When Verity and Steve wanted a celebrant-led Cornish wedding, I was beyond excited! Just around the corner from “my happy place” (Watergate Bay), it was all to take place at The Park in Mawgan Porth over bonfire night weekend.
I started writing their ceremony 6 weeks before the day as per my client timeline but wasn’t supplied a massive detail through the questionnaire, so I had to dig deep and get creative! I was the told the following:
I knew Steve was a huge Star Wars fan and after checking with the bride, I was allowed to insert quotes and jokes at the appropriate time. There was to be no cheese (only brie or mozzarella) and they wanted to include a smudging ritual.
Steve’s heritage is Scottish so I had suggested the idea of a handfasting or handtying ritual or even utilising the fire pit on site. Both Verity and Steve were keen on some sort of visual element and found Steve’s family tartan, so they supplied ribbon for a “tying of the knot” at the end of their ceremony.
Verity and Steve desperately wanted to get married in Italy, which was a special place to the bride, however with the restrictions and complications of travel due to Covid, they decided to play it safe and have the small intimate wedding in Cornwall instead. To touch upon this, I gifted the couple a lemon tree and weaved into their ceremony “when life gives you lemons, make a gin and tonic!”
When the weekend came around, we all traveled down to Cornwall on the Friday with Verity and Steve doing the legal part at the registry office in the morning first, accompanied by their immediate family.
We explored what The Park had to offer upon arrival as my husband and little boy were invited to the wedding also. Their ceremony was set to take place at 3pm in the Yurt Village on Saturday so we spent Friday evening driving around Newquay watching firework displays by the sea - magic!
On the morning of the wedding, we booked for a gorgeous breakfast and then to go swimming with all of the kids and pretty much everyone attending which was really fun. It was such a relaxed day and everything couldn’t have been more Verity and Steve.
After swimming, I headed up to the Yurt Village with Verity to organise the seating arrangements, standing formation and to figure out the music situation. The yurt had a canopy of fairy lights and a log fire inside, it was so dreamy!
As 2.30pm swiftly came around, I collected the ribbon, vows, smudging sticks and rings from Verity on route to the Yurt Village. After a quick set-up, pep talk with the groom and music poised, we enjoyed pre-drinks outside before heading inside for Verity’s arrival.
Everyone inside the yurt was able to bring their drinks inside with it being a Celebrant-led ceremony and settled down on the sofas and bean bags. With the fire roaring and the music playing, Verity entered the ceremony space with her dad to stand with Steve and then, I began.
After unraveling their love story, some profound quotes from Yoda, commitments and readings we went into the smudging ritual.
“Marriage is a new beginning so it only seemed fitting to include a smudging ritual to cleanse the past and any negativity present as Verity and Steve enter their union today. Verity has created her own smudging sticks which have been homegrown in their garden.
Burning sage not only smells out of this world, it generates wisdom, clarity and promotes healing.
Steve and Verity, if you could now please face east as you light each other’s sage stick.
If you could now walk around your ceremony area and circulate together as I share these words and hold the space.
Into this smoke Verity and Steve release all energies that no longer serve their greater good, all negativity that surrounds them and all fears that limit them. May I ask that only light, love, happiness and abundance fills this marriage.
When you are both ready, could you please extinguish your sage sticks and join me back in the middle.”
Next followed bespoke vow sets that I wrote for them followed by the exchanging of rings, before ending with the tying of the tartan knot. Their little girl Oria was lucky to have a front row seat and was in awe throughout, breaking into head, shoulders, knees and toes at one point!
As the ceremony ended and I introduced them by their new married name to their friends and family, they led everyone out of the wedding ceremony back for cocktails, the most gorgeous artisan spread of food by The Cornish Lunchbox and hot tub fun as more fireworks went off on the beach.
It was truly an honour and a privilege to write and officiate their Cornish wedding ceremony and I am forever thankful to both Verity and Steve for choosing Fox & Star Ceremonies.
Flowers: Grown and dried by the bride
Dress: Hope & Ivy
Celebrant: Ceremonies by Laura Bell
Photographer: Ceremonies by Laura Bell
Venue: The Yurt Village | The Park
