I’d be very happy to have a chat on the phone or to meet up with you if it helps you decide whether or not to work with me: there’s no obligation on your part if we do this of course.

My fees for a wedding start from £695 and I ask for a deposit of 50% on appointment.

Fees include a planning meeting and as much of my time as is necessary to get to a finished ceremony script that you’re delighted with. Also included is my attendance at a rehearsal at the venue, and of course my conducting your ceremony on the day.

As a Humanists UK accredited wedding celebrant I come with full public liability and professional indemnity insurance, and I’m part of a network of wedding celebrants so if anything should happen to me to stop me delivering your ceremony, a highly-trained and experienced colleague will step in and deliver your script at no extra cost to you.

Travel up to thirty miles from my home in Liphook, Hampshire, is also included in the fee. Additional travel will be charged either at the RAC-recommended rate of 45p per mile if I’m driving, or I’ll pass on travel expenses at cost plus 10% if I’m using other forms of transport.

Outstanding balances must be settled within a calendar month of your wedding day (or sooner if short notice).

If you have any unusual requirements which mean I’ll need to assign more of my time to your wedding – like if you’re planning to get married abroad, for example – let me know your plans and I’ll give you a bespoke fee proposal.

Yes! I’ll happily travel anywhere in the world you want me to go.

If your venue means I need to be away for more than a day, I’ll provide you with a bespoke fee proposal before we do anything else. All travel and accommodation/subsistence expenses are passed to you at cost.

Let me know what you’ve got in mind and we can discuss the options. I’m a very cost-effective traveller: I’m very happy at the back of the plane as long as I’ve got my book…

The typical humanist wedding ceremony lasts between twenty and thirty minutes: the former for a simple affair and the latter for something more complicated, with readings, music and maybe symbolic gestures of some kind.

Try not to go over thirty minutes as your guests will start to get fidgety! I’ll work closely with you to achieve what you want, and of course your ceremony will be timed to perfection on the day.

Of course. I’ve collected together a wide range of poems and prose readings over the years and will be happy to share it all with you during the planning process.

I can also help you decide which of your family and friends should deliver the readings, and at what stage in the ceremony. As part of my service I’ll create clear and easy to use prompt cards for readers on the day, and provide practical advice for readers at the wedding rehearsal or before the ceremony itself.

And of course if you’d rather not ask family and friends to read, I’ll be delighted to read your selections myself during the ceremony.

Well the simple answer is that you don’t have to if you don’t want to – I’ll do it all for you. I’ll talk you through all the options when it comes to vows: when to say them, what to say and how to deliver them.

You can speak vows, or aspirations, or commitments, before, during or after the exchange of rings (if you’re exchanging rings). You can write your own vows, or you can tell me what you want to say and I’ll write them for you.

Some couples read their vows from a card (which I’ll prepare for you), some repeat them after me, line by line, while others (the brave ones) memorise their vows and deliver them off the cuff. Some couples even write their own vows and keep them from each other until the ceremony itself!

Whatever you choose, I’ll work with you to make sure you get the ceremony you want.

Only if you want your marriage to be recognised in the eyes of the law.

You may have your own reasons for not having a legally-recognised civil ceremony: you might for example still be married to a previous partner and therefore unable to re-marry legally.

My view is that it’s your business, not mine. As long as you don’t expect me to do anything I’m not legally qualified to do, I’m happy to conduct your ceremony.

Absolutely!

The legal words that marry a couple during a church or register office wedding are called the ‘Contracting Words’, and they’re said by the couple getting married: there are no legally binding words spoken by the vicar or registrar.

As such, I’m free to pronounce you husband and wife, wife and wife, Mr and Mr, or the Queen of Sheba and King Kong – whatever you want. It’s your ceremony, and it’s up to you how you end it!

Yes, I conduct vow renewals as well as humanist weddings. Let me know what you’ve got in mind and I’ll give you a bespoke fee proposal.

Yes – as long as you’re not asking me to carry out an act of worship. If you want a particular hymn because you just like the song, that’s absolutely fine.

The same principle applies if you want to hold your wedding in a religious building: as long as you’re not there because you want to carry out an act of worship, I’m happy. In fact, I’m very happy indeed: period religious buildings often have really great acoustics… Don’t forget you’ll need to obtain permission to hold a humanist wedding in a religious building which is still in use as such.

If anything happens to me and I can’t conduct your ceremony, I’ll arrange for a highly-trained, experienced and accredited humanist wedding celebrant colleague to take my place. He or she will deliver your original script and you won’t incur any extra costs.

But it’s never happened yet…