3 years ago I had the ultimate honour, as a celebrant, of being asked by a close family member to conduct her marriage ceremony. She also happens to be my business partner and a celebrant too… So no pressure then!

I conducted the ‘couples meeting’ as I would have with any of the couples I have married and tried to pretend I did not know Morag and Stuart as well as I did. I wanted this ceremony to be one of the best I had ever written and wanted to be on top form. The extra challenge was ensuring that the ceremony was different for Morag, who has written and delivered many ceremonies herself.

I managed to persuade Morag and Stuart to trust me with the script and they did not see any of it before their big day. With Victoria Bisland’s help and sage advice (she also played a part in the ceremony) we crafted a great script and had several practices to get it just right.

I was anxious on the day, but the bride and groom were even more nervous, so my feelings paled into insignificance. Conducting a ceremony in front of just about everyone you know is pretty daunting! But the day was not about me, it was about the couple getting married and I wanted the small part I played to help make it a perfect day.

It was a beautiful ceremony, full of emotion and I was even able to even the groom at a tricky moment when he became a bit overwhelmed. He nearly set me off!

Thankfully. they loved what I’d written and everything went as it should have. Afterwards I did feel very honored, tired and I very much looked forward to getting out of my celebrants outfit, into the party frock and having a well deserved glass of champagne.

By Anne Widdop