Michelle and Wayne’s wildly romantic wedding ceremony was held on the cliffs at Beacon Crag on Wednesday 17 August 2022…
…. And it was a dreamy affair of the heart, officially marking the coming together of two families and a couple who had met over 20 years ago….
Michelle got in touch with us some eight months before their big day, looking for a celebrant who could create the perfect ceremony for an intimate family wedding, including just the couple and their four children, with ages ranging from 16 to 9, who wanted to be fully involved in their day.
Of course we could do that! Small, intimate gathering are among our favourites, and we absolutely love finding ways to include a couple’s children to make them feel at the very heart of their Mum and Dad’s celebration. Added to that the breathtaking location of Beacon Crag, with incredible views of the Cornish coastline – we knew that this ceremony would be a winner!
Having enjoyed a good chat with Michelle and Wayne about their story and life together, we focused on some of the details of the ceremony. They were very keen to include a number of readings, so we advised on different options, and it was wonderful that everyone chose something special to include – and Michelle’s daughter Millie went one step further and decided she would write and read her own poem, which was a lovely personal touch to the proceedings.
With the first draft of the ceremony carefully created, we sent it to our lovely clients, awaiting their feedback – which was, “We love it...beautiful Thank you so much.”
Some weeks later, the day of the ceremony arrived, and after a spell of very hot weather, the sun was still shining but temperature had cooled comfortably, and there was a light sea breeze on the cliffs at Beacon Crag. Amid some nerves and excitement, Wayne was accompanied by son and best man Ben, and together they patiently awaited the entrance of bride Michelle. With music gently playing, their girls Emily and Millie arrived first, followed by Michelle, looking absolutely stunning, who descended through the terraced gardens to the ceremony space overlooking the sea. She was very ably escorted by her young son Joe, who was quite delighted to ‘give away’ his Mum!
Michelle and Wayne looked beyond delighted to at last make things official, in the presence of their family. The children were all seated to listen to the story of Mum and Dad, who had reconnected in recent times, and discovered it was so exciting to catch up after more than 20 years apart, and find out about each other families, and careers, and interests – and the conversation flowed so easily and naturally, they decided to meet up.
And so a beautiful long distance relationship between Cambridge and Cornwall commenced, with Covid fast-forwarding Michelle’s move to Cornwall – to join Wayne in his bubble. Definitely not the worst way to spend lockdown! Together we remembered so many happy times, from their first Christmas as a family of six, to Wayne’s epic marriage proposal while punting on the River Cam, and narrowly avoiding falling into the water..
As we moved towards the vows, Michelle chose this reading for Wayne, an excerpt from Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White, which described perfectly how she felt: “I didn’t fall in love with you. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I do believe in fate and destiny, but I also believe we are only fated to do the things that we’d choose anyway. And I’d choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you.”
And Wayne reciprocated with this poem for Michelle, When I Hear You Laugh (the author of which is unknown): “When we share a secret When your eyes sparkle When we're just us When we don't have to talk When I watch you sleeping When you remember When I don't have to explain When you walk into the room When we are in a crowd When I am by myself When you are just being you When you make me giggle When I hear your heartbeat When you reach for me Even when you're not looking That's when I love you.” Romantic readings aside, the children – in a nod to Michelle and Wayne’s love of Alice in Wonderland – chose a passage from the novel, incorporating marriage and madness, which they all read together most enthusiastically and entertainingly!
Personal promises were pledged to one another, rings were presented by best man Ben and exchanged, and a commemorative certificate was signed by each family member. It was the most special of ceremonies.
We received these kind words shortly after this wonderful day:
Thank you so much to Lisa from Celebrant in Cornwall for making our ceremony at Beacon Crag so personal and beautiful. From start to finish, Lisa communicated with us and listened to our story in order to create a ceremony that was exactly what we wanted. Perfect, thank you so much.
This was a memorable wedding for so many reasons – an incredibly romantic story to tell, four beautiful children to share it with, a couple who were destined to be together – all celebrated in the most incredible of settings. Thank you to Michelle and Wayne for inviting us to be a part of it – and to Grant Lampard for the dreamy photos!
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