A Chic city wedding at Asylum Chapel, London, with just a hint of zombies!
When Maria & James contacted me, saying that they wanted a personal wedding ceremony at the Asylum Chapel in Peckham, that celebrated their equal partnership, love, and friendship as well as their nerdy-ness, I was so excited!
I love when a couple really wants to reflect their true selves in a unique wedding ceremony, while still having a chic, city wedding, and a wedding ceremony that’s classic, with a twist!
Maria and James chose a celebrant-led ceremony so that their chic London wedding wouldn’t be based on the usual template, old-fashioned, patriarchal and steeped in gender norms. Instead, their wedding ceremony would be fun, filled with joy, love and humour. They wanted a wedding ceremony that shared elements of their love story, celebrated their basis of friendship and had a gentle nod to the geeky sci-fi that they both love!
A Modern London Wedding at Asylum Chapel
Maria and James live in South East London and chose the magnificent alternative wedding venue, Asylum Chapel in Peckham for their unique wedding ceremony. Asylum Chapel is a really gorgeous venue with lots of history, amazing light and a really cosy, but edgy vibe. Amazing!
They were joined by 60 close friends and family who were rapturous in their love and support. Once Maria & James were wed in their bespoke wedding ceremony, they were showered with bubbles and enjoyed canapes and fizz before taking classic red Routemaster buses onto Counting House for dinner and dancing long into the night!
Their day was captured beautifully, and all the images shared generously here, were by the wonderfully talented Josephine Elvis Photography - who I love working with!
When I first started working with Maria and James, and when I start to work with any couple, I spent time finding out about them both, as individuals and as a couple and family. This included having chats in the pub, over WhatsApp, and asking them both to share happy thoughts and memories about their relationship.
Through these conversations, I was able to really understand what was important to them both about their wedding ceremony and their marriage. I got to know what they enjoyed and looked forward to in the future - I also discovered their love of board games, sci-fi and Zombie films! More on that later…!
Personal Vows Written to celebrate an Equal Partnership rooted in friendship
James and Maria chose to write their own vows which I was really happy to support them with. Asylum Chapel was filled with laughter, tears and emotion as James & Maria made their wedding promises to each other.
Their wedding vows were heartfelt and sincere but still filled with humour and joy. I always love seeing couples who write vows and promises for each other that feel real! Personal vows that are funny and meaningful. Vows that share hopes and dreams as well as all the silly things they love and loathe about each other! Maria and James both wrote and shared vows that had each other laughing and crying - sometimes at the same time!
I have a range of ways that I support couples to write their own personal wedding vows. Often, writing wedding vows can seem a daunting task. I help couples to think about what they really want to say to each other and support them to find the right words and tone so that when they both make their wedding promises, they feel comfortable, real and reflect the kind of marriage they want to have in future.
A Relaxed Wedding Ceremony, filled with love…and a Zombie Wedding Reading…
Maria and James wanted a relaxed wedding ceremony that was sincere and heartfelt but still warm, with elements of fun. Initially, Maria and James weren’t sure about including any readings - so many readings are stuffy, formal and/or overused… But when we found a reading that was all about zombies, multiverses and time travel - they knew they had found the one! An abridged version of Scientific Romance by Tim Pratt It was read beautifully on the day by Maria’s sister.
Scientific Romance (Abridged!) by Tim Pratt
Read by Maria’s Sister, Akinyi
If we were the sole survivors of a zombie apocalypse
and you were bitten and transformed
into a walking corpse,
I wouldn’t even pick up my assault shotgun.
I’d just let you take a bite out of me,
because I’d rather be undead forever with you
than alive alone without you.
If I had a time machine,
I’d go back to the days of your youth
to see how you became the someone
I love so much today,
and then I’d return to the moment we first met
just so I could see my own face
when I saw your face for the first time.
If I became lost in the multiverse,
exploring infinite parallel dimensions,
My only criterion for settling down somewhere
would be whether or not I could find you:
and once I did, I’d stay there.
Even if it was a world ruled by giant spider-priests,
or one where killer robots won the Civil War,
or even a world where sandwiches were never invented,
because you’d make it
the best of all possible worlds anyway,
and plus we could get rich off inventing sandwiches.
If the Singularity comes, and we upload our minds
into a vast computer simulation
of near-infinite complexity and perfect resolution.
Becoming capable of experiencing any fantasy, exploring worlds bound only
by our enhanced imaginations,
I’d still spend at least 10^21 processing cycles a month,
just sitting on a virtual couch with you,
watching virtual TV,
eating virtual fajitas,
holding virtual hands,
and wishing for the real thing.
A personal wedding ceremony that’s 100% You!
James & Maria’s modern city wedding was an absolute joy to be part of. I loved creating and leading their warm, chic and zombie-tinged wedding ceremony! Asylum Chapel is such an amazing and dramatic venue for an alternative wedding in London! The light and space are beautiful and the offbeat vibe really lends itself to wedding ceremonies that are personal and unique, so a celebrant-led Humanist wedding ceremony is a great choice!
If you are planning a wedding that is filled with personal touches and want a unique wedding ceremony that celebrates you both, a wedding reflecting your families, cultures and communities - do say hello. I’m a London Wedding Celebrant, but I’m very happy to travel across the UK!
