Lynda Hannah is a registered celebrant and can legally perform weddings, civil unions, handfastings, funerals, memorials, renewals of vows, and  baby naming ceremonies.

She’s been a funeral celebrant since 2003, a civil union celebrant since it first became available in 2005, and a marriage celebrant since 2011, first as a designated celebrant for the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists, and more recently as an independent marriage celebrant.

She offers two wedding celebrancy options:

Option one is $200 which just covers the legal stuff. You plan your own ceremony and write your own vows, and Lynda confirms in advance that it meets all the legal requirements. She’ll also say whatever else you want her to say, and sign the registration forms. (In fact it’s not really necessary for her to say much at all as long as your words meet the legal  requirements; she can be nearly inconspicuous if you prefer.) It’s a very low-key involvement just covering the legalities of the ceremony.

If the location of the ceremony is outside Motueka mileage is charged at IRD rates to get there and back.

Option two is $80 per hour and more involved. Lynda helps you plan and arrange the structure and format of the ceremony – crafting words, readings, music, vows, etc – and present it in much the same way as a minister or priest would (minus the religious references). Allowing 6-10 hours in total would be realistic. It’s a creative and collaborative process and it’s helpful to be able to discuss it several times before your Big Day, or at least have plenty of online contact. She strongly encourages couples to write their own words so they can express their love for one another in the most personal and meaningful way. She doesn’t follow any kind of formula or recipe, nor tell people how they “should” do it. It’s their day, and entirely their choice.

Funeral celebrancy for Living Legacies’ family-directed funeral clients is generally included in the total cost of services. Sometimes though, families want just celebrancy and for various reasons don’t need the other available services. In this case the above prices for weddings apply to funerals too. For funeral ceremonies it’s helpful to contact her as far in advance as possible.

Dear Lynda we just wanted to say thank you so very much for being our marriage celebrant. You helped us create a ceremony which was so perfect and special, the memory will last us a life time. With just the right amount of input and guidance you allowed us the freedom to creatively find our own relaxed style and to keep the proceedings personal and just the way we wanted . We had so many comments from our family and friends afterward on how natural, relaxed and seamlessly smoothly the whole ceremony went, right down to how patient and focused you where while keep us right with the signing process, given all the excitement and distractions that were going on.

We have been recommending you already to our friends and will continue to do so without hesitation.

Thanks once again,

David & Tamsin Armstrong

Married at Melrose House Nelson on the 18^th October 2014