The Wedding School - Something a little different.

Emma - the proprietor of The Wedding School got in touch to tell us all about her business. She begins her story of how it all started…

“My day job for the past few years has been as a registrar for the very busy Westminster register office. It’s fair to say I have been involved in a quite a few ceremonies in that time, hundreds in fact! While the ceremonies themselves come in all different shapes and sizes, one thing remains a constant: you are (hopefully!) only going to do this once, and you want it to be perfect.

In order to promote the service of Westminster register office I introduced open evenings where couples could come and find out about what we have to offer in terms of ceremony rooms and outside venues etc. This proved pretty popular but most of the evening was spent answering lots of different questions about what actually happens on the day of the ceremony and what you need to do to get to that stage.

So, I introduced a presentation part of the evening to go over all of these questions in one session, taking customers through every stage of planning the ceremony from the legal preliminaries right through to saying ‘I do’ and beyond. This received excellent feedback and got me thinking about how useful this would be for everyone planning a ceremony, not just customers in Westminster!

So, Wedding School was born. My aim is to provide impartial advice concerning your ceremony, making sure there are no surprises when it comes to dealing with the register office. I want to ensure no bride or groom ever has to utter the phrase ‘oh, I didn’t know about that’ on their wedding day. Although occupying perhaps only thirty minutes of your wedding day, the ceremony is why you are there; to formally commit to one another in front of your loved ones. But it can sometimes get overlooked with all the other planning to think of. I want to ensure it receives the attention it deserves and goes exactly how it should.

What can The Wedding School do for you?

Let’s face it, some register offices are not in a hurry to answer the phone or reply to your emails, and registrars are guilty of assuming you know what they do - not me, of course, I am an excellent registrar, honest! Forums are great but time-consuming; you can’t be certain you actually have the correct legal advice, rather than well-meaning but, ultimately, incorrect information. Mistakes at registration stage can cost time and money and, if things go really wrong, can prevent you from having a legal ceremony at all.

And what about other types of ceremonies? Registrars are never going to be forthcoming about independent celebrants or humanists, for example. But I can explain all of these options to you as I am impartial.

Likewise, wedding planners are excellent at what they do but don’t tend to get involved much with the registration side of things. Wedding venues are booked by you or the planner, but there is little, if any, communication with register offices and you may not meet your registrar until the wedding. How do you ensure it all comes together on the day?

Wedding School works in two ways: the group workshop, and one-to-one sessions. If you attend a workshop you will be greeted with a glass of wine. We then have the presentation followed by a Q&A session. If you still aren’t sure about anything after the event you can contact me for a further consultation at no additional cost. Workshops are great for swapping ideas too; after all, everyone there will be in the same boat as you so perhaps someone will know of the perfect bridal shop, or that great discount at the florist. I want to create a community feel where we can all help each other.

Group sessions aren’t for everyone so, alternatively, you can arrange to meet with me for an individual session. If you are planning to visit England from another country in order to get married I can assist you via Skype and email at a time that suits you, not the register office.

We cover the following:

Giving notice of intention: how to do it, where to do it, when to do it, and what is actually going to happen when you do it.

How to avoid common mistakes at registration.

Registrar versus celebrant - pros and cons.

Civil registration law - what you can and can’t do at a civil ceremony.

The composition of a ceremony script.

Top hints and tips for music, photography and venues.

What will happen at a civil ceremony.

Advice on pre-nuptial agreements and things to remember after you marry.

Plus, anything else you can think of: I am here for you to the bitter end!

So, if you are getting married why not speak to The Wedding School first and we will help you prepare the easy way. Happy planning everyone!”

If you are interested in attending The Wedding School, please visit their website: - http://www.theweddingschool.co.uk/

You can also connect with them on facebook and twitter 

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