Last year I had the pleasure of performing a wedding for James and Kirtana at Sefton Palm House, one of the most stunning venues I have ever visited. It was a baking hot day, and the wedding took place inside a giant Victorian greenhouse, but somehow everyone managed to keep their cool and things couldn’t have gone more smoothly. When I arrived, I was surprised by how calm and tranquil the atmosphere was. ‘Back of house’ things can sometimes feel a bit hectic at weddings, especially when you consider that the venue dresser and her team were moving an entire stage from one place to another and setting up a secondary ceremony area when I arrived. When I remarked on the relaxed ambience the very lovely venue manager told me, “We don’t get stressed, we learn from the plants. They do everything at exactly the pace they need to.” Quite the gem of wisdom I’d say!

When Groom James first approached me, he explained that it was their wish to have a personalised humanist ceremony following an (albeit shortened) traditional Hindu one, allowing all aspects of their multi-cultural lifestyle to be celebrated. Kirtana and James have a fascinating back story after meeting whilst working in Australia as trainee doctors, then managing a long-distance lockdown relationship and living the kind of nomadic globe-hopping dream most of us only fantasise about. They currently reside in Liverpool and were so bowled over by the tropical atmosphere of Sefton Park’s most gorgeous landmark that they decided to hold their nuptials there. Having never followed a Hindu ceremony, and knowing just how vibrant and magical they can be, I knew I had to keep the energy up and the love vibe high.

There were initially concerns that perhaps a second ceremony might be too much for guests to sit through, but considering how very different they would be, and the fact that my ceremony went into so much more depth about James and Kirtana’s lives specifically (and of course how they found each other) I knew I could make it work. Their lives together were already an exciting page turner, so I knew their guests would be more than happy to hear it from start to finish, and James and Kirtana gave me lots of good stories to work with so it made my job easy. The unusual double ceremony occasion also meant that both our Bride and Groom could have a ‘Diva’ costume change, which I think is a custom all weddings should adopt! There was laughter, there were stories, there were genuine and heart-touching vows made and exchanged, and the love between these two and their families was as palpable as the perfume of the foliage in the air. As you can see, the humanist ceremony only deepened the sense of intimacy and connection, and I couldn’t have had a more wonderful time.

I did however return home from that scorching midsummer’s day with an intense suntan (bordering on sunburn!) Who would have expected that from an indoor ceremony in North-West England? Certainly not me. Nevertheless, it was more than worth it to see this festival of love unfold in all its glory.

Thanks again to James and Kirtana for inviting me to share their big day with them. I’m certain that like the plants and trees that bore witness to their ceremonies that day, they’ll only grow deeper and stronger roots.

Photos by Andrew Billington Photography