Why it’s okay to NOT offer Zoom ceremonies to your wedding couples

In my last episode of the Celebrant Survival Podcast where I was looking at how the celebrant industry and celebrants might change after Coronavirus, I sang the praises of celebrants who've managed to adapt during these times. And brilliantly so.

It’s been amazing to see funeral celebrants carrying out meaningful services all whilst under new restrictions and more challenging circumstances. And wedding celebrants expertly handling Zoom weddings and pre-wedding celebrations like total pros.

This situation has called for celebrants to adapt quickly and to offer their clients services and ceremonies in new and different ways. And celebrants have done just that. I love that a few months ago, a lot of people had never heard of Zoom and now it’s the new buzz word in the world of virtual weddings and funerals.

I was blown away by the first Zoom wedding ceremony that I saw, a little while back. It was fabulous. Awesomely done, expertly put together and very inspirational. 

And not long after, I started to see more and more virtual weddings happening, with the most wonderful celebrations taking place online. It’s a real credit to those celebrants who’ve been able to offer these ceremonies and more importantly, to pull them off.

And now more and more celebrants are offering virtual ceremonies not just to their own couples who either have had to postpone or cancel their original weddings, but also to any couples out there who perhaps have had a change of plan and wouldn’t mind going down the virtual route, or who have no choice but to have a virtual wedding! Or even for couples who just love the idea of a virtual ceremony, full stop.

But are Zoom weddings something that all wedding celebrants should offer?

I must admit when I saw the first few amazing Zoom wedding videos, I had a bit of a pang and started to think that maybe it was something that I should be offering my own couples, but I quickly vetoed the idea.

For me there are lots of reasons why I wouldn’t want to offer Zoom weddings right now: 

I don't fancy my doorless office space as a ceremony venue. Then there's the issue of my adorable but intrusive seven year old, and my crappy internet, to name a few. Plus, there’s the fact that my lockdown headspace is not the best headspace for weddings right now (thanks to homeschooling and being in a very strict lockdown). 

I can barely do all the work I need to do, let alone think about planning something as momentous as a virtual wedding. Not to mention the whole Zoom thing and wondering whether I could pull off a Zoom celebration in the exact same or similar style ​as I do in person, with the same results. 

But this is me and how I feel about it! Everyone is different. I'm just glad that I went with my gut feeling and realised that the Zoom route is not one that I want to go down right now. And I’m glad I realised it before I ended up committing myself to something that deep down I didn't want to do. 

That said, whilst it’s something that I don't want to actively offer, if one of my couples asked, I wouldn’t say no.

So if you’re feeling a bit like this too, it’s totally okay.

It’s okay to not offer Zoom ceremonies, if you really don’t want to. 

It’s okay to not offer Zoom ceremonies to your couples whose weddings have been postponed or cancelled and they’re happy with how you’ve handled these changes.

It’s okay to not go down the Zoom route, even if others are.

And don’t forget, Zoom weddings (and maybe funerals) aren’t for everyone. Not all couples will want to mark the celebration in this way, as joyful and fitting as it might be. So don’t sweat it if you don’t want to offer celebrations in this way. There’s no right or wrong here.

And if you do have plans to turn into a Zoom wedding superstar, and you’re going to go for it, then good for you! 

For any of you who are on the fence and a bit scared by all of the tech, my celebrant business buddy Claire Bradford has had lots of help from a Zoom expert, who next week is running a special workshop just for celebrants.

He’ll be going through all of the Zoom features and helping celebrants to get comfortable with this incredible software. You can find out more here.

So whether you Zoom or you don't, don't stress over it! Lol!

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The Celebrant Resource Shop