Frequently asked questions

Which areas of the UK do you cover?

Well, as the name suggests, we are based in beautiful Cornwall - but we regularly and happily travel to ceremonies in Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. We charge a little extra for ceremonies outside our home county as travel can really impact on time - and of course there is a mileage fee to factor in. Nearly ALL of our clients are from outside Cornwall, so while we love to have face to face meetings with clients, inevitably a lot of the preparation is done over video calls and email. So it’s not an issue if you’re mega busy or if you live further afield - but if you're ever bombing down the A30 on your holidays, feel free to stop just after Bodmin Moor and we can catch up over a cuppa at Celebrant in Cornwall HQ!



Will our celebrant ceremony be legally binding?

Sadly not in this country! Unless you are marrying in church, a legal marriage has to be conducted by Registration Service staff. This statutory ceremony can be completed at the Register Office in as little as ten minutes for around £50 (plus notice fees), and is the legal process of registering the marriage. Our couples generally choose to do this legal paperwork before their celebrant-led ceremony – enabling them to plan and enjoy their celebratory ceremony exactly as they choose, without any restrictions from the local authority. You can read a bit more about our thoughts on wedding 'admin' on my blog. PS. If you are renewing your vows - this is not a legal event anyway, so you should definitely book a celebrant for maximum fun and flexibility rather than book a Registrar ceremony!



What does a ceremony typically involve?

The beauty of a ceremony led by a celebrant is – there is no such thing as typical ;-) We've had short ceremonies, long ceremonies, informal ceremonies held in relaxed outdoor settings, more formal ceremonies held in gorgeous venues - ceremonies with surprise sing-a-longs, ceremonies with handtyings involvng all the family - ceremonies with a Mr and Mrs game, ceremonies with readings delivered by video - ceremonies with lots of guests, ceremonies with no guests - ceremonies with the dog as the ringbearer or best man - ceremonies with witness bingo - BASICALLY - your ceremony will be completely UNIQUE TO YOU. And we love it that way!



What do you charge?

We are not the cheapest in the county - but nor are we the most expensive! And the average celebrant fee beyond Cornwall seems to range from £700 to £1300 - just FYI :-) 2022 fees: £650 for ceremonies in Cornwall and £700 for ceremonies in Devon 2023 fees: £700 for ceremonies in Cornwall and £750 for ceremonies in Devon

2023 fees: £750 for ceremonies in Cornwall and £800 for ceremonies in Devon

For all pricing including elopements click through to our pricing guide
CEREMONY WRITING SERVICE If you have the perfect person in mind to 'officiate' at your ceremony, but aren't sure whether they can write the perfect ceremony, then we would love to help you with this. For a reduced fee, we can create a personalised ceremony which your friend or family member can then deliver. Just drop us a line for more details.



I’m interested! What do I do next?

Let’s chat! Drop us a line, give us a call or we can set up a video meeting. Once we’ve chatted, if you think you would like to proceed, we will send you an online booking form and ask for a (non-refundable) booking fee of £250 to secure your date and enable us to start working with you. (Note that this fee acts as a down payment to your final bill - it's not extra!) We'll also drop you a contract - and then we can get cracking on your ceremony! Happy days!



How would you describe your style?

We are down-to-earth, super-friendly, girl-next-door types with deeply happy souls! Relaxed but professional, we try not to take life too seriously, but when it comes to your ceremony we will plan it meticulously, with maximum effort and attention to detail, so you don't have to worry about a thing. We will be perfectly suited if:
- You want a fun, heart-felt celebration that isn't boring, very formal or religious
- You love the idea of making your ceremony personal and meaningful
- You want your ceremony to be the best bit - not the boring bit - of the day - You recognise this is a bespoke service - no templates here!



Are you insured?

Oh yes! We have insurance with an indemnity level of £4,000,000 which includes professional, public and products liability. A copy of our certificate can be produced on request (some venues require this as part of their booking process).



Are you humanist celebrants?

No, we are independent celebrants - Lisa trained with the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants rather than The Humanist Society - as we follow no particular belief 'system' - apart from having an extra-healthy respect for this planet and all those we share it with.
 That said - humanists are non-religious people who believe that this life is the only life we have, and who make sense of the world through logic, reason, and evidence. Humanists place human welfare and happiness at the centre of their ethical decision-making. Our ceremonies fully embrace the humanist ethic.



How involved will we be with planning our ceremony?

How involved would you like to be? We usually find that couples have some outline ideas, but want some support in shaping them and making them happen. Other couples will start a blank piece of paper and it's completely up to us to create the ceremony that best reflects their personalities. It's our job to to listen, get to know you, respond to elements you know you want, and throw in other suggestions that we think might particularly suit you. Whatever happens, you're in charge - but the end point is the same however we get there: a beautifully bespoke ceremony that you are delighted with. It's no coincidence that most couples describe their ceremony with us as 'perfect' :-)



How long will our ceremony be?

Again - it's your call! There's no template, so it's completely dependent on what we create together. But if you want a ball park figure, then a ceremony is usually between half an hour and 45 minutes long. Have a read of this for more info!



Do you offer a rehearsal?

Generally, we don’t, as firstly, we want to keep all of the magic for your big day, and secondly, we just don’t think it's necessary.

We go over all the logistics in advance, so you will feel super-calm and super-prepared. On the day we arrive in good time to make sure everything runs to plan. But if your ceremony turns out to be a more complex event, and you (or we) think a rehearsal would be a good idea, it can be arranged (for an additional cost).



Do you charge for travel?

'Fraid so! We charge 45p per mile, and very occasionally we also charge for accommodation if your ceremony is beyond a certain distance, meaning one of us would need an overnight stay. But this is all made clear before you book – there are no surprise costs! If you like what we offer but we are a long way away from you, and the cost of the ceremony, travel and accommodation is likely to be too much, then we provide a ceremony writing service - so if you have someone in mind who can deliver your ceremony, we can create the perfect script for them. Drop us a line for more details.



In the light of the Coronavirus, what happens if we need to postpone our ceremony?

As you might imagine, this happened pretty consistently through 2020 :-( So if you decide to postpone, we will do our VERY best to accommodate a reschedule of your wedding ceremony to a date of your choosing and at no extra cost to you, as long as it is within a year of your original ceremony date. (For anything over a year, there may be an additional cost.) Bear in mind that dates do get booked up some time in advance, especially Saturdays from May to September, so if you have flexibility for a weekday or Sunday, or a date outside the main season, there will be a lot more choice open to you. But do not stress, we would work this out!



Can we see your TS and Cs?

Sure! Here is a copy of them:

"The following forms a contract of agreement and is subject to the terms and conditions included within it. In signing, all parties are bound by these terms and conditions.

This agreement is made between:

Lisa Flahant of Celebrant in Cornwall
and
(your names go here!)

For the wedding ceremony at (venue, date and time)

The fee quoted for this ceremony is £xxx*.

The price quoted is based on information available at the time of quotation. Later changes to your requirements e.g. change of ceremony location or date, significant additional content, a rehearsal not previously agreed, or additional travel may all incur additional costs to us and will be discussed with you and any increase in price will be agreed with you and requested at final payment stage.


Please also be advised that additional amendments to your ceremony will not be accepted within one week of the date of the ceremony unless exceptional circumstances apply.


*(Please note a mileage fee of 45p a mile from Bodmin to your venue and return will be added to the final payment.)

1. Fees
The booking fee of has secured your ceremony date and means I will not take any other bookings for this date. It allows us to begin working with you, and communicating with you about your ceremony, along with any initial research and time spent initially liaising with you. For these reasons, the booking fee is normally non-refundable should you decide not to proceed with the ceremony.


The next stage payment of £xxx is due when I start writing for you, which is usually three months before your ceremony. The remainder of the fee of £xxx plus any agreed additions (mileage etc) is due when I have completed the first draft of your ceremony and must be made before I send it to you (at least one month before your ceremony). It is fully expected that there will be revisions required to this draft and there is no (reasonable) limit to how many revisions I will undertake for you. There will be no further payments required and I will of course attend your ceremony to deliver the final agreed draft and lead your celebration.

2. Payment
Payment is requested by bank transfer; should you require payment by Paypal, then a handling fee of 10% will be added and all payments will need to have cleared in advance of sending your ceremony.

3. Cancellation and postponement
In the event that you should want to cancel our services, please be aware that none of the staged payments are normally refundable once paid. All cancellations must be made in writing.

In the event that we have to cancel due to exceptional circumstances outside of our control (eg extreme ill health, car accident etc), we will attempt to secure another Fellowship Professional Celebrant to conduct the ceremony as we have written it, without any additional costs being incurred by you. In the event that I am unable to secure another Fellowship Professional Celebrant, I will secure the services of another experienced celebrant outside the FPC network, at no cost to you.

Should you need to postpone your ceremony, with particular reference to COVID-19, we will endeavour to reschedule your ceremony to a date of your choice, within a year of the original ceremony date, at no extra cost to you. Should you choose a date later than a year of the original ceremony date, then there may be an inflationary rise in price, which would be discussed with you in advance.

4. Copyright
The written ceremony remains my intellectual property and under my copyright; you will of course receive copies to amend and annotate, and a final approved copy will be emailed to you which you are free to share with family and friends, but it is not to be used for further commercial activity.

5. Legality of ceremony
As discussed, this is not a legal ceremony. A celebrant-led ceremony is not currently recognised within the marriage laws of the UK, and in order to complete the legal requirements you must contact your local Register Office or church.


6. Personal beliefs
I reserve the right to decline a booking should I consider it in conflict with my personal beliefs: for example, any ceremony or ritual which includes butterfly or bird releases or similar activities. If you are unsure, please ask!

7. Miscellaneous
Occasionally we share our work on social media - Facebook, Instagram and the website. We ask you to kindly opt into this, but you can of course always decide to keep your ceremony private. Even if you don’t specify that you opt out, we will usually still ask you directly before the wedding as well if you’re ok with us sharing details of your ceremony.

Finally - we're a really easy-going, happy, relaxed and professional team - and we hope that we'll be the perfect fit with you! However if anything should happen that puts that relationship in jeopardy, for example, rude, aggressive or disrespectful behaviour, then the contract will be terminated without further discussion and only reasonable monies will be refunded."

Sign and date - and we are good to go!