If you're planning a wedding in Bedfordshire or the Home Counties then Sharon from Sunflower Ceremonies should be top of your list to call. Here's Everything You Need to Know About This Sunny Celebrant!
Your wedding is a BIG DEAL, and you want to be able to choose an officiant for your wedding ceremony because you want someone that you know, trust and have a connection with. That's the advantage of having a celebrant led wedding rather than a registrar led ceremony right? Choice. You can choose your celebrant, choose your venue, choose your time, choose how long it lasts and more importantly what is said and by who. All of those choices are quite rightly in your hands.
In our quest to venture beyond the vows and the ceremony scripts we help you get to know our amazing Ceremony Collective Celebrants in a more informal less scripted way and what an interesting bunch they are too!
In this edition of Celebrant of the Month we got to know the simply wonderful Sharon a little better and created our little Ultimate Guide to Sunflower ceremonies. We all knew she is fabulous but who knew that she had such a diverse background and interesting tales to tell?
Question #1: Tell us a little about yourself
I’m Sharon (I’ll let my name suggest my age!) and I’m based in Bedfordshire. I’ve worked in a number of jobs over the years in roles such as being a Pricing Analyst for a big bad oil company, through to working as a Cataloguer on a project about Victorian criminals (the stories I can tell!).
I am a writer of lists, lover of mojitos, daily doer of Wordle, stationery addict and controller of household chaos. I have a soft spot for Judge Judy, have a house full of colour and flowers, and chill by plugging into a podcast and walking the dog as far as his mood will take him.
Question #2: What motivated you to become a celebrant?
I have spent a number of years working as a Deputy Superintendent Registrar of weddings for a local authority. I have conducted hundreds and hundreds of ceremonies and I have LOVED my job, but it has also showed me that there are opportunities out there to offer beautiful bespoke weddings. Registration weddings offer the same script to ever couple. I really want couples to be able to have the ceremony they want, with the words they want, in the place they want, at the time they want. That’s not something I can offer them as a Registrar.
Question #3: In your own words, what is a Celebrant?
Ooohh….nice question. I am on a mission to spread the word about what a wonderful thing it is to use a wedding celebrant.
I guess firstly its important to note, celebrants can’t currently marry you (sad face). Believe me this isn’t an issue and I can easily supply details of how to legalise your marriage.
Think of other life events. You don’t register a baby on the day the child is born. You don’t register or bury a loved one on the day they pass away. Why should be feel you have to legally register your marriage on the same day as your ceremony?
So what does a Celebrant do?
A wedding celebrant officiates your ceremony. From the day you first make contact with them, through to the day itself, you work together to create the perfect wedding ceremony for you. We support you before and during the ceremony, and will liaise with your photographer to make sure those perfect moments are captured.
A celebrant tells your story, introduces elements special to you as a couple, remembers those who cannot be there and adds some unique sparkle to your day.
I am an old romantic but I love to introduce fun elements into the ceremony. It’s obviously all about the couple but I would hate to look out to see the bored faces of guests, so we can involve them too.
For me, a successful ceremony included tears of joy AND tears of laughter.
I could write so much more about this but I guess to summarise - a celebrant makes the ceremony all about you (and it should NOT be the boring bit of your day!)
Question #4: What is your ceremony style?
To be honest, the ceremony is totally about the couple and not about me. I have conducted ceremonies purely based on romance and fairytale and I have conducted a ceremony surrounded by bikers with a heavy dose of Motorhead thrown in!
I approach every ceremony with a fresh set of eyes and a new set of ideas. I guess the constant thread is that I believe my ceremonies to be warm, full of emotion and memorable.
One of my Ceremony Collective colleagues says my super power is ‘mixing emotion and laughter’ in my ceremonies. I’ll take that!
Question #5: Where are you based? and where do you work?
I am based in Bedfordshire and focus primarily on Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire BUT I can and will travel wherever couples want me too. I have a particular fondness for the seaside!
Question #6: Describe your favourite ceremony
You can’t ask me that!!! I can honestly say I have enjoyed every single one. The joy is that they are all so eclectic and for me that’s the pleasure of my job.
Question #7: Have you any tips for engaged couples?
Do it your way! Weddings ceremonies should not be one size fits all. Some couples know exactly the wedding ceremony they want but if you don’t, and that’s fine too. Your celebrant will have lots of creative ideas to offer.
Oh, and the other thing couple often worry about is their vows. You don’t have to remember them. You can have these written down and if you want, I can help you write them.
Question #8: Do you have a bucket list ceremony?
I am in love with Iceland. I would love to conduct a Midnight Sun wedding in front of a magnificent waterfall. There’d be amazing views, big throws to keep everyone warm, hiking boots would be the footwear of the day, spectacular photo opportunities and afterwards (if invited!) I love to help them celebrate by drinking bubbly whilst soaking in a hot spring.
Question #9: Tell us a little bit about The Ceremony Collective
The CC (as I like to call them!) are a small exclusive group of celebrants all trained by the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants. You know when you just hit it off with someone? Well, this is what happened to this group. 6 incredibly different characters, from very different walks of life, joining together to promote the use of celebrants. With the additional aim of offering support and encouragement to each other and our clients.
Question #10: Quick Fire Questions
Favourite Song - Live and Let Die by Guns and Roses (Sing it loud!)
Favourite Food - Tuna and Red Pepper on Tiger Bread
Who would play you in a movie about your life - Jennifer Anniston
Name the reality show you should be on? - Traitors (I love trying to read people)
Couples day out - Wimbledon with too much champagne & strawberries
3 Dream Dinner Party Guest - Stephen Fry, Miriam Margolyes and Judi Dench (he's a cool dude, love her marvellous lack of filter and Judi? well, I want to be her when I grow up!)
Question #10: How can people contact you and learn more your ceremonies?
My website contains a lot of information: www.sunflowerceremonies.co.uk
I can be emailed on: info@SunflowerCeremonies.co.uk
Telephoned or WhatsApp’d on: 0790 1522 523
Or follow me on Instagram to find out more about me: Sharon Allam (@sunflower_ceremonies) • Instagram photos and videos
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