Ian Bonner-Evans
Location: Central and Southern Scotland
Willing to travel
Phone: 07732 851927
Email: ian@spiritual-ceremonies.co.uk
Wedding Ceremonies in central and southern Scotland
About Me
I am a OneSpirit interfaith minister and celebrant and have over twenty years experience of offering special ceremonies for important times in life. I am available to hold legal weddings for opposite sex and same sex couples in central and southern Scotland, although I am also happy to travel further afield if asked!
For a brief explanation of what services I offer, watch a short recording at http://vimeo.com/1096279841
Your Wedding Day
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away”
(Maya Angelou)
Getting legally married in Scotland offers you a great deal of freedom to choose the kind of ceremony that you want. Whilst there are certain legal requirements to comply with, the nature and content of the wedding ceremony can be based entirely on your beliefs, values and requirements.
Your wedding ceremony can be small or large, simple or intricate, modern or traditional. It can be religious or spiritual in nature, or something which does not need to be labelled! It is entirely up to you. This is your day, and your opportunity to celebrate the love that you have for each other.
What you can expect from me
An initial response from me
I will contact you to make an appointment. I will briefly explain what we would need to cover during that first meeting.
Our first meeting (in person or online)
This initial meeting can be either in person or online. We will talk a little about you as a couple and will explore what kind of wedding you want. Some couples have very clear and detailed ideas about what they want at this point whilst others don’t, this is fine by me! If we agree to proceed, you will be asked to pay a non-refundable booking fee and I will then commit to holding your ceremony.
Ongoing contact
There will be ongoing contact between us, the frequency will depend on the circumstances of each request. Most of this ongoing contact will be through email or online. We will explore what you want during the ceremony and I will offer advice and suggestions as appropriate. I can also give some general information about the legal requirements, but it is your responsibility as a couple to liaise directly with the Registrar regarding the legal aspects of your wedding. As we get nearer to the date of the wedding I will produce a draft outline of the service for your comment, making sure that I have got all the correct information. This is the stage at which any final changes must be made. Once we are happy with the overall plan, I will then produce the final version of the wedding service.
On your wedding day
I will attend the venue on the day, normally ahead of those invited, to ensure that all the arrangements are in order. I will then hold the service as agreed. I regret that I cannot attend any celebration after the ceremony, so please don’t be offended if I decline any invitation to do so.
What some couples have said ...
"Ian was wonderful to work with and helped us create our perfect wedding ceremony. From the first meeting, Ian was incredibly organised and walked us through the process of planning our ceremony. We had several video calls with him in the months and weeks prior to the wedding and his friendly and accommodating nature made us feel at ease and truly heard throughout the entire process. On the day, the ceremony was exactly what we had hoped for, and it was clear that his dedication and organisation played a huge role in making it a success. We highly recommend Ian to all couples looking for a professional and heartfelt officiant!"
Laura and Philip
“One of the best decisions we made for our Wedding Day was having Ian officiate and we simply cannot recommend him enough.
From the outset of planning our wedding, Ian was there for us. The lead up to any wedding can be nerve-wracking but we always felt incredibly confident and in such safe hands with Ian.
What made our journey so special was that he truly captured who we are as individuals, our own personal stories and who we are as a couple.
As a couple, Ian made our ceremony feel perfectly tailored to us. We come from different religious backgrounds and have families from all over the world who attended the wedding, and Ian was able to beautifully welcome everyone and ensure that we were all woven into the ceremony. For example, Ian even learned a few sentences in Serbian to welcome our international guests.
We have had countless wedding guests compliment us on how perfect, beautiful and meaningful our ceremony was. Many guests told us, ‘that was the best wedding ceremony we have ever sat through’. We decided to have both a photographer and a videographer on the day and thank goodness we did as having a video of our ceremony to look back on has been wonderful.”
Anna and Stefan
“Ian was the celebrant for our marriage. Because it was the second time around for the both of us, and we are now a little older, we didn’t want a formal church service. What we did want was a ceremony that would give a defining spiritual experience that wasn’t overly religious, for such a special event in our lives.
Ian managed to bring all of that together for us, while at the same time introducing a good element of light-heartedness and warmth to the occasion. All of this was very much appreciated by both of us, and all of our family and friends who attended.”
John and Lynn
"We wanted to thank you ever so much not only for being part of our wedding day and for such a wonderful service but also for everything that went into the planning and organising in the run up to the day. Your support, knowledge and wealth of experience helped us massively in deciding what kind of ceremony we wanted, and we could not have done this without your help and guidance (including a crash course on how to use a fountain pen!)
There were so many comments from our friends and family of how lovely the ceremony was and how much they enjoyed it so thanks again, it was just perfect."
Dylan and Lynsey
“Thank you so much for a wonderful ceremony on Saturday, it was perfect! We were so happy with it and so many of our friends and family complimented your delivery and how warm you made the ceremony feel. You were able to help us make the ceremony a very personal reflection of our beliefs, and for that we are so thankful. You were so in tune with us, we felt we could completely trust you to perform our ceremony.”
Janine and James
“We both wish to thank you again for today and especially your hard work in preparing a service for our special day. Your thoughtfulness and inventiveness in preparing the order of service is much appreciated and your delivery of the service today was exemplary. We couldn’t have wished for more.”
Keith and Primrose
"Ian you were amazing. This was probably the most PRIDE heterosexual wedding ever! All of the Best Boys wanted to chat with you afterwards! Everyone loved the inclusive nature of the ceremony and the meaningful rituals especially the 'ring warming'. Thank you so much."
Gayle and David
"Thank you so much for such a beautiful wedding ceremony last Saturday. Everyone commented on how great the service was, so much so that most people asked us how long we’d known you! What more can we say?!”
William and Abigail
"We can't express enough how delighted we both are. Of all the feedback from guests, the wedding ceremony has been the most commented on: so many people said that it was beautiful and moving. Your way of communicating is unique, and your ability to make the service so personal and intimate is a true talent. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with you."
Honor and Marco
"We are so deeply grateful to you Ian, for the truly unforgettable ceremony you helped create and led for our wedding. It was everything we had hoped for, it was heartfelt, meaningful and filled with warmth and sincerity.
What touched us most was how thoughtfully and seemlessly you incorporated both our Jewish and Scottish traditions. From the breaking of the glass to the hand-fasting, from the veil to the huppah, every element felt so natural and respectful, it felt that it was a true reflection of who we are and of where we come from. You helped us honour both of our heritages in such a beautiful and balanced way, and that meant the world to us and to our families.
We've received do many kind words from guests about how personal and moving the ceremony was, and that's thanks to you.
We will carry these memories with us for the rest of our lives. Thank you again for playing such a important role in our wedding day. It was a gift to have you there."
Sapir and Cole
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