An elegant, joyful at-home wedding ceremony for Pippa and Alec | UK wedding celebrant

If you do one thing today, make it feasting your eyes upon the deliciousness that is Pippa and Alec’s at-home wedding ceremony… and if you do two, make it reading how we put their ceremony together.

Pippa and Alec wanted a ceremony which reflected them personally: something that felt young and fun, whilst also being elegant, elevated and incredibly stylish.

A wedding celebrant is the perfect choice for this, because there’s nothing more sophisticated than something 100% bespoke created just for you. 

Their wedding planner, the wonderful Louise Barcock from Big Green Space, knew this, which is how they came across my work as a UK wedding celebrant. Louise acted as a matchmaker between Pippa and Alec and I: she knew them well and made some suggestions of celebrants that might suit the style they wanted for their at-home wedding ceremony. 

From that list, they set up a chat with me and the rest is history (by which I mean, we clicked, they thought I’d do a good job, they booked, we had a sublime time, and then I wrote a blog about it, which you are now reading. Good choice, by the way).

A  stunning at-home wedding in an English garden setting

Pippa and Alec’s wedding took place in the garden of the house that Pippa grew up in. Not only does this mean that it’s the site of so many wonderful memories for them both, but it’s also where she’d always imagined she’d get married, so bringing it to life was nothing short of magical.

Being on familiar and much-loved territory meant that the morning was relaxed, while Louise’s team and the suppliers were getting everything into place in the marquee where the ceremony was taking place. Both the entrance and the top of the aisle were framed with tall, wild floral arrangements that contrasted perfectly with the airy surroundings, and the certificate signing table was a vintage desk. 

Curating and creating an intentional wedding ceremony 

To create the elegant but laidback feel that was so important to Pippa and Alec – they wanted it to be an at-home wedding literally, but also in the way it felt – we were really intentional about the ceremony we crafted together. 

For example, we kept the things that they liked about more traditional weddings, including classic roles for family members (like Pippa’s dad accompanying her down the aisle), an exchanging of rings, and a “you may now kiss” moment. 

They had two readings: Calon Lân by Daniel Jones to honour Alec’s Welsh heritage, and You Deserve A Lover by Frida Kahlo, read by one of Alec’s best friends. They signed their marriage certificate (designed exquisitely as part of a stationery suite by Deabill & Quince), while soundtracked by a live violin performance by Alec’s brother.

But we also made it contemporary and ultimately “them” by weaving their love story throughout. Pippa and Alec have been together since they were quite young, so we had lots to talk about across their ten years together. I included their first meeting at a party with an under the sea theme, the years of teenage rebellion and scheming to be together, and the constant flow of margaritas along the way. 

We made sure to shout out the friends who’d been with them through it all, and laughed about how they are so in sync that sometimes they have to check in with each other before they leave the house to avoid accidentally coordinated outfits.

A wedding that’s unmistakably “them” (or you…)

I am always touched when guests make a special effort to talk to me after a ceremony. It’s a good gauge for me to tell whether everything has gone well actually!

So many of Pippa and Alec’s guests went out of their way to tell me how much they enjoyed the ceremony. In fact, it was comically hard for me to leave, because people were stopping me as I was walking out… and obviously (people-pleaser that I am) I wanted to soak up the praise.

Naturally I have the privilege of getting to know couples throughout the celebrant wedding process, but hearing that you absolutely nailed it from people who’ve known them for years is the best feedback.

Ok, well, actually: the best feedback is the below, from the newlyweds themselves:

“We can’t thank Meg enough for creating the most perfect, personal, and joyful humanist ceremony for our wedding. From the very beginning, Meg put so much care and thought into getting to know us and understanding what we wanted and the result was a ceremony that felt totally and utterly “us”.

It was everything we’d hoped for: moving, funny, heartfelt, and so different from the traditional format. So many of our guests told us afterwards how much they loved it, and how refreshing and memorable it was - we couldn't agree more.

Meg set the tone for what ended up being the best day of our lives and we're so grateful!”

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Planning your own at-home wedding ceremony, and looking for a wedding celebrant who’ll make you feel… right at home?

If you’re curating an at-home wedding with a sophisticated but joyful vibe - I’d love to be your UK wedding celebrant. Get in touch here to tell me about your plans so far! 

All of these glorious photos were taken by Jamie Dunn Photography.