A wee blog today about feeling truly grateful…
"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it..."
...said the writer William Arthur Ward. And how true this is.
As the wedding season gathers pace, I have loved reading some wonderful emails from couples enquiring about celebrant ceremonies. Some emails are short and to the point, some are long and tell a love story (I adore those), some are personal and beautifully crafted, others perfunctory and price-focused ;-)
Quite frequently an initial email will generate many exchanges with couples, others will progress promptly to phone calls or Skype chats, and some are just convinced, and proceed straight to booking!
The emails I receive that make me smile the most - and by smile what I actually mean is beam from ear to ear - are from those couples who are completely getting the celebrant vibe, and because they appear to completely 'get' me. I know with these folk, we are going to get along FA-MOUS-LY! Those are the ones I think, let’s get this wedding on!
So here we go, I am wrapping the present and GIVING IT! Just a few excerpts of some of the emails that have rocked my world recently. Thanks lovely people – you are amazing!
“We found you on Instagram and absolutely love everything we’ve seen about you! We’ve always imagined saying our vows in Cornwall, overlooking the sea and that’s where we hope you can come in! It’s important for us to find somebody we can feel comfortable with, who has a positive aura about them and can help keep the chilled feel to our wedding day.
We’ve literally scanned your website and instagram to make sure, but we’re positive that this is you!! Please can you send us more information about what it would take to have you there on our big day?”
This fab couple went on to book me!
“Cornwall is a really special place for me and my family. We are not religious and don’t want to be part of the conveyor belt of weddings a registrar leads of any given day, so this is definitely the direction we would love to take. Plus I feel really strongly about having a bit of a connection with our celebrant so it feels more like a friend is up there with us.
Hopefully this is where you will come in Lisa :) I’ve seen your picture pop up in a few searches I’ve done and wanted to get in touch to see if you had availability for our date. I’m not surprised everyone comments on your smile, it brings an incredible warmth and you just look like such a friendly person, that paired with your experience makes me feel as though we would be in safe hands. If you can please let me know if you’re available for us, that would be wonderful.”
Woo hoo – this splendid couple booked me too!
“We are really keen to book you as our Celebrant please! We are really excited to be taking this journey with you. I definitely feel we 'click' and hope you feel the same!”
This wonderful couple booked!
“Thank you for your email, we have managed to locate someone through our venue which has brought the costs down for us. But I just wanted to say a massive thank you for being so lovely and accommodating.”
They didn’t book :-( but were still very sweet about it!
“Thank you for your swift reply and your lovely email. We are very interested in having you as our Celebrant, you sound happy, smiley & fun. An animal lover and eco is also amazing!”
Yey – these awesome folk booked!
“It was lovely to meet you and I hope you didn't think we were too crazy! I think we had already decided you were the celebrant for us before we left the coffee shop. We felt that we connected with you and are 100% confident that you will provide a ceremony perfect for us.”
Awww – lovely feedback from another couple that booked. For 2023!!!
“I think it's fate that we found you! You're such a positive, passionate and friendly soul. We can't wait to start planning our ceremony with you.”
Oh my - these guys!!!
So, in summary, a huge thank you to everyone who takes the time to email me with such very kind and thoughtful words. Whether you book or not, getting feedback like this makes me smile, big time. And we all need a lot more smiling in our lives :-)