I was the Celebrant for the loveliest Humanist Wedding Ceremony today. I just love how personal and special these ceremonies are. With their permission, here are the beautiful and very happy Bride and her Husband.
My choirs, The Inglehearts and The Suitcases, sang for the Christmas lights switch on in Redruth this evening. The parade of all the local schools with their lanterns was delightful and the singing, of course, very well received! I love it when the audience also join in, especially with the much loved Cornish carols written by Thomas Merritt.
Waiting for my lift after the event, the following caught my eye.
It looked like eyes and golden hair. In fact, it is two faces of the town clock and the lit up underside of the viaduct.
Tag Archives: Humanist Wedding
A Wedding, A Parade and the Clock Tower
Humanist Wedding, Johnson’s Blue Geranium and Brooke’s Sister
1 I conducted a beautiful Humanist Wedding Ceremony this afternoon. I do love these weddings – they are so individual, special and unique to the couple involved. Enjoy some of it with me.
Before the Ceremony, which took place under the tree
Bunting in the barn, made from fabrics with special memories for the Bride
Hedgerow flowers on the tables
Bridesmaids with sunflowers
The Beautiful Bride
The Cake, the Loving Cup and the Whiskey
2 The Johnson’s Blue Geranium is very beautiful and is buzzing with bees.
Bee on Johnson’s Blue Geranium
3 Yesterday I discovered a new blog Brooke’s Voice. It is one of the most beautiful I have read and I wanted to tell you a bit about it so that you can, please, visit it and be moved as I was by the love for her sister and the talent of a young writer who is still at school. Gosh, how I would love to be her English teacher to nurture this talent. What a way with words this young woman has, painting pictures with her lyrical sentences.
Humanist Wedding, More Marmalade and The Gig
! A lovely happy meeting this morning with a delightful couple planning their Wedding for June.
2 We’ve made our final batch of marmalade for this year, another 9lbs, enough for us and plenty to give away to friends.
February’s Marmalade
3 The gig at the Poly tonight is in aid of keeping that venue open. Let’s hope there’s a generous audience in!
Poly gig
PS And this photo is us at the gig where we raised £600 for the Poly.
The Suitcases Singers at The Poly, Falmouth
Stained Glass, Eulogy and Wedding Plans
1 A beautiful sunny day today gave us a new shadow, this time of our little replica of a funny little wren from a stained glass window in York Minster. It dates from the 15th Century and can be found in the Zouche Chapel.
Shadow of the little wren
Replica stained glass
2 Yesterday’s WordPress writing prompt invited the writing of one’s own eulogy. That reminded me of something I used to work on with my 13 year old pupils as the last chapter of their autobiography. I invited them to write a pastiche of the following poem, ‘Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep’ changing the items to reflect their own personality. There were so many amazing and moving poems from them. My pastiche follows the original. You may like to write your own and put it as a comment. I’d really love to read yours.
‘Do Not Stand’ by Mary Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die
.‘Do not Stand’ by MBT
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am primroses in the sun,
I am the waves that run and run,
I am seagulls on the wing,
I am in choruses that sing.
When you awaken in the dead of night
I am in stars that bring you light
Of peace and love and life and hope.
I am the bubbles in your soap.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
3 In my role as a Humanist celebrant, I met with a lovely couple today and we began to plan their Wedding Ceremony for the end of May. It’s such a delightful, happy job to have!
Beach Wedding, Sweet Pea Posy and Potatoes
1 The Wedding was absolutely beautiful! The sun shone, the couple were radiant and the tide stayed out! After the very moving Ceremony, I managed to snatch a couple of photos.
The newly married couple
Called for the formal photos
Dress from behind
These lovely words were read by the Groom’s Mum. It is called ‘Beauty of Love’
The question is asked: ‘Is there anything more beautiful in life than a young couple clasping hands and pure hearts in the path of marriage? Can there be anything more beautiful than young love?’ And the answer is given: ‘Yes, there is a more beautiful thing. It is the spectacle of an old man and an old woman finishing their journey together on that path. Their hands are gnarled but still clasped; their faces are seamed but still radiant; their hearts are physically bowed and tired but still strong with love and devotion. Yes, there is a more beautiful thing than young love. Old love.
2 Last night I was given this highly scented and very pretty posy of sweet peas. Thank you, Brenda! (and also for the pheasant which we will so enjoy on our return from babysitting in London.)
Present of a Posy
3 This afternoon has been spent in the beautifully sunny garden doing tidying up Autumny jobs – another picking of beans and the container grown Christmas Day potatoes needed earthing up.
Christmas potatoes ready for earthing up
Wedding Rehearsal, Cornish Ice-cream and Email
1 The rehearsal for tomorrow’s Wedding Ceremony went off really well. We are planning for it to be on the beach even if it rains! We did the run-through indoors today as the tide was too far up!
The beautiful beach where the Wedding will take place.
2 There was a Kelly’s Ice-cream van on the cliffs when I went back to check out access to the beach later. I can never resist one of their ice-creams, one of the best in Cornwall!
Kelly’s Cornish ice-cream
3 Since meeting the poet, John Siddique, a few years ago at a local Readers’ Day, I’ve been getting his newsletter so I though I’d tell him about yesterday’s post. He wrote back a lovely email today, thanking me.
Wislawa Szymborska, Another Wedding and The Inglehearts
1 Wislawa Szymborska, Polish poet and Nobel prizewinner, died on 1st February 2012 and The Guardian printed this poem of hers which I find very beautiful.
A miracle (what else can you call it):
the sun rose today at three fourteen
a.m.
and will set tonight at one past eight
A miracle that’s lost on us:
the hand actually has fewer than six
fingers
but still it’s got more than four.
A miracle, just take a look around:
the inescapable earth.
An extra miracle, extra and ordinary:
the unthinkable
can be thought.
(translated into English by Stanisław Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh)
Wislawa Szymborska in 2010. Photograph: Jacek Turczyk/EPA
2 Had another enquiry about a wedding, this one a recommendation from a couple whose wedding I did a couple of years ago which is very pleasing.
3 Singing with the Inglehearts. Tonight we rehearsed ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ by the Beatles in an arrangement by Claire and it felt good!
Humanist Wedding, Cornish Daffodils and Today’s Batch of Marmalade
1 Had my first meeting with a delightful couple today planning their Humanist Wedding for May. Lots of lovely ideas and a really productive meeting.
2 Driving down towards Penzance I again saw fields of daffodils – so glorious and on Wednesday I bought lots from the Hayle area while in Truro and now they are all open.
Daffodils 20:1:2012
3 The first two batches of marmalade are made! It takes a while and some effort but the pleasure from seeing all the jars of deep orange marmalade and of knowing how it will be relished more than make up for that!
-
- Chopping the simmered oranges
-
- Boiling the marmalade
-
- 10lbs of marmalade
