Wairarapa wedding celebrant: Rachel Clarke, Life Celebrancy

Rachel Clarke is an independent wedding (and funeral) celebrant based in the quirky Wairarapa town of Featherston. She marries couples in the Wairarapa and Wellington regions. Life Celebrancy is Rachel's business, and is all about creating ceremonies that are uniquely yours. Regarding weddings, on her website she says "Let's create a ceremony that reflects your one-of-a-kind partnership." She brings her life experiences as a nurse, educator and mother of three to her work with couples. Rachel is a learner of te reo and can incorporate the use of te reo Māori into your marriage ceremony. If you have no idea where to start thinking about your ceremony, Rachel can help. She works with you every step of the way to craft a ceremony, rituals and vows that feel right. Her goal is to make the process as easy as possible for you while having fun along the way.

Rachel feels that wedding rehearsals are essential. She says “a rehearsal allows the couple and their bridal party to live into the moment during the rehearsal” allowing everyone to feel more relaxed and centred on the actual day of the wedding. With other family members and guests often present, Rachel tells me that wedding rehearsals can be chaotic and fun – all at the same time while still getting all the details for the ceremony practised and running as smoothly as possible. Rachel says that “whilst you can plan for every eventuality, at the end of the day, you just have to ‘go with the flow’ and enjoy every moment as it comes to you – glitches and all’. Weather and technology failures are examples of what can go awry but as far as Rachel is concerned it is about embracing it all and loving the magic of the day regardless. Rachel herself is an individual personality, blending a sense of spirituality with a brightness that I tried to capture in these portraits of her.

She coordinates the Featherston Wedding Collective (FWC), gathering local wedding professionals together to make planning a wedding as easy possible for couples. Featherston is a small town, a picturesque 1 hour drive "over the hill" from Wellington. Most couples planning a wedding in this area aren't aware of the breadth of wedding businesses available locally. The FWC is all about showcasing those local businesses. This reduces a couples' wedding carbon footprint (less cars driving the Remutaka hill road!) and cost. Ever on the go, ‘Just Simply’ is a wedding package put together by Rachel for couples. Containing 3 ceremony styles it allows couples to choose the style and budget that will suit them. Working together with Theo Wijnsma, owner of the Brac and Bow restaurant in Featherston; Rachel and Theo are able to offer a full wedding service with Brac and Bow as the venue. Alternatively, you can choose to marry locally in Featherston at your home or in a local park, garden or community venue. Catering can be in-house at Brac and Bow or on-site at your home – whichever suits. Rachel or Theo will be happy to discuss options with you, check them out on Facebook. Please feel free to check out my website Lucalia Photography Wairarapa wedding photography.