maybe mezzo

  How can I cope with my nerves on the day? This is such a common worry for many people. I mean how often do you really have to be on show so evidently and speak clearly in front of a whole room of people when you are feeling emotional? Your wedding day is one such occasion and can cause sleepless nights leading up to the event. First of all, use a resource you have available to you constantly - that of breath. It seems such a little thing to do, but focussing on your breath is a brilliant way to calm yourself. I'll let you into a secret - for all my high level performing experience, on my wedding day, I too was nervous as I walked down the aisle! So, actively breathe differently, and the first thing is to breathe out and expel some of that excess air you will have taken in! Then breathe for specific counts - in for 5 out for 10; increase that if necessary in for 8 out for 20 for example. you can  make up your own numbers, but the out breath needs to be lon...

  The first puzzle for many people is what exactly is a celebrant?! The word cropped up recently at the funeral of Captain Tom Moore when he had a celebrant led funeral, fantastically realised by Lucy Silous. Traditionally, a celebrant used to be the alternative to a religious ceremony and 30 years ago that tended to be a Humanist ceremony. The legacy of this remains and when I said I was training to be a celebrant, the word 'humanist' cropped up every time. So let's clear this up. An independent celebrant is free from traditional religion, is not a Humanist and is not the same as a Registrar, which is the other confusion. If a couple choose to marry with a celebrant present, they must understand that a celebrant can not yet legally marry a couple, so this has to be done through the registrar, maybe a day  or two before the main day takes place. This can be literally the signing of the document and saying 'yes' to questions. The vows and the ring exchange are not le...