentors or Life-friends - whatever  

best fits in your scenario, can also be included in the Naming Ceremony, if you wish. Their responsibilities and roles can be identified in a lovely declaration written for them, or even by them to be read out at the event. 

As your Celebrant, I will help you create a wonderful ceremony for your child or children, I will create a bespoke Script and Blessing written especially for your child and help you with ideas to make the day memorable, forever. 

 

It’s the perfect opportunity to bring your family together for a celebration. There are no legal restrictions with a Naming Ceremony, so let's get creative and let me ME help YOU organise and present a special event for you and for your guests. 

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Renaming
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RENAMING CEREMONIES

As a young person or adult, you may find yourself with a decision to change your name, so why not have a Renaming Ceremony. I like to call this 'THE NEW ME' Ceremony, because that really sums it up.

 

There are many reasons why a person might want to change their name. Perhaps you have changed it for personal family reasons or maybe just for fun. Either way a name is important, as it is your identity and if it changes, then marking the occasion is a great idea and lots of fun. 

 

If you have recently or you are about to gender transition, then you are going through a life changing and important milestone, which should be celebrated. Gender change, transitioning and gender reassignment is a massive step for anyone to take on. The journey is long and challenging, and may result in a new identity and often adopting a new name, so a Renaming Ceremony is perfect to declare and to celebrate THE NEW YOU.

What better way to share and celebrate this special occasion than in a meaningful and symbolic way, surrounded by family and friends, It can be an informal party or a lavish, celebrity style event. The event can take place anywhere you want and in any style you like. It's your Renaming Party!

As your Celebrant, I'll work with you closely to create a unique and personalised ceremony, just for you. I will write you a  Ceremony Script, offer you ideas and help you plan your special day, to ensure you have the ceremony that reflects your personality and your Future-Self, your new aspirations.​

 

Show everyone who you are with a special Renaming Ceremony to introduce THE NEW YOU to the world. So come on, let's get creative and plan a great ceremony

Healing

HEALING CEREMONIES FOR RELATIONSHIP CHANGES

Sometimes the break-up of a relationship or marriage can occur, and this is a difficult and significant life experience for all involved.

Whether you have drifted apart and your relationship status has changed, or something has resulted in separation or divorce, this can often leave you both in a state of grief, loss, guilt, or regret. You may feel that a separation or divorce is the best option, but you may still love each other and want to wish each other the best for the future. 

Whatever the circumstances are, a couple and their families will be affected, especially children. The couple's parents, siblings, family and friends can also find it hard to cope with the break up and the changes. By having a Healing Ceremony, you both can change your relationship status with kindness, care, humility,  understanding and love.

You and your families and friends can come together to celebrate all the good things that initially brought you together and the life you created together, the children you may have had, and the successes you've achieved. And to bless the life you are both yet to have in your new futures living separately.

A Healing Ceremony will give you all a sense of closure and the opportunity for healing. It will give all involved the chance to make new wishes and blessings for you both, as your lives change and move on forever.

As your Celebrant I will work closely with you both individually or together, to create an intimate, sincere and personal Healing Ceremony, which will heal and give you both a sense of moving forwards towards future happiness.

Your Healing Ceremony can be an intimate service with just the two of you, or a more open service including your children, family members and friends, who can all take part in the ceremony. Special words or poems can be read out and a symbolic healing ceremony can take place in a safe and loving environment. Your children can take part in planning a wonderful creative ceremony. 


Your Healing Ceremony can be held at any location, at a venue, in a garden, or by the sea, or even where you first met. The choice is all yours. And as your Celebrant, I will help you make your Healing Ceremony personal, inclusive and a happy and positive event – full of love and good wishes for all. 

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Funeral Ceremonies with Lara Khoury, Celebrant

FUNERAL CEREMONIES

Honouring and remembering a loved one is an important rite of passage and a very special occasion.

A celebrant led Funeral is about crafting and delivering a ceremony that can help either someone to plan their own funeral before they die and say farewell in their own personal way. Or help the bereaved family to plan and organise a special ceremony to mourn and say good-bye and to celebrate their loved one's life. It give centre stage to the deceased by paying a special tribute to their talents, character, humour, personality, and their life story.

A Funeral Ceremony can be set in a traditional religious setting within a particular faith or cultural background. However some prefer a different approach that may not always include a specific faith. Here symbolic rituals can be included in the funeral ceremony - these include; placing items in or around the coffin, grave presents, post it notes and letters, rosemary sprigs , herbs and flowers, lighting of candles, releasing of balloons, or your own creative ritual that you feel best fits your loved one. 

While a funeral director is the best person to deal with the practical arrangements of a funeral, the type of ceremony you choose is entirely up to you. A Celebrant led Funeral Ceremony is centred in a spiritual, humanistic perspective that allows the deceased person’s character, life story and beliefs to shine through. ​The  funeral can be held in a religious setting (with the religious leader's approval ), a crematorium, a natural burial sight, or home of the deceased or any location that best fits the funeral ceremony. 

As your Celebrant, I will liaise with the Funeral Director you have chosen, and I will work with you and your family to create a bespoke, personalised ceremony to celebrate the life of your deceased family member or friend. I will transform an otherwise traditional, scripted service, into a creative, sincere, personal and meaningful funeral ceremony.

I'll help you plan the ceremony, share happy and sad memories and funny stories which will help me create a special Ceremony Script. I will help you with ritual ideas, poems, songs or music, and with reading a eulogy. I'll officiate at the funeral to give your family and friends  a ceremony that captures the true meaning and personality of the deceased. 

Although the passing of a loved one will always carry grief and loss, it is also a celebration of their life.  I am here to deliver a beautiful Funeral Ceremony, that will be a special   farewell, which will be  remembered forever. 

Funeral
Memorial

MEMORIAL CEREMONIES

A Memorial Ceremony for a loved one is a very special event and can be held at anytime after the funeral of a loved one. Perhaps on the Anniversary of their passing, or on their birthday, or other special date.

 

When thinking about what a Memorial Ceremony can include, there really is no right or wrong. They can be grand occasions and celebrations or small, intimate events. Simple memorial service ideas can often be the best, and you really only need to do one thing, and that's to think about your loved one and what he or she would have wanted or liked. 

As a Celebrant, I can help with ideas for symbolic and meaningful rituals, and write a beautiful Memorial Script and Blessing, that will pay respect to your loved one.  Deciding who speaks at a Memorial Ceremony is one way you can really pay tribute to their life. Perhaps ask friends or family to tell some funny stories about them,give a  performance of some kind

You may want to display memories of their life through songs, dance or poems,​ use candles, set up a flower or stone-ceremony, create a memory tree or have a range of photos or a slideshow displayed for all to view. Perhaps enjoy a special dinner party or an organised walk (at your loved one's favourite place) or hold the ceremony at a venue or garden.

This special event is personalised to fit the type of Memorial Ceremony you want to have. Whether it's in a religious setting such as a church, or at home, in a garden or at a special place for them, you can chose to remember your loved one anytime and anywhere. and I can be with you every step of the way. 

 

To plan a beautiful Memorial Ceremony for your loved one, please get in touch and let's get talking

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