Why Choose Diana Saxby
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams", Eleanor Roosevelt
An independent celebrant gives you the freedom to move away from traditional restrictions, allowing you to celebrate where and when you want to, with a ceremony designed uniquely for you.
Diana is the preferred wedding celebrant for some of the most exclusive venues in the UK and works with some of the country’s top wedding planners. See Diana’s valued and trusted suppliers.
She has had the pleasure of working with many of the country’s top and international wedding planners for many years now – either as a celebrant for their own bespoke weddings and naming days, or via kind recommendations to their clients. On numerous occasions she has been given the opportunity to create the most unique wedding ceremonies for couples in the UK and overseas. She is also a recognised Ceremony Expert and listed with the Expert Sources Register as a Member of Expertise.
During the preparations for the big day Diana works with you on all aspects of the ceremony, which include your unique vows to each other, the choice of music and readings, and optional ceremony content, such as Celtic hand-fasting, lighting of remembrance candles, sand ceremonies, unity knot tying, jumping the broom and any other personal touches that you wish to incorporate into the ceremony.
For those couples who still want a meaningful religious ceremony Diana is also able to include religious music, and a bible verse or spiritual reading.
Diana designs and conducts all ceremonies personally. She researches and writes all the ceremony scripts, does not use formatted scripts, nor does she franchise or sub-contract her work. Provisions are in place for an emergency, should one ever arise. She attends all client meetings herself, and employs a highly trained and professional Personal Assistant who may answer calls and emails on her behalf.
By the time the day itself arrives even the most anxious couples are able to relax and enjoy their wedding day, knowing that the mutual trust established during the detailed planning and preparations will ensure a stress-free, happy and joyful ceremony.
Diana and her team never book more than one wedding each on the same day, so there is never a feeling of having to rush through any part of the service. The whole day is devoted to you as a couple, thus ensuring that everyone stays relaxed throughout the entire day.
As a dedicated full-time marriage celebrant Diana is available to be contacted seven days a week for advice and consultations, and to conduct weekday, weekend and evening ceremonies.
She will personally guide you through the design and delivery of your own, tailor-made, perfect, romantic ceremony.
Choosing a civil celebrant
For couples looking for a truly bespoke ceremony a celebrant-led wedding has become more and more popular over recent years. Whilst wedding celebrants officiate at a wedding ceremony, unfortunately they are not legally recognised in the UK (yet!). So Diana recommends that all her couples complete the legal documentation in a quick, simple and formal procedure ahead of their wedding day, in a process which she will gladly guide you through beforehand.
There are so many reasons why couples choose to hire a celebrant; sometimes it’s because they live overseas and legally marry in their home country before their destination wedding in the UK; or it could be that they do not want a church wedding or a registry office wedding; some find a civil wedding at a venue too restrictive, while others simply want a truly unique service that is designed specifically for them, and over which they have full control.
If you are thinking about choosing a wedding celebrant for your wedding but you don’t know what to expect, or how to choose the right celebrant for you, a good place to start would be to ask for personal recommendations from your wedding planner, and from your family and friends.
Look at the websites of individual celebrants; check out their qualifications and experience, and read testimonials from past couples. When you have a shortlist we would suggest that you arrange a call to finalise who would be the best person to join your team of wedding day suppliers.
Diana encourages potential clients to think carefully before finally selecting the celebrant they want to work with.
To help you, she has compiled the following checklist so you can see if other celebrants come up to her high standards. By the way, Diana Saxby of Grace the Day, ticks ALL the boxes!
Is the celebrant…
- fully trained, fully insured, truly independent and a member of a recognised professional governing body
- full-time, available to meet you and conduct your ceremony at any time of day or night, seven days a week. You won’t be able to take advantage of excellent weekday venue rates if your celebrant only works at weekends!
- able to show you authentic client testimonials
- has a clear pricing structure detailing everything that is included – including unlimited changes to the ceremony script to get it exactly right, and supervising a full rehearsal. Check there are no hidden charges for script edits, travel time, mileage etc
- happy to give you a copy of your personal ceremony script as a memento at no extra charge
- in a working relationship with the wedding venue of your choice, with good contacts
- confident about all the legal procedures and able to guide you through the process of obtaining a marriage certificate through your local Registration Service. NB: There are no legal requirements for Vow Renewal, Naming Day or Commitment ceremonies, or if you have married overseas and are booking a Wedding Blessing ceremony in the UK
- able to call on someone of equal skills and high standards who could step in in the unlikely event of last-minute emergency or illness, so your ceremony can go ahead without any worries
Above all, you need to be confident that the Celebrant will respect your wishes and conduct your special ceremony the way you want it to be done, and without deviating from your instructions. Diana is committed to offering you her personal attention and the very best professional support.
What happens next?
Once you have spoken to Diana and agreed a date…
- A holding deposit secures the date in Diana’s booking diary, the balance of the fee is due no later than 8 weeks before the ceremony.
- Diana will meet you soon after your booking is secured to start drafting your personalised ceremony script, exchanging ideas, learning more about exactly what you want and sharing material from her vast collection of reading, vow and music suggestions. The initial consultation meeting is confidential and normally includes only the couple. If a wedding planner has been engaged, Diana is very happy to liaise with them after the meeting to keep them informed of all decisions throughout the ceremony planning process.
- Diana then writes a draft script for the ceremony and emails it to you for your thoughts, amendments, edits - unlimited edits and changes can be made to get it absolutely right and ensure it is a true reflection of your wishes for your ceremony and your relationship.
- A meeting at the venue is then organised to discuss practicalities, and to meet the wedding planner if appropriate.
- A rehearsal at the venue takes place, if you feel one is needed.
- On the big day, Diana conducts the ceremony, with an assistant in attendance if there is a large number of guests .
Your FREE personal planning checklist
A free personal planning checklist written by one of the country's leading wedding planners is available by clicking the button below.
Download Checklist"And special thanks to each and every bride, groom and family who have put their faith in me to design and conduct a personal ceremony celebrating their happy event, and who have kindly supplied me with photos both as a personal memento of their day and granted me permission to share them publicly on my photo gallery page"