Jackie was invited to join Whitedove in 2017 by founder Jayne White, and Caryn Byrne with whom she had trained as a Tour Guide some years before.
She was trained by Jayne and shadowed both Jayne and Caryn for that first season, and by 2018 she was officiating at Wedding and Naming ceremonies, Renewal ceremonies and also Funeral and Celebration of life services.
Civil ceremonies have become more and more popular even before the marriage laws changed in 2021, in fact Jackie had been eagerly awaiting these changes and excited to incorporate the legal marriage into the various ceremony options.
As well as local couples, she now sees an increasing number of destination weddings and this couples with Jackie’s other role as an Accredited Tour guide, and gives her every opportunity to share the beauty of Guernsey, Herm or Sark with visiting couples and their guests.
Above image Langlois Photography
The last 6 years has seen Jackie perform ceremonies in a variety of venues and locations, from Cliff tops and beaches, parks and gardens and even a private quarry. Between herself, Jayne, Caryn and the other celebrants at Whitedove they have a wealth of experience to advise couples when they meet, of the benefits and challenges of most locations around these islands.
“I love meeting couples anytime from 1-2 years in advance all the way to their ceremony date…it’s such a joy to watch their dreams come true at their ceremony. I was particularly excited the first time I was asked to perform a Naming ceremony, which was for the first child of a couple I had married a year before”
Being a celebrant is not a one time event for a lot of families, we will meet the couple again when they bring their child to be ‘Named’. Friends and relatives will remember us from previous ceremonies that they have attended and it’s rare not to recognise someone you already know amongst the guests of any ceremony.
Above images John White
Over the years, we’ve built a great working relationship with all other wedding suppliers, venues and especially the staff at the Greffe. They are always at the end of the phone with help and advice if we come across a scenario for the first time and feel we need to touch base on the legal front. Jackie and Caryn have created various blogs on the Whitedove website which shares the experience and knowledge they have gained over the last few years, and covers topics such as ‘Sustainable weddings’, ‘Music’, ‘Wedding traditions’ and more. You can read the blogs here.
Above image Rob and Agita King
The change in the Marriage law in 2021 has enabled couples to expand their horizons and gives so much more personal freedom for them. In turn, we also offer them a range of ceremonies to fit their personal plans. Whether it is a short ceremony for a small intimate wedding or a more bespoke ceremony with an opportunity for friends or family to also take an active role in the event.
“Some of the nicest ceremonies I have performed have been the smallest. I have hiked to Dixcart bay in Sark with just the couple and their photographer and witnesses, another is a 10:30 am marriage ceremony with just both sets of parents before they embarked on a day of fun activities around the Island. This is exactly what the change in the Marriage Law facilitied”
Above image Etienne Laine
Look out for annual Whitedove Wedding event where you can meet with our celebrants to discuss your future wedding ceremony requirements and see other wedding supplier displays.
Jackie recalls the wedding at Icart cliff top and she completed the legalities before a storm at sea arrived. Caryn had much better weather this year when she performed a ceremony at a cliff top at Jerbourg.
I also love the larger ceremonies where the couple have all their friends and family and we can create a bespoke script to reflect their personalities and we have time to listen to amusing anecdotes, readings or poems.
Introducing a special element to your ceremony can personalise it further, I have performed a hand fasting ceremony, (tying the knot) on more than one occasion. Each colour holds a special meaning for each couple and they will invite different special people in their lives to bring this forward during the ceremony.
Above image Evoke Photography
This year saw us introduce the Wedding Package for destination weddings, and this meant that we booked the venue, florist and photographer and this works well for anyone without local knowledge of venues or suppliers.
