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, last year I created and conducted a ceremony where the
bride was from a Western/Christian tradition and her husband, 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.
What is an Interfaith Minister and what does this mean for my ceremony?
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A SELECTION OF TESTIMONIALS
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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
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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 Reverand 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
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"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)
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"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
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Beautiful, handmade tiaras, hair accessories and jewellery -
contemporary, chic, unique and distinctive.
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"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
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Creative wedding photography for your special day
www.jennifersinclair.co.uk
Beautiful poems for all occasions
www.poeticexpressions.co.uk
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