happily ever after

THERESE NAZARI

WEDDING CELEBRANT

Ireland is a top destination for weddings and vow renewals in the global market.
All love is equal in Ireland and we welcome same sex marriages and are proud to do so.

People from every corner of the world honour their love through marriage and
at Happily Ever After we aim to do the same in a unique and personal way.

Happily Ever After - Why Use a Celebrant

Celebrants offer a bespoke and personal alternative to the traditional church weddings that are becoming a thing of the past; there are no restrictions with our ceremonies (religious or non-religious).

Celebrants offer a bespoke and personal alternative to the traditional church weddings that are becoming a thing of the past; there are no restrictions with our ceremonies (religious or non-religious).

Using me as your celebrant will allow you to set the tone for a stress-free memorable experience in a time-honoured tradition.

You may have children you’d like to take part or someone dear to you that you’d like to honour or include. Your ceremony can take place at any venue, whether it’s on a beach, in a hotel, in a restaurant or even as personal as your own garden. There are many ceremonial enhancements you may like to choose from, like a sand ceremony or a handfasting:

HANDFASTING CEREMONY

Handfasting is an ancient Celtic tradition symbolizing the binding of two people (and it’s where we get the expression “tying the knot”).

During the ceremony the couple are invited to join hands. I would bind them together with cord/ribbon and explain the symbolic meaning of the handfasting.

Children/parents of the couple can be included by adding coloured ribbons to the binding if desired and below are a description of the meaning of the possible colours to use:

Red – will, love, strength, fertility, courage, health, vigour, passion

Orange – encouragement, adaptability, stimulation, attraction, plenty, kindness.

Yellow – attraction, charm, confidence, balance, harmony

Green – fertility, luck, prosperity, nurturing, beauty, health, love

Dark Blue – for a safe journey, longevity & strength

Light Blue – tranquillity, understanding, patience, health

Purple – healing, health, strength, power, progress

Black – strength, empowerment, wisdom/vision, success, pure love

White – spiritual purity, truth, peace, serenity and devotion

Gray – balance, neutrality, used in erasing, cancelling, neutralizing, and return to the universe without repercussion

Pink – love, unity, honour, truth, romance, happiness

Brown – for healing, skills & talent, nurturing, home & hearth, the earth.

Silver – for creativity, inspiration & vision, and protection.

Gold – for unity, longevity, prosperity, strength.

This ceremony would normally take part before the vows but some couples like to say their vows during the binding… It’s your call!

Happily Ever After - Handfasting

JUMPING THE BROOM

Jumping the broom is a really fun way to conclude the ceremony. It’s done after the pronouncement and the couple literally jump over a broom symbolising a leap of faith into their new married life.

The broom is decorated in ribbons and laid across the floor for the couple to jump over before walking down the aisle or out of sight.  If you would like guest participation, ribbons can be signed and tied to the broom before or during the ceremony in preparation for the jump.

ROSE CEREMONY

The Rose Ceremony brings a touch of elegance, romance and beauty to your ceremony. The ceremony is best placed after the vows. It is the first gift that you give to each other as a married couple and if children are involved you may give one to them also. It symbolizes the giving and receiving of your love for one another.

Variations of this ceremony are available, like honouring both mothers of the couple with a rose to say thanks for the love they have given that the couple now carry forward to their new lives.

Happily Ever After - Rose Ceremony

SAND CEREMONY

Sand ceremony is a beautiful ceremony where the couple blend the sand from each of their glass jars or vases into one which symbolises their hearts becoming one and their lives blended together.

Different coloured sands can be used which makes the appearance very pretty. If children are involved they will also pour into the main vase to show unity and strength within the family unit.

The unity vase is then brought home as a keepsake of your wedding day.

WINE BOX CEREMONY

This ceremony is about making a time-capsule for each other. The box will contain a bottle of wine, two glasses and a love letter from each to the other.

The letters describe the good qualities they see in each other. Why they fell in love and want to marry each other. They are then sealed in individual envelopes and placed into the box.

The box will be locked and put away for a special anniversary or for when they might face a time of hardship in their marriage.

When opened, they will read the letters and drink the wine and replenish the box for another time in the future.

CAN I GET MARRIED ANYWHERE?

Yes, with a celebrant, there are no limitations as to where you can have your ceremony, but you will need to do the legal bit separately with the HSE

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE…

…between getting married
with a civil servant or using a wedding celebrant?

A civil servant will perform a wedding ceremony within a specified timeframe, i.e. Monday to Friday in the registry office or in certain appointed venues on a Friday or Saturday (for an extra fee). Their ceremonies are standard so that everyone receives the same.

A wedding celebrant is available to perform the ceremony any time and any place (we do not do the legal part, this can be done separately in your local registry office, it takes about 10 mins). Also a wedding celebrant will create a ceremony very personal to you and include anyone you would like to be involved.

DO I NEED TO DO THE LEGAL PART…

during my wedding ceremony? No, it’s not necessary, in fact more and more people are moving towards having personalised ceremonies with wedding celebrants and doing the legal bit separately (as it’s only signing a document). This gives the couple much more freedom to create the wedding day that they always dreamed of with no restrictions.

alt-text