"What Could Possibly Go Wrong" - Be Prepared!
Celebrants are involved in a wide range of ceremonies, often held outside involving children, dogs, emotional family members and people taking part in rituals for the first time in their lives. What could go wrong? The answer is anything and everything!
I need to be prepared for all kinds of unexpected natural and human events. Some of the classics are:
The weather
Your outdoor ceremony could turn out to be hot, cold, wet or windy. As celebrants we can be prepared by carrying and umbrella, water, sunscreen, pins or clips to hold down hair, documents or anything else that might blow away. A waterproof document holder is an essential item.
Emotions
All ceremonies are likely to bring out strong emotions in people. These include happy events such as weddings or baby namings or more sombre events such as funerals.
Tissues and a waste collection bag are good items to keep in my emergency kit. At the same time, I find it’s also good to make sure the venue has a chair or two in a quiet spot for people who may feel overcome and need to sit for a while.
Breakages and injuries
Many celebrants carry a small array of bandaids, safety pins and clips to help mend blisters caused by new shoes, split seams or veils and scarves that have come awry.
Technology A modern headache! All of us celebrants can tell horror stories of microphones with flat batteries, devices that refuse to connect via Bluetooth and PA systems that are interrupted by interference from other electronic sources. My plan is to trial equipment on site wherever possible which is why I'm there an hour or more early. It's always a good idea to take spare batteries for all devices I'm plan on using.
Paperwork I think is a good idea to take extra copies of the ceremony and any poems or readings, which it why I print them on separate sheets on paper using larger text and laminated. A nervous family member or friend who has promised to bring his or her own copy of their reading can easily forget in the heat of the moment! One thing I do that my clients love is I print their vows in a large san serif double spaced font and again, laminate it just in case.
Stress Free
By being prepared for those 'just in case' moments means my couples have one more layer of stress removed, and that ain't bad at all.