A small, pedestrian bridge spanning the River Wye is completely covered in locks of various shapes and sizes with a combination of professionally lasered messages and rudimentary initials and dates scratched onto the metal.

Typically, sweethearts put the lock onto a bridge and then toss the key in the water below to symbolise unbreakable love. In many cases this act is preceded by a proposal, or in the lead up to a wedding.

The ritual of securing a padlock to a bridge allegedly originated in Serbia, in a sad tale from World War 1. A local schoolmistress named Nada, from Vrnjačka Banja, fell in love with a Serbian officer named Relja. After they committed to each other Relja went to war in Greece where he fell in love with a local woman from Corfu. Consequently, Relja and Nada broke off their engagement. Nada never recovered from that devastating blow, and after some time she died due to heartbreak from her unfortunate love.

As young women from Vrnjačka Banja wanted to protect their own loves, they started writing down their names, with the names of their loved ones, on padlocks and affixing them to the railings of the bridge where Nada and Relja used to meet. 

Although this phenomenon has spread across the world, from Canada to Russia, the most famous bridge to have been adorned with these love tokens is the Pont des Arts in Paris. Couples from across the globe would descend to propose, or show commitment to their love for each other, sealing the deal with a lock and a selfie before tossing the key into the River Seine. How cute you may think. What a beautiful way to symbolise their love for each other. On one level, yes. What transpired however, was the estimated whopping 45 tons in weight of thousands of padlocks was crushing the structure of the bridge and the council made the decision to remove every love token.

As always, the answer is never straightforward. For many towns and cities who have a bridge of locks, it has become a tourist attraction that will effectively generate income for local businesses. Indeed Bakewell, and many other places, have businesses selling locks specifically to be attached to the bridge. Those wishing to declare their love for each other in this manner need not even plan in advance, it may be a spur of the moment act.

A quick look on Trip Advisor shows couples around the world leaving reviews of these ‘love lock’ bridges and their addition to the masses of metal. Could it now be a case of too much love? There is something strangely beautiful and romantic about looking at these symbols of love. It is slightly addictive, making your way along the bridge at couples’ names and the dates they stood there proclaiming their love for one another. However, there is also something sad about our need to show our commitment in this manner, that ultimately has devastating effects on these bridges and the residents who live near them. Perhaps it could even be called an act of vandalism. Whatever the individual thinks, it seems the ritual of placing padlocks on bridges and throwing away the key is here to stay.

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Not to put too fine a point on it I like to skulk around on wedding forums on social media. Sound a bit creepy? It’s really not I promise. It’s just such a good way to find out what couples planning their wedding are thinking, what they’re worrying about, their priorities and what the latest trends are.

Recently I have been fascinated by an emergence of people sharing their day with their best mate or a family member. What I mean by this is more than one couple getting married on the same day and then sharing the reception.

Got the same friends? Maybe even part of the same family? It could be a genius decision, particularly as according to Brides Magazine (November 2018) the average wedding now costs an eye-watering £30,000. That’s a staggering amount of money so perhaps sharing is not only caring but also financially astute. On one Facebook forum recent there have been several women posting they are doing exactly that. This includes two best mates who are planning to get married straight after each other with a small interlude for the second bride to get her dress on and a couple sharing their day with her future brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Sharing the limelight
Now it was my now sister-in-law (SIL) who encouraged me to go on a date with my now husband. I won’t go into too many details but she basically convinced me to do this whilst conducting an appraisal of me as she was my boss at the time. I only agreed to go on the blind date to get her to stop banging on about him so it’s funny how it works out. But I digress. I love my SIL to bits. We were friends and now we’re family but I wouldn’t have wanted to share my wedding day with her and I’m pretty sure she would feel the same. Both me and husband do love to be centre of attention so maybe we’re not the best examples.

I totally get the attraction of it though. Putting the expense aside (weddings don’t have to cost a fortune) it must be extremely special, maybe magical, to share your wedding day with your best mate. One of the women on Facebook commented that she couldn’t imagine anything more perfect than sharing her day with her best mate. The excitement is clear to see from the passionate and loving way she talks about the plans for the day. There is no jealousy, no fear of being upstaged by the other bride, it is truly about sharing the day and celebrating together.
So if you’re struggling to afford the wedding you would love or you have that special friend who is also engaged maybe it’s time to consider a double wedding. Do you dare? I would love to know what you think.

Helsbells x

hjceremonies@gmail.com
www.hjceremonies.com
07795 276171

Images: Daiga Ellaby, Jessica Felicio, Celia Michon

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It’s a real thing. And I’m not talking the jitters, those butterflies in the belly that all people get before they say their I Do’s. Oh and it’s not those wedding night nerves either (according to a survey by WeddingWire last year, less than 40% of couples sealed the deal on their wedding night).

No I’m talking the kind of worry that can paralyse you because of the guest list, or the fear that the colours won’t match and everything will be a disaster. Or that you will trip and fall whilst having your first dance. It’s overwhelming, keep-you-awake-at-night, panic that just will not go away.

You may have read articles about bridal anxiety but I think it’s unfair to suggest that men don’t suffer with it too. Anxiety doesn’t discriminate. Oh and one person’s worries and anxiety will not necessarily be the same as another so don’t brush it aside if you think you ‘don’t fit’.

My own story

On reflection I suffered with my own form of wedding anxiety. With a background in planning events and as a lecturer in events management I felt under immense pressure to get it ‘right’ which is hilarious really as we wanted it on our terms, doing what made us happy. Even so I wanted the attention to detail to be perfect. From the bespoke trays my dad designed and made to replicate old cinema ones, to working with staff at the old Sheffield theatre we married in to get the lighting perfect for different moments during the ceremony. We spent the day before the wedding hanging dozens of paper lanterns from the ceiling of our reception venue and the theatre. This was only achieved by the immense support we had from family and fabulous friends. I can only imagine what a highly strung nightmare I was that day.

I would lie awake at night going over and over again in my head the schedule for the day. Who needed to be where when. I listened to the track I was walking down the aisle to literally a hundred times so I would know at what point my beautiful bridesmaids should set off. As I write this I am cringing. How did I let myself get that stressed and anxious? And d’you know what? It’s so true what everyone says, on the big day itself I wouldn’t have noticed if anything went wrong because I was so damn happy! I absolutely loved every second of our wedding day (we got legally married two days earlier) and if you check out my beaming smile you’ll see just how happy I was. 

As I said earlier though, anxiety is a real thing. It can be crippling.

Recognise what is important

We need to give ourselves a break. That’s why the hashtag yourdayyourway, becoming synonymous with our merry band of celebrants is so important. We need to spread the message and remind ourselves and you planning your special days – focus on the important stuff. We packed all sorts into our day, none of which I would change, but the one thing that we had more comments in was our ceremony. We had a celebrant (Kate Gee) and she told our story beautifully with lots of laughs and captured the essence of us as a couple. The highest praise I can give to celebrant-led weddings is to say that later this year I will be marrying two friends who said they couldn’t stop thinking about our ceremony and so when they got engaged it was a priority to have something similar. I can’t wait to be their celebrant and support them to make sure it is as stress-free and smooth as possible.

Coping Strategies

‘So what do I do to stop myself overthinking?’ I hear you cry. Well, I’m not an expert obviously but I always think life experience counts for quite a bit. So here are my top tips:

• Keep a notebook by your bed. If you can’t sleep write down what is bothering you and then tell yourself you’ll take another look at it in the morning. Hopefully when you wake up perspective will have kicked in and you’ll probably know what the answer is.
• Take some time out for yourself. Okay, not as easy necessarily as just typing it out. Whether you are busy with work or maybe have kids at home that demand your attention, you still need abit of space. Meet up with a mate, have a massage or go for a swim. I am particularly guilty at not doing this in general.
• If your anxiety is giving you panic attacks, stopping you from sleeping or overwhelming you so much it is affecting your daily life do not be afraid to go to the doctors. Whether you have experienced anxiety before or your wedding planning has triggered it for the first time, the important thing is to acknowledge it and find coping strategies.
• Meditation. This has become more popular with
• apps such as Headspace available to take you through the basics.
• Talk. To your other half, to your  celebrant. Just tell someone how you are feeling. As a celebrant we are there to support, to give guidance and advice where applicable. 

You are not alone.

Helsbells x

@helsbells_celebrant

www.hjceremonies.com

Images: Key Reflections, Kate Burden

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Okay, okay, so it’s not the most inspired first blog for a celebrant but we all have to start somewhere right? So let’s get cracking! I’m guessing if you’ve found your way to my website, www.hjceremonies.com, you may already have a good idea of what a celebrant does. In this blog I’m going to focus on the role of a wedding celebrant.

We are superheroes of the event world (too much?), swooping into your occasion with our ceremony scripts and wide smiles to deliver a unique, individual service that can sometimes be lacking in an industry that is chock-a- block with, well, pretty much everything you need and a load of extras that you probably don’t really need but desperately want for your big day.

Celebrants are the friendliest of folk. Every individual I have had the pleasure of speaking to is truly all about the celebrant profession as a whole. It’s not about being competitive, it’s about supporting each other and getting the word out there that celebrant-led weddings are about choice. Yep, we are all about choice. That’s why you’ll hear many a celebrant use the phrase ‘Your Day Your Way’ because that’s exactly what we help you to achieve.

The nitty gritty

So what exactly do we do? The word ‘bespoke’ gets bandied about a lot these days but what we do truly is unique. We meet you, we suss you out (that’s right), we get inside your minds and your hearts to discover the very core of your personalities, your love, your relationship and then we start writing (at this point throw in lots of snacks and a few brews). There is no template to what we do, no filling in the blanks. We lavish hours of work on your ceremony, creating individual pieces of art. This may sound melodramatic, but hell yeah, we are pretty badass!

My main geographical area for work is South Yorkshire (I live in Sheffield), Derbyshire and Berkshire, however I will happily (and do) travel nationally to conduct personal and unique ceremonies.

It’s a pretty simple process if you do like the idea of a celebrant-led wedding. We can meet in person or on the phone before you make a decision as you have to be sure I’m the right person for you. If you want me there on the day it’s a case of me asking you lots of nosey questions that appeal to the romantic in me. Most of my couples absolutely love this part as it makes them stop and reflect on their relationship and put into words exactly how special their partner is to them. I love this bit too as it allows me to really understand you as a couple and what you want from your ceremony and your day as a whole. I’ve even been known to shed a tear or too reading back through my couples’ stories. I am truly lucky to work with some amazing people. Following the writing of a draft ceremony script you get to read it through and make amendments or ask for additions. Examples of vows and readings are also part of the celebrant experience. It’s all pretty fabulous don’t you think??

Got your back

In one of my Instagram posts (@helsbells_celebrant) I likened a celebrant to a bridesmaid or best man. I am there for you during the planning of your wedding and I 100% have your back on the day. Having a celebrant-led wedding is more than just words, it’s having someone to help you put on a show that you will remember forever*.

* This last line may have been influenced by listening to The Greatest Showman soundtrack whilst writing this.

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Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

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