YOUR CEREMONY
PERSONALISING YOUR CEREMONY
HERE ’ S HOW YOU CAN MAKE YOUR VOWS AND CEREMONY PERSONAL TO YOU
Photography by Danni Beach Photography
A
civil marriage ceremony in an approved premises can be as traditional , grand or as simple as you wish .
But , what many couples don ’ t realise is that you can personalise your Kentish ceremony to reflect who you are as a couple . You can include things that are special or sentimental to you , and from funny poems to heartfelt readings , you can say ‘ I do ’ with a twist that ’ s unique to you .
When you book your civil ceremony with the Kent Registration Service , you will be issued with the ‘ A Kentish Ceremony Choices ’ booklet , allowing you to make selections for each part of the ceremony .
There are legal vows and declarations that must be included but you can personalise the ceremony by writing your own promises to each other , as long as they are non-religious . The selected wording is then printed out in an order of ceremony and agreed before the big day .
Legally , you need two witnesses to sign the schedule with you - this can be a nice way of involving friends and family - and you can bring in more special people by asking them to read poetry or prose .
You can also have music for the ceremony and during the signing of the schedule . This may be recorded , or from live musicians but poetry , prose and music must not have religious content .
HERE ’ S SOME INSPIRATION FOR A READING YOU COULD INCLUDE ON YOUR DAY …
A LOVELY LOVE STORY by EDWARD MONKTON
The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice . Although it was cold , he was happy in there . It was , after all , HIS cage .
Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur .
The Lovely Other Dinosaur melted the Dinosaur ’ s cage with kind words and loving thoughts .
I like this Dinosaur , thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur . Although he is fierce he is also tender and he is funny . He is also quite clever though I will not tell him this for now .
I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur , thought the Dinosaur . She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice . She is also a free spirit , which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur .
But he can be so distant and so peculiar at times , thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur .
He is also overly fond of Things . Are all Dinosaurs so overly fond of Things ?
But her mind skips from here to there so quickly , thought the Dinosaur . She is also uncommonly keen on Shopping . Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on shopping ?
I will forgive his peculiarity and his concern for Things , thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur . For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered individual .
I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for shopping , thought the Dinosaur . For she fills our life with beautiful thought and wonderful surprises . Besides , I am not unkeen on shopping either .
Now the Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are old . Look at them .
Together they stand on the hill telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs .
And that , my friends , is how it is with love . Let us all be Dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs together .
For the sun is warm . And the world is a beautiful place …
22 | AKENTISHCEREMONY . COM | AUTUMN 2024