Real Ceremonies by Sonal Dave
Venue – Offley Place
Decor – Gayatri Weddings
Photographer – Slawa Walczak
Celebrant – Sonal Dave
Ceremony Music – D26music
Kirsty is English, and Akhil is Hindu. Both of them value their immediate and extended family, and they will go out of their way to spend quality time with them.
Akhil shared that Kirsty is a fun and bubbly person; she’s always planning fun activities and conversing with everyone wherever we go. Kirsty is also super caring and loyal; she would do anything for the people she cares about; she’s always looking after me, whether waking me up with a coffee in the morning or surprising me by leaving my favourite treats in my study. Kirsty is determined and driven. When she has a goal or idea, she will see it through, whether taking on a DIY project I’ve been putting off or arranging a spontaneous trip. In my eyes, Kirsty is always the hardest worker in the room. She gives 110% and more to whatever she’s doing, whether with her career or DIY/ jobs around the house. She never gives up until the job is done.
Kirsty shared that the best way to describe Akhil’s personality is to be very silly and funny. I especially love seeing him be this way when he thinks no one is paying attention, like when he is singing in the house or has secretly sneaked away to cuddle my family dog, Skye. Akhil can be shy at times, but she loves to catch him in these situations when he thinks no one is there, as he will give you a look with a silly grin to say how long have you been there? Or it wasn’t me?
Akhil is a very thoughtful and sweet/caring person; when I have had a bad day or I am not feeling well, my favourite food (sweets/chocolate) will appear even though it was not on the shopping list, and we will hang out and watch my favourite shows or movies. He will think of the little things that mean a lot to me, and that could easily be forgotten. Making sure I have hand sanitiser for now going on plane journeys (a post-lockdown necessity). When we are on a long journey, he will let me choose the car playlist (even though he doesn’t love my music taste) and sing along with me.
I worked with the couple over several months to create their ceremony of choice, providing a list to ensure that they were clear about what we needed for the ceremony.
On the day, the venue staff were very helpful and directed us to where to set up the PA and where the items for the ceremony were. We were missing one item, and working with the venue, we found a solution to ensure the ceremony went as planned.
It was a beautiful outdoor celebrant wedding ceremony and it felt good to be part of their special day.
It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony. The sun came out to play, and so did the wind. A lesson learned here: keep a scrunchie handy to tie your hair back if needed.
The ceremony started with the Jaan, which included a choice of Akhil’s favourite songs, dhol players, lots of dancing and cheers. Following Akhil’s (Pokhwanu) greeting, we included the Antarpat ritual, ensuring Akhil could not see Kirsty until she sat down opposite him after the Bridal party entrance. This is much like the English tradition of the couple not seeing each other until the wedding day at the ceremony.
Then followed the garland ceremony, the saptapadi (7 promises), ring exchange, knot tying, phera and my final blessing, all under the glorious sunshine and surrounded by those who mattered to the couple.
Offley Place is a luxury Country House Hotel in Hertfordshire. It is set in 27 acres of parkland and is home to a gorgeous 17th-century manor house at the end of a long sweeping drive in the quaint village of Great Offley in Hitchin. The venue is suitable for all cultures.
Offley Place has been planning and delivering weddings for many years and has a great team to help your wedding dream become a reality. There are a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces for your Celebrant ceremony.
Sonal is simply amazing, and the service she offers is incredible!!!
We were lucky enough to find Sonal via Google and have her conduct our Hindu and British fusion outdoor wedding ceremony in July this year. From the moment of enquiring with Sonal, she was the first person who understood what we wanted, with mixing our two cultures into one wedding ceremony and at the same time include both of our personalities and families, something that no one else was able to understand or able to do for us.
We had several meetings with Sonal where we went through several drafts of what we wanted our service to be, she truly made it perfect with her suggestions, after taking the time to speak with us and understand what we wanted. She had created a truly unique ceremony just for us.
On the day she went above and beyond to find key family members who were in our wedding to explain what they were doing. During our wedding explained to our guests everything we were doing, the meanings behind everything and really included everyone from both sides of our family.
She came early on the day to check the set up and make sure everything would run smoothly. She is amazing and if you want your wedding to reflect you as a couple, I would highly recommend enquiring with Sonal, you would be crazy if you don’t!!!
Thank you again for everything you did, Sonal. You made our wedding perfect!
Kirsty and Akhil
Multicultural Celebrant Wedding Ceremony
