Planning a non-traditional wedding in North Wales or Cheshire? If a hotel package and a standard, templated ceremony script leaves you cold, welcome. This blog post is full of ideas for how to plan a non-traditional wedding in North Wales and Cheshire that feels like a reflection of your love and your relationship.
It is not about being quirky for the sake of it. It is about planning with intention. You pick the parts that matter, lose the rest, and tell your story in a way that feels comfortable, fun and meaningful.
Whilst registrar weddings are required to take place in a venue licensed for weddings (or a registry office), humanist celebrant weddings can take place anywhere. This gives couples freedom to find a location that ticks all of their boxes.
If you don’t wear jewellery, or just hate the idea of wearing a wedding band, there’s nothing that says you have to. It’s perfectly possible to make your promises without exchanging anything. You could consider a handfasting, or exchange something else that feels meaningful to you.
Good question, Handfasting is a tactile, way to make your promises feel real, where you literally tie your hands together with cords or ribbons as you say your vows. It has roots in Celtic and pagan history which resonates with some couples as an addition to, or an alternative to exchanging rings. You can involve family, or keep it just the two of you.
If a big audience gives you the ick, scale it down to your closest people, or elope with me, your photographer and maybe the dog.
Do most weddings happen around 1-3pm? Yes. Do they have to? Absolutely not. If you’re getting married somewhere like a beach or a waterfall, a midweek and early morning ceremony time can be a great shout to avoid the crowds. Twilight weddings give you most of the day to get things ready, and then you’re free to dance the night away.
Traditionally, summer weddings happen between May and September, with August being the most popular month. In recent years, September and October have become popular - there’s no guarantee of a sunny day, but the temperatures are a little cooler, and there’s still plenty of daylight. But that’s not to say you have to get married then. Early spring, late autumn and winter can be wonderful choices if they feel right for you.
There is no requirement to legally sign the marriage or civil partnership paperwork alongside a celebrant ceremony. If it feels right to you to make a private or public declaration of commitment to one another, then that’s what we can do.
There are so many possibilities for how your ceremony can flow once you’ve got you and your guests into the ceremony space. The possibilities can be overwhelming, and I think it’s a much better choice to get to know my couples and curate some options that might work for them, but here’s some ideas to get your started:
I take on a limited number of couples each year so I can give your day the attention it deserves. If you’re planning a non-traditional celebrant wedding in North Wales or Cheshire, check out my Packages and Prices, hear what happy couples have to say about me, then get in touch to check my availability, and let’s create a ceremony that speaks your love language.
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Kate Rostance is a humanist wedding celebrant based in North Wales. She creates ceremonies that are relaxed and full of meaning - with a touch of humour and plenty of heart. She works across North Wales, including Snowdonia, Anglesey, Gwynedd, the Llyn Peninsula, Cheshire and beyond.
Find out more about Kate, her approach to weddings, or what happy couples have said about her.
