Name and company name:
Laurra Nalty, One Life Ceremonies

Intro/Bio:
One half of One Life Ceremonies; we write and conduct personal and memorable wedding, gay commitment and wedding vow renewal ceremonies which are written individually for each couple based on their ideas and what they want.

When did you set up your company?
One Life Ceremonies was set up by me and my mum, Maria in early 2008 and it was a few years in the developing stages before that.

What made you get into it?
The idea to set up One Life Ceremonies came from personal experience of organizing weddings and funerals for family and friends. We’ve always felt that the ceremony is the most important part of any celebration but instead of finding someone who would write and conduct something personal, we instead came across a lot of restrictions and felt like the ceremony had to fit into either a religious or Humanist category when we felt comfortable with neither.
We saw a gap in the market for ceremonies that are more than just names fitted into a pre-written script, and for ceremonies that are individually scripted around each couple based on their beliefs, not ours, and what they want.

What were you doing before?
I was working as a waitress and I also did a degree in writing at Leeds University.

How would you describe what you do?
It’s an entirely personal and tailor-made service which focuses on what each couple actually wants instead of what they are told they must have; it’s also something that most people don’t even know exists!

Where are you based?
We have an office in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

What sort of geographical area do you cover?
We cover the whole of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, County Durham and Cumbria, and are also happy to travel throughout the UK.

What sort of Couple do you think you attract?
We attract couples who want to make the absolute most of their wedding day and see the ceremony as an integral part of that, not just the bit that has to be got through before the reception! We work with couples of all ages and from all walks of life, there isn’t really a ‘typical’ One Life customer, it’s simply people who want to do things their way and on their terms instead of going along with what every other couple in the country does.

What is the best bit about your job?
I get to meet a lot of people which I love and I get to write a lot which has always been a passion of mine. I also really enjoyed doing a vintage photoshoot few months ago! One of the best bits though is that because we have such a unique business we always have such a good response when we tell people what we do!

What is the worst bit?
There aren’t many bad bits to be honest but I guess one of the hardest things is that not many people know a service like ours exists, which means many couples end up going down the standard registrar route because they don’t realize they have a choice! Everyday though more and more people find out about us so although it’s a slow process we’ll get there eventually!

What is your biggest achievement so far?
We’ve done some incredible ceremonies over the years and each one is an achievement for us. One that stands out was a ceremony for a lesbian couple in The Rainbow Weddings Tent at Sheffield Pride (organised by Kelly at Boho) last year in front of 250 ‘guests’ (who didn’t know the two brides), the response we got was amazing.
I think though our biggest achievement has been actually setting up the business! Having come from a non-business background it has been one of the hardest journeys either Maria or I have ever made and it’s made us better businesswoman as a result!

What are your plans for the next 2 years?
We have plans to expand One Life Ceremonies so that we can cover larger areas of the UK, which is quite an exciting prospect for us! We also hope to get a celebrity to have one of our ceremonies – this would be the ultimate advertising for us!

What advice would you give couples when choosing what sort of ceremony they are going to have?
The advice I would give is to look at all your options and to think about what the importance of the ceremony is to you. If you choose a religious ceremony do it because that is what you believe not because you like the way a church looks in wedding photos, if you go down the registrar route don’t forget you can still include your own vows even if the rest is a standard script, (we also offer a vow writing service!) and if you want something completely personal to you as a couple then of course – come to us!

If you were going to write anyone’s ceremony who would it be?
I would love to do William and Kate’s, they have so many great things they could include in their ceremony like their friendship, their families, hopes for their future together- stuff that will basically NOT get mentioned in a CofE ceremony! It would also have been great to do Russell Brand and Katy Perry’s – they seem to have a pretty madcap relationship and I’m sure we could have done something quirky with their vows and ceremony!

Tell us something about yourself that we may not know, non work related
I taught myself to speak Polish, Italian, French and German (ummm.. not fluently!) and I once ran two half marathons in a week.

What do you really love?
Cake.

And what do you really hate?
No cake.

What is your ideal way to spend a day off?
Well I’m a bit of a gym bunny (well you’ve got to balance the cake out somehow!) so it would probably involve some form of exercise, then shopping, finished off with an amazing dinner!

What can you never leave the house without?
My camera, I love photography and you never know when a great opportunity will show itself!

Who would be your 5 dream dinner guests dead or alive?
I’d go for Bill Bryson (my favorite writer), Mary Portas (my business idol), Derren Brown, J.K Rowling and Heston Blumenthal (but only if he cooked the meal first!)

If you weren’t running One Life Ceremonies what would you be doing?
I would probably be running a little late night café that sells only desserts; honestly this is a seriously lacking commodity, who doesn’t want cake at 8pm?? Either that or trying to convince the Guardian that they need to hire me as a weekly column writer (still holding out for this btw!)

(photo credits are In The Pink Photography ,  Olivia Brabbs Photography and serendipity photography)

For information go to:
www.onelifeceremonies.co.uk
onelifeceremonies.co.uk/ceremonies-blog
One Life on TWITTER
One life on FACEBOOK
Email: info@onelifeceremonies.co.uk
Phone: (0113) 868 0072

All day we had people come up and ask us if they could get married in the tent, unfortunately I had to tell them no but when I told them all there was a wedding tacking place that we had already organised every one’s eyes lit up!!

Bella and Lorna were the two incredibly gorgeous brides who took part in the ceremony. Bella is actually a good friend of mine, she came out to Ibiza last years as a guest at my wedding, so I was incredibly honoured to be able to help her plan her wedding to her long term girlfriend Lorna.
I had the idea a few months ago when I started to plan Pride and I asked Bella and Lorna if they fancied having a wedding ceremony on the day, I knew how loved up they both were so thought it would be a lovely idea to get them involved. They were delighted to be asked and then the ball was in motion to get the wedding ready for 26th June.

I contacted One life Ceremonies who agreed to write Bella and Lorna their own wedding ceremony and carry it out on the day.
I then contacted Mirage Couture who very generously offered to donate the brides their gowns for the day.
In the Pink Photgraphy offered to take the photos on the day, and Catherine Elizabeth offered to do the hair and makeup…………so the wedding was set!!

I couldn’t quite believe how many people turned up to the tent to watch the ceremony, I don’t think Bella and Lorna could either!! I cried like a baby throughout the ceremony, which was beautifully written.
Thank you to In the Pink Photography for sharing these pictures with me……..enjoy!

For more information about In the pink Photography services go to:
www.inthepinkphotography.com
inthepinkphotography@me.com
07914 070768

And if you would like me to help you plan your own festival wedding, or same sex partnership go to:
www.bohoweddingsandevents.com
kelly@bohoweddingsandevents.com
07989431821 / 0114 2854532

One Life Ceremonies caters for a broad range of people offering wedding celebration ceremonies, funerals, baby naming as well as a host fo other options. The idea is to creat ceremonies that are more personal to the individual or couple, which in turn gives people many more options in regards to wording, meaning and also location.

Laurra says about the business:

We set up One Life Ceremonies because, through arranging weddings and funerals for family and friends we saw a massive gap in the market for ceremonies which are written individually, not just names slotted into a pre-written script! We believe that everyone should have a ceremony which reflects them and it should be based on what they actually want which makes them much more personal and honest. It’s hard to believe but there is very little on offer out there if you want to do things your own way and quite often when a couple get married they use a standard script as set by the vicar or registrar, these tend to be fairly impersonal as they don’t have much room to make it your own.  

We wanted to change that so we offer a service which allows you to have the ceremony of your dreams by designing it around you as a couple and what you want. That means that your ceremony can include the words, vows, readings and music that you want – not that you have to have or that everybody else has! 

I think for couples who don’t want to hold a religious ceremony there is often a feeling that the only option is to have a civil ceremony conducted in a Register Office or licensed room of a hotel but there is so much more choice nowadays! In fact, once you have completed the legal requirements at the Register Office you can hold your wedding ceremony, including exchanging rings and vows, anywhere you choose.

We essentially start with a blank canvas and will work with you to find out exactly what you want as well as offering you ideas and inspiration along the way. Holding a One Life Wedding Ceremony is a perfect alternative to a civil wedding led by a registrar or a church wedding because it means that you can choose exactly what you want it to include and it can be as traditional or unconventional as you want. 

One thing that truly sets us apart is that you can hold your wedding outside or in an unusual venue, it doesn’t have to be licensed for marriage, because the marriage legalities have already been held separately by a Registrar. They are also great for couples who have been married abroad and want to hold a celebration with friends and faily back at home.  

We offer two different wedding packages and have just launched a wedding vow writing service (http://onelifeceremonies.co.uk/wedding-vow-writing-service) as well, which is a great option if you’ve decided to include your own vows in your wedding but can’t put what you want to say into writing! This service is perfect for any couple even if you’re having a church service or one led by a Registrar; it’s a great way to make your ceremony that little bit more personal!

Laurra and Maria also offer a number of other ceremonies including: Baby Naming, ‘Christening’ and Adoption Ceremonies, Gay Commitment, Wedding Vow Renewals and Funerals.

I personally LOVE this concept, I think some people at first may struggle with the whole ‘it’s not legal’ thing but the fact that you can have the ceremony you want…..where you want it, opens up so many more possibilities when it comes to planning your own wedding.
Just think if the things you could do if your not tied to religion or the boundaries of a licensed building……just the fact that you can get married outside opens up a whole new world of possibilities!

I guess I’m a fan as I had something very similar for our wedding and it made the ceremony soooo special. We had a small civil ceremony in the UK and then a personally written wedding blessing in Ibiza, which was amazing, completely personal and true to who me and my husband are.

I can’t recommend this service enough, and here at Boho I would love to work with anyone who is planning to use One Life Ceremonies for their own wedding!

For more information go to:
One Life Ceremonies
Shine
Harehills Road
Leeds
LS8 5HS
www.onelifeceremonies.co.uk/wedding-ceremony
www.twitter.com/onelifeceremony
(0113) 868 0072

So on Monday 26th April I drove up to Leeds and talked a whole lot of strangeness for about an hour!

I was so nervous all day, even though I studied Drama up to my First year of University, I just couldn’t get my head round the fact that I was going to be interviewed.
We had been asked to write a Biog to give to Shourjo so he had some background information about us. The reason of going on was that he wanted to discuss alternative weddings with us both, but at the same time have a relaxed chat about anything and everything, as he put it ” like a dinner party without the food”

We got there a bit early and I was amazed at the size of radio Leeds office, the programme goes out to Leeds, Sheffield, York and Humberside and gets on average 300,000 listeners…… a scary thing to be told when you are sat with a microphone in front of you and headphones on, waiting to go on air!!
As he introduced us I could hear my nervous laughter turn into more of a cackle……but after a few minutes I think both me and Laurra warmed up and became a bit more relaxed.

Shourjo took bits of information from our Biogs and talked about……….well everything, it really was a pretty bizarre interview. in Summery we covered:
Laurra’s fixation with excercise, raw food diets, me having no spleen, purple carrots, me once being a vegan began but not liking vegetables, Divorce ceremonies, my dislike of pink, my love of donkeys (and yes I did do an Eeyore impression!!!..oh dear) mice, goldfish as centre pieces at weddings, Papakata tents, alternate weddings, weatgrass…….and a little bit about both of our businesses!!!

The whole experience was very strange but lots of fun.

If you would like to listen to the rather bizarre interview you have till the 3rd May to Listen again. Go to www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer and forward through to about 42 minuets and there we are!!

Enjoy!! xxx