All of our relationship blessing ceremonies are unique and bespoke services which take considerable preparation to ensure they are perfect for you and your guests.
We aim for our fees to be at a level which reflects the time and skill that we will invest in creating your ritual. Our charges reflect our professionalism as celebrants and the level of quality of service we aim to provide to you.
We offer an inclusive ritual 'package' which is designed to make planning easier for couples who are travelling to Orkney for their ceremony. Not everything we offer in our ritual 'package' needs to be included in your ceremony and we will discuss with you to ensure that the 'package' we offer to you fully meets your needs and budget.
We usually include all of the following:
- performing your ceremony on the day (usually we both attend)
- our time to write your bespoke ceremony, plus our preparation time, including unlimited correspondence, communication and advice
- on-line meetings in advance of your ceremony on request (usually via Zoom or similar)
- assistance with obtaining permissions to use the site(s)
- a pre-ceremony meeting (not quite a rehearsal but almost) to ensure that everything will be to your exact requirements; we don't rush this initial meeting but rather we go over the finer details of your ritual so that it is perfect for you - it also gives you an opportunity to get to know us a bit better, if we have never met before, hence reducing any 'nerves' on the actual day
- no limit on the number of guests who can attend (subject to venue capacity and health and safety considerations)
- our photography service (for larger gatherings of more than a dozen guests, we recommend that you procure the services of a dedicated event photographer to get the full range of coverage usually required)
- a certificate to commemorate your ceremony, printed on 'parchment' style card
- your complete ceremony printed on headed paper as a keepsake
- preparation of any readings on discrete laminated cards - so no one has to memorise anything
- a Skull Splitter libation
to request good weather (if using an outside venue), usually made at the pre-ceremony meeting
- your choice of altar cloth (loaned to you from our selection)
- a celebratory toast from a quaich, drinking horn, or chalice*
- small candle (in a lamp)
- our special homemade blend of wedding incense
- a wildflower posy for the altar (when seasonally available from our own land, otherwise purchased flowers)
- a honey cake as a gift for the spirits of the place
- our
travel expenses within Mainland Orkney (West and East Mainland)
- attendance at more than one venue (ceremonies can take place at more than one venue)
- no additional surcharge for popular days and times of year (such as Beltane and midsummer), although conditions may apply
- unless agreed with you in advance, we reserve the whole day exclusively to your ceremony, in case you choose to change the time of your ritual, although conditions may apply
- loan of a decorated broomstick, or we will decorate your broomstick for you if you prefer
- handmade handfasting cords
(made to your instructions and for you to keep)
- loan of handmade rune or ogham sets (also available to purchase)
- loan of ritual clothing or artefacts (subject to suitability and availability)
- arranging musicians such as a bag-piper or harpist if requested (an additional fee will apply if the musicians request payment)
- any other special requests that we deem reasonable to provide
* Alcohol can be provided to over 18s only, sorry
For 2024, our suggested fees for relationship blessing rituals, including all of the above, will be set at £749.
We understand that every couple has unique needs and differing budgets so, if our set fees are beyond what you can afford, please contact us about designing a ritual for you that is costed at a level that is comfortable for you as well as being fair for us. For example, if you do not wish us to provide a photography service, you can expect us to reduce our fee by about a third.
There is no requirement for you to join, or be a member of, any organisation or group in order to use our services.
Please note that, other than the fees we charge, we receive no money, payments, stipends, allowances, or similar from any organisation, religious or otherwise, in order to provide this service to you.
To ensure that everything goes according to your plans and to minimise misunderstandings, we recommend that you plan ahead and communicate with us as much as possible, we will do likewise with you. We want your ceremony to be perfect for you, as long as you tell us what you want, we will do everything we can to deliver.