Weddings of the Heart
Very little is more beautiful than when two people who are deeply in love, declare that love and their
commitment to be together and express this intention with a wedding of the heart. The beauty of having an
Interfaith Minister as your celebrant for this truly
sacred and magical experience, is that you can create exactly what your hearts desire.
 For example, one ceremony I created and conducted was
for a bride from the Western/Christian tradition and her husband, from the Hindu tradition. Both the
couple and their families wanted a ceremony that honoured both sacred traditions.
Another request was from a couple whose strong resonance was with the Native American tradition and who wanted
to include special rituals and songs as part of their ceremony.
The possibilities are endless and a ceremony can include particular religious elements if required or be more
spiritually focused without reference to religion. The absolute key is love in its highest form.
A wedding ceremony created by an Interfaith Minister will truly reflect the uniqueness of you as a couple. In
the United Kingdom it is still necessary to be "legally married" by a registrar but this can be done days or even
weeks before and be treated as a formality. This way you save the exchange of your vows and rings to be part of
your special celebration. On most occasions this will be in the presence of family and friends but occasionally a
couple will just want this to be a private declaration of their love, one to the other with the presence and
blessings of an Interfaith Minister.
As that Minister, I will be involved as much or as little as you wish in creating the ceremony. I can make
suggestions and recommendations for music, readings, vows and procedure and will be honoured to be your celebrant
on the day.
The additional benefit of having an Interfaith Minister is that the venue you choose does not have to be
licensed for marriages, which of course means you have much more flexibility. So it could be a castle, a
hotel, a barn, your back garden, a boat or a field (although I always recommend a Plan B for outdoor
weddings!)
What is an Interfaith Minister and what does this mean for my
ceremony?
A Selection of Testimonials and Thanks
|
We would like to thank you for conducting our
ceremony. Your attention to detail, your relaxed approach and your very special words were
amazing and made our wedding day.
S and R, Private Venue, Somerset
|
|
We just want to let you know that our day was everything that we wanted
and more. The service you did for us was so personal and people have commented on how
much they enjoyed it with the humour and having our own story included. The service was so
relaxing and we loved doing our own vows. Thank you again for a wonderful experience
and for making it even more special with your presence.
P and A, Hilton Hotel, Southamptom
|
|
 We knew right from our
first meeting that Akasha was the right person. She made us feel so relaxed and at ease,
and came up with ideas and suggestions that we had not even thought of. We knew we
didn’t want a religious ceremony however we wanted something special and
different.
Over the months Akasha kept in contact and she was amazing at giving us
hints along the way. When we got stuck on the Order of Service, Akasha spent a lot of
her time helping us with wording and layout, and even recommended a really good
printer.
Then about a month before the wedding Akasha came back for a complete
rehearsal which helped to dispel our fears of the actual ceremony in front of our family and
friends. The whole service went exceptionally well; Akasha was very clearly spoken and
was heard by all our guests. We had relatives from Italy, Germany and Malta and all have said
how much they loved the service and that it was the best wedding they have been
to.
Akasha was very professional from start to
finish; she made us feel relaxed and even though at times Craig was rather nervous Akasha was there
to reassure him. There were many tissues passed around as well as a lot of laughter. We
loved our day and we couldn’t have asked for a better service - and we would highly recommend
Akasha.
L and C, Shrewton Mill, Wiltshire
|
|
A huge thank you for providing us with sunshine,
laughter and happiness on the most important day of our lives. Your influence and experience
provided us with a wonderful service that was enjoyed by those who mean the most to us and with
your guidance and wisdom, were able to create a truly memorable day.
M and S, Syon Park, London
|
|
My daughter and husband are staying with us this weekend and we have just
looked through the wedding album which bought back memories of such a perfect day. After all
the stress and preparations, they both expressed that it was even more perfect than they
could ever have imagined. It was made so much more special to be able to have a ceremony that
was created in a way that made it so personal and touching. I don’t think there was a dry eye
amongst the family and friends that attended.
As Mother of the bride I wanted the day to be as perfect as possible and
wanted everyone involved to know a little bit more about my very special daughter and her new
husband and that was exactly what happened. We would like to thank you Akasha, for your
support and intuitive creativity in having made this the perfect loving ceremony for them and
for the both of us.
H and N, Cornwall, UK
|
We just wanted to say a massive thank you for our ceremony, it was so
beautiful and everything we hoped for. We have only just come down to earth again two weeks
later!
A and J, Somerset, UK |
|
Ian and I were legally married in the United States before I moved to the
United Kingdom for us to start our lives together. We wanted to share our joy of marriage and
to celebrate with our closest friends and family, but we struggled with how to do so in a way
that would be true to our beliefs and character. Ian and I wanted a spiritual ceremony
focused on commitment and love, but without reference to religion. Lucky for us, we stumbled
upon Reverend Akasha Lonsdale, and we could not have asked for a more touching ceremony that
truly resonated not only with us, but with everyone who attended. Akasha went above and
beyond what either of us could have expected, from tailoring our ceremony to our precise
needs to giving us ideas for other areas of the wedding. Akasha was ready and willing to help
every step of the way, providing advice and support any time we requested.
Many of our guests approached us after our ceremony, teary eyed, saying just
how beautiful it was and how it suited us as a couple from beginning to end. I personally
feel incredibly lucky to have had Akasha as our Interfaith Minister, but to also have gained
a friend through the process that genuinely cares about Ian and I as a couple. I cannot thank
Akasha enough for making our day as special as it possibly could have been and know she will
continue to do so for many more happy couples!
I and K, Eygpt Mill, Glos, UK
|
"We cannot thank you enough for all you
did for us at the exciting but rather stressful time of arranging our wedding - not only were you a
spiritual and emotional pillar for us (and our families) throughout but you also created the most
wonderful and personalised ceremony we could have wished for, particularly given our circumstances
of coming from two different religious and cultural backgrounds. To have such a unique ceremony
(with aspects of both religion's traditions and symbolisms intertwined) that was deeply meaningful
to us and our families, as well as being enjoyable for all present, was just brilliant.
It was certainly no easy task but we were so delighted and relieved to find you and realise our dream
could become a reality. So many people have since said how beautiful the ceremony you created was
(we're still talking about it now!) and how fascinating you are as a person when you kindly stayed
behind to talk to guests after the ceremony. We would, of course, happily speak to any prospective
clients to further reiterate how great we think you are and how pleased we were with everything you did
for us. With very best wishes and oodles of thanks"
S
and S, Grittleton House, Wilts, UK (Christian/Hindu ceremony) |
|
"Our wedding day was beautiful, everything that we had both dreamed of and
really just perfect. The service was just so right and you told our story with such
tenderness and in a way that was so honest and real. Our ceremony truly was a celebration of
the love and faith that we have been blessed with and I hope and know that with your love and
guidance we touched the hearts of many of those who witnessed our commitment to each
other.
Akasha, on a practical level you gave us so much support and many a
gentle, and some firmer reminders during our planning and we are very grateful for that, as
our relaxed attitude may have caused problems if you hadn't.
You shared my doubts and my worries and your reassuring words always
lacked judgement, you just understood. Thank-you again Akasha for being there and going far
beyond what I thought your role would be."
A and L, Banwell Castle, Somerset, UK
|
|
Rev. Akasha was a very reassuring presence in planning our wedding
ceremony, and helped us create a wonderful ceremony, that felt right for our wedding and was
enjoyed by our families and guests. She led us through the process of thinking and deciding
what was right for us with care, insight and consideration. We appreciated how well prepared
professional she was, all the time and attention she gave us and we found the examples,
readings and talking through of ceremony types helpful in shaping our own thoughts. Having
someone who listened carefully and asked good questions felt supportive and allowed us to
explore what it meant for us.
We felt reassured and able to relax on the day knowing that Akasha had the
assurance, presence and confidence to hold the ceremony and lead everyone through
it.
We have had lots of letters and comments from friends and family that have
said how much they enjoyed the ceremony - many have said it was the best wedding they have
been to! Many have also said how moving it was, there were a lot of teary eyes!
One of our guests said, “I thought it was good because amongst the
congregation there were religious people and staunch atheists and the service was
interpretable in a positive light by the religious and atheists alike. It didn’t alienate and
felt inclusive and had meaning for all.
B and H, Temple Farm, Wiltshire, UK
|
 
Kirsten Butler is a bespoke event and marquee stylist. She recently styled the Marquee at a
wedding I conducted, as well as creating numerous finishing touches that really made a difference.
www.littleweddinghelper.co.uk
Igoe Public Address Hire is a professional sound, lighting and staging company. Operating in the South and the
West of the UK, Ben and his team can source any event from a house party to a rock concert.
www.igoepahire.co.uk
Beautiful poems for all occasions www.poeticexpressions.co.uk
|
