Jessica and Arjun got married in Asylum Chapel in Peckham: one of my favourite London wedding venues.
The mood was by turns romantic, teary, giggly, disbelieving, astonished and jubilant. I’ll explain in a mo…
They made the most beautiful personal vows to each other, Arj smoothly referencing Jamie T in the process. There was talk of hockey sticks and Homes Under The Hammer, and I spilled the tea that they actually got together months before they officially told anyone!
Lastly, the best man Tom “forgot” the rings, and – before anyone got too angry with him – I explained that Jess and Arj loved every single guest so much that they wanted to leave the appointment of ringbearer to chance. I told all of the guests to look under their chairs to find the hidden rings, and much excitement ensued! It was seriously brilliant treasure-hunting: the atmosphere in the space was electric! Jonty was on the Hot Seat and therefore became the Ringfinder General; he presented them to the happy couple in a charmingly shy and chuffed fashionβ¦
This Hidden Rings ritual was amazingly exciting and playful, and then became touching and meaningful: the perfect combination!
Would you consider incorporating it into your humanist wedding ceremony?
In Jess and Arjunβs words:
βWow! It’s difficult to communicate in words how special and talented Nat is!
Special because the ceremony she wrote for us, perfectly captured the essence of what our relationship is all about. There was the right balance of humour, wit, love, beauty and that ultimately made our guests (and us) feel relaxed; exactly how we wanted it.
Talented because, well the whole thing was planned and executed to absolute perfection, tailored to exactly the style we were after – & ultimately the wedding ceremony should be in the image of the bride and groom.
The actual process prior to the wedding day was very smooth, well planned and structured such that Nat could really get a sense of what we wanted. It first started with a Zoom call in which Nat asked us a few questions (we got on fantastically well & I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t get on with Nat!) as well as us asking her a few. We then arranged a date to meet in person and we fell even more in love with the idea of Nat marrying us! She listened intently throughout and took notes about stories, moments, important parts of ours lives etc and then came up with the most incredible “script”.
We decided quite early on that we wanted a Celebrant rather than a registrar and it was one of the best choices we made (specifically going with Nat!!).
We got so many compliments from our guests who said it was among the best they have attended due to it feeling so natural and right for us. There were moments of laughter, tears, joy and even some ring-related fun that again, just meant the ceremony was a perfect imitation of how we are as people and a couple.
We are so so happy that Nat was and is a part of our lives. We couldn’t recommend her enough!
Jess & Arj xβ
The supplier team for Arj and Jess:
Photographer: D&A Photography
Florals: Flower And Press
Venue: Asylum Chapel, London
Humanist Celebrant: Nat Raybould
