Ministers

I'm the Reverend Akasha Lonsdale an experienced, ordained Interfaith Minister and Celebrant, creating and conducting memorable ceremonies that you, your friends and family will lovingly remember.

The beauty of an Interfaith Ceremony is that you can have what you want, when you want it, and where you want it.  For example if you are getting married, or celebrating a civil partnership, you are not restricted to using a venue that is licensed for such occasions, as this only applies if you intend to have Registrars conduct a civil ceremony at your venue on the day.

It is actually far more cost effective to undertake the legal requirements some days or weeks before, and save the exchange of your personal vows and rings to be part of a beautiful ceremony in the presence of all your friends and family. It might be that you want to have a marquee in the grounds of a hotel, which would normally not be possible as Registrars can only use rooms licensed for civil ceremonies. However by using my services, the whole ceremony can be conducted in the marquee or the gardens or the hotel, or wherever you choose.

Who uses my services?

I tend to create and conduct ceremonies for those who consider themselves to be spiritually inclined rather than religious. Perhaps they were brought up in a particular faith tradition but have moved away from it, and want to have a ceremony that reflects their personal beliefs, but in a non-religious way (although it is still perfectly acceptable to include religious aspects if that is desired).

For weddings and civil partnerships, perhaps the couple are from different faith traditions but want a ceremony that honours aspects of both faiths. A recent example would be a Hindu/Christian wedding where I weaved together the important ritual elements from both faiths. As I said - whatever you want, where you want and when you want.

I have many resources that I will share with you when we have our initial meeting unless you already have very clear ideas about what you are looking for. I will help in whatever way you wish and most importantly, ensure that your ceremony is an appropriately memorable occasion.

Weddings of the Heart

A declaration of love andmitment expressed in a unique ceremony to reflect your hearts desires.

 

 

Civil Partnerships and same sex marriages

A beautiful, personal ceremony created to reflect your lovingmitment to each other.

 

Baby Blessing/Naming or Adoption ceremony

Honour and wee your new arrival in the presence of family and friends

 

Vow Renewals

A beautiful way to re-affirm the love that has grown stronger with the passing of time

 

Funerals, Memorials and End of Life Celebrations

For family and friends this is not only a time to grieve and say goodbye, but also to give thanks and celebrate the life of the departed. In a time of trying toe to terms with change and loss a beautiful ceremony forms a major part of the healing process.

 

Separation and Divorce Blessings

Although the divorce procedure for married couples is part of this process, it is frequently a time when anger and bitterness emerge and a Decree Absolute does not determine an emotional ending to your relationship - just a legal one. Also, many couples are not married and therefore don't even have the legal procedure to benchmark their separation. So an Interfaith ceremony can be a powerful way to ensure that the grieving and healing process is supported and that the rest of life is embraced from a place of closure. If the grieving and healing has already happened, a ceremony can be a time of joyous celebration with friends and family - a way of saying look out world, here Ie!

New House, Business or Yacht blessings

These are big investments so why not give them the positive start they deserve.

Do I Kneel or Do I Bow?: What You Need to Know When Attending Religious Occasions (Kuperard, 2010)

Should you ever be invited to an unfamiliar faith ceremony which is increasingly likely in today's multicultural society, you might find my book helpful. Covering the faiths of Christian (Orthodox, Anglican and Catholic) Hindu Jewish Muslim Sikh and Buddhist, it is a veryprehensive guide to understanding something of the faith, their festivals and how they are celebrated, what you will see in their place of worship, and particularly helpful information about the major rites of passage: birth, weing new borns, weddings and death rituals.

It will ensure that you will feelfortable in unfamiliar settings and not only have knowledge of what is happening but also what you need to do (or not do), wear, take etc. It is available globally either online or from bookstores.

Among other cities, Simply Divine Ceremonies may serve the following areas: Wiltshire, Bristol, Somerset, Devon, Hampshire, Cornwall, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Calne, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Isle of Wight, Berkshire, London and South West France

"My daughter and husband are staying with us this weekend and we have just looked through the wedding album which bought back memories of such a perfect day. After all the stress and preparations, they both expressed that it was even more perfect than they could ever have imagined. It was made so much more special to be able to have a ceremony that was created in a way that made it so personal and touching. I don’t think there was a dry eye amongst the family and friends that attended."

"We just wanted to say a massive thank you for our ceremony, it was so beautiful and everything we hoped for. We have only just come down to earth again two weeks later!:

"Dear Akasha, thank you so much from both of us. The service was lovely and your leadership and guidance helped create a "vibe" and positive energy that stayed the rest of the day/evening. Had I scripted the entire event I could not have created such a wonderful ceremony. It was full of real sincerity and love."

"Ian and I wanted a spiritual ceremony focused on commitment and love, but without reference to religion. Lucky for us, we stumbled upon Reverend Akasha Lonsdale, and we could not have asked for a more touching ceremony that truly resonated not only with us, but with everyone who attended. Akasha went above and beyond what either of us could have expected, from tailoring our ceremony to our precise needs to giving us ideas for other areas of the wedding."

"We cannot thank you enough for all you did for us - not only were you a spiritual and emotional pillar for us (and our families) throughout but you also created the most wonderful and personalised ceremony we could have wished for, particularly given our circumstances of coming from two different religious and cultural backgrounds. To have such a unique ceremony (with aspects of both religion's traditions and symbolisms intertwined) that was deeply meaningful to us and our families, as well as being enjoyable for all present, was just brilliant."

“Never having been to a naming ceremony before, we really had no idea of the format the day would take or how we could make a ceremony from the family gathering. Right from the first contact Akasha was really helpful, she came to our house to get to know us and brought with her many useful ideas, such as readings and poems, together with a possible outline ceremony as well as ideas for godparents and grandparents. She was very thorough and we both felt the ceremony was in safe hands. The blessing was beautiful and our baby girl was relaxed and at ease"