LGBTQ+ Wedding Celebrant at The Heritage & Arts Centre, Bow: Alex and Darrin's Scottish Celebration

The Heritage & Arts Centre, known locally as theHAC, is housed inside Holy Trinity Church in Bow, East London, a beautiful, characterful main hall with the kind of history and warmth you simply can't manufacture in a purpose built venue. It's exactly the sort of unexpected, full-of-character space that suited Alex and Darrin's wedding on 1st July 2023, planned beautifully by Cherelle at Perfectly Planned 4 You, with every moment captured by Sidey Clark Photography.

Luxury Wedding Celebrant East London - at the HAC, Bow

Alex and Darrin had been together a long time before their wedding day, long enough that, as they told me with a fair amount of honesty and laughter, part of the motivation for finally making it legal was genuinely tax reasons. I loved that. It didn't make the day any less meaningful, if anything it made it more so, this wasn't a couple rushing into something new, it was two people who already knew exactly who they were to each other, choosing to celebrate that properly, surrounded by everyone they loved.

The ceremony leaned into Alex's Scottish heritage with a quaich ritual, the traditional shared cup passed between a couple as a symbol of trust, alongside two readings from family members. It was a real LGBTQ+ celebration in every sense, joyful, unfiltered, and entirely itself, with a room full of people in their absolute best form to celebrate a couple who'd earned every bit of the party.

Groom Alex mum did a reading in her traditional scottish attire

That's really what Alex and Darrin wanted from the day: a proper party for the people they loved, with genuine meaning running underneath it. Not one at the expense of the other.

Here's what they said afterwards: Kathryn was amazing from start to finish, they said, and she took real time getting to know them, both as individuals and as a couple, and how they wanted the day to unfold. On the day itself, she was brilliant, engaging, energetic, inclusive, kind, caring and a bundle of joy, they said, full of love, warmth and laughter throughout. So many of their guests came up afterwards asking how long we'd known each other, assuming we were old friends rather than a couple who'd met for the ceremony itself. That's about the best compliment a celebrant can be paid.

Grooms Alex and Darrin with their Wedding Celebrant Kathryn (Love Celebrants)

Cherelle, who planned the day, has since worked with me on a second wedding too, and left her own words on it afterwards in a Google review: she said my ability to connect with couples and tailor ceremonies to their unique personalities and desires was nothing short of exceptional, and that the heartfelt words I delivered resonated deeply with everyone present, leaving a lasting impression on both the couple and their guests. Coming from a planner who's seen the process from the other side, across two very different weddings now, that means a great deal.

If you're planning an LGBTQ+ wedding with real heritage, real history, and a proper party at the centre of it, wherever that takes place, I'd love to help you build it.