Ed Hardy Weddings

11/02/2019

Met with a lovely couple on Friday to talk about their wedding later in the year at what looks like a brilliant venue: East Quay Venue in Whitstable, Kent. They wanted to be near the sea - and it looks like this place is practically in the sea...

Guests to your wedding or event can book a room or one of our luxury huts for a beachside experience. For more information please visit our sister websites:

23/01/2019

Instagram... I've been meaning to start using Instagram for hundreds of years now of course, but always seemed to find something else to do instead...

Well now I've succumbed: I'm at edhardyweddings and you're hereby invited to follow me at your leisure. Just the one post so far - don't want to peak too early - but over the next few days I'll see if I can post some of the beautiful pictures I've got from my weddings.

Here's one to start things off: sent to me by the lovely Emerald and Irvine, who I married in October last year. It was a lot of fun - and their family and friends were quite possibly the coolest crowd of the year...

21/11/2018

Photogenic things, weddings. Here are some gorgeous pictures I've just been sent by the lovely Donna and Andrew, who I married back in September: the photographer is the brilliant Russell How (www.howphotography.co.uk). Posting pictures on Facebook is so easy - I really must get round to putting some of these on my website...

15/11/2018

Just received the loveliest card from Emma and Jamie, who I married in the Summer. Here's what they say:

"Thank you so much for your very special contribution to our wedding day. The ceremony you put together and led for us truly hit all the right notes of humour, emotion and love, and was so perfectly personal to us.

We utterly loved it, and your delivery - and so did our guests, as we still frequently hear from them how much they enjoyed our ceremony.

Thank you also to your wife for being willing to share you with us over her birthday weekend. We are most grateful!

We are sure you will continue to make many other couples happy on their wedding day and wish you all the best for the future.

With lots of love from Emma and Jamie."

09/10/2018

To beautiful Somerset a couple of weeks ago for the wedding of Donna and Andrew at the subtle-yet-spectacular North Cadbury Court (http://www.northcadburycourt.com/) – famous for its private golf course, the first tee to which is on the roof of the house…

It’s not a stately home, it’s not a boutique hotel and it’s not a luxury spa – it’s kind of all three, and it’s run by some lovely and very relaxed people who do whatever’s necessary to make sure you get the wedding you want. Donna and Andrew enjoyed every minute of their weekend, and the ceremony was beautiful – here’s what Andrew said afterwards:

“Thanks very much for making our celebration to personal and magical on Saturday. We had lots of comments from guests about how unique the ceremony was and how they were hanging on every word of our story. We’re absolutely delighted with your work and loved working with you.”

Large country house in Somerset, a unique and lovely venue for weddings, corporate events and luxury family holidays. Easy access to London and Midlands. Sleeps 40+.

17/09/2018

Excellent piece in today's Guardian (https://goo.gl/tvwjYc) by Parliamentary Humanists co-chair Joan Bakewell, pointing out the absurdity of the situation whereby humanist weddings are legally recognised in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands but not in England or Wales. I for one am getting bored with waiting patiently...

Humanists UK has patiently answered every objection and concern – it’s now time for change, says humanist Joan Bakewell

10/09/2018

Sometimes a girl just wants to have her wedding at home... And that's exactly what happened in August when Megan married Joss at her family home in Cocking, near Midhurst in West Sussex.

The lucky couple were spoilt for choice when it came to precisely where to hold the ceremony: should it be on the lawn in front of the chocolate-box-perfect farmhouse? Up on the hill behind the house, with a stunning view of the South Downs?

In the end they chose a lovely wooded glade overlooking both a duck pond and the spot where Joss asked Megan to marry him... It was the first time I've ever had to make myself heard over the sound of ducks and geese mating enthusiastically, but I think I managed it... And here's what Joss said about the day:

"Thank you so much for everything, on the day but particularly for your hard work beforehand and the guidance you gave getting us there. We were so happy with how the service went, and got so much positive feedback. We had many people there who had never been to a humanist service and were admittedly pretty apprehensive but they all loved it. It was perfect!

There were lots of compliments for the way you led the service, and I have to say your delivery was brilliant! We had the best day. Thanks again, you were a key part of making our day so special and we will never forget it."

10/09/2018

Farnham decamped to rural Norfolk in August for the wedding of Molly and Adam, at the lovely West Lexham (https://www.westlexham.org/).

The couple's friends and families took over the entire place for the entire weekend, turning it from a simple wedding into a weekend-long holiday away from it all which everyone who attended will remember for a lifetime.

We performed the ceremony in a lovely walled garden, in the shadow of the Georgian manor house - and the reception was held in what must be the coolest marquee I've ever seen, an industrial-sized, triple-top tepee which comfortably accommodated all 100+ guests.

Molly and Adam said afterwards "Thank you so much for all your hard work. The ceremony was perfect. We had so many nice compliments about your delivery and how personal the ceremony was. From our end, you did a wonderful job of keeping us relaxed and focused! Thanks again, and we look forward to seeing you for a naming ceremony (in my opinion sooner rather than later!)"

10/09/2018

One of the best things about a Humanist wedding is the fact that you can hold them anywhere you like - there's no need for a licence, or indeed a permanent building of any kind if that's what you want.

I'm amazed by some of the locations that my couples find for their weddings, and one of the best this year was Amber Lakes, near Wraysbury in Berkshire (https://www.amberlakes.co.uk/).

It's a really stunning location, with a cool Scandinavian-style wood-constructed chalet building perched magically on a beautiful lake - with a pier that leads right out to the middle of the lake.

I conducted Kathy and Greg's wedding at Amber Lakes in August, and it was a perfect day. Quite a party too - I'm told there was skinny-dipping in the lake as the night drew to a close... But of course I was long gone by then. Greg said "We had a terrific day: your material and delivery were first class - just what we were after! Thanks for everything."

10/09/2018

I love an outdoor wedding... And it doesn't get much more outdoors than the wedding of Rosy and Jack, which I conducted near Bramshaw in the New Forest in July.

Rosy's parents' llama field - that is, the field in which their llamas live - provided the ideal location, once the llamas had been gently persuaded to wander into the adjoining plot. Rosy and Jack created a cool 'festival vibe' and the scene was set for a perfect midsummer wedding.

Here's what Rosy said after the wedding:

"Thank you sooo much for making our day so special. We've had such wonderful comments from our guests: they all thought the ceremony and your words were so kind and fitting. It was everything we ever dreamed of and more!

We could not recommend you enough and we will be doing so to friends and family. Thank you so much again. Look forward to potentially meeting you again for children's naming ceremonies!"

Even the llamas seemed to enjoy themselves - here they are looking freshly clipped for the wedding...

10/09/2018

The most cosmopolitan wedding I conducted this Summer was for Ghazal and Sergej, in the formal gardens at their parent's house in Epping Forest, Essex.

Guests came from no fewer than 25 countries, and readings were given in English, Farsi and Russian. A stunning traditional Persian 'Sofreh Aghd' table provided the perfect backdrop for a memorable ceremony.

Here's the English translation of the beautiful poem read in Farsi by the bride's Father - it's written by Jalalud'din Balkhi (better known as Rumi):

May these vows and this marriage be blessed.
May it be sweet milk, this marriage, like wine and halvah.
May this marriage offer fruit and shade like the date palm.
May this marriage be full of laughter,
our every day in paradise.
May this marriage be a sign of compassion,
a seal of happiness here and hereafter.
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,
an omen as welcome as the moon in a clear blue sky.
I have no more words to describe how spirit mingles in this marriage.

10/09/2018

I'll remember the Summer of 2018 for the beautiful weather of course, but for the World Cup too - and particularly England's Quarter-Final against Sweden on Saturday 7th July.

I particularly remember that day because I was conducting a wedding ceremony for Emily and Dan at the spectacular Hedsor House in Buckinghamshire (www.hedsor.com), just as the match kicked off...

Everyone was very respectful of course and there wasn't a smartphone screen to be seen during the ceremony - although one of the readers couldn't resist letting everyone know after he'd finished his reading that we were two-nil up...

Here's what Emily and Dan said about the day:

"We wanted to give a massive thank you for being our celebrant. Your ceremony really made the day so special for us!

We had so many people say that you were the highlight of the day for them, and that they have changed their opinion of what a Humanist ceremony is and what it can do.

Thanks for all of the guidance and help though the setup process too, you really did a great job of telling our story."