I’m writing this on the evening I’ve been looking forward to since Christmas Day. Not because I was excited about writing a blog post (although of course I love writing for you, dear reader…!) but because, until yesterday morning, I was going to be watching Adele at Wembley tonight.
In a decision which disappointed approximately 196,000 excited fans – including my husband, my daughters and me – Adele’s final two shows have been cancelled due to her having damaged her vocal cords.
We, of course, are gutted (and many tears have been shed by my girls). But what’s clear from her statement is just how gutted Adele is too. As she says herself, “who the f@%! cancels a show at Wembley Stadium?” To have come so close to the grand finale of her touring days is akin to having to drop out of a marathon during the last 385 yards.
But sometimes these things have to happen. If you can’t sing, you can’t sing and that’s that.
What does this have to do with my work as a celebrant?
Many people ask me (sensibly!) during our first meeting, about what would happen if for some reason I couldn’t do their ceremony at the last minute. And this is my answer:
Touch wood it has never happened so far but, just like Adele, my voice is my stock in trade and if I can’t use it, I can’t deliver.
Should this happen (and we’d have to be talking severe can’t-make-a-sound laryngitis, or my head falling off, not just a frog in the throat…) then I would move heaven and earth to find you a trusted celebrant colleague who could perform your ceremony just as we’d agreed it, at no extra cost or hassle to you.
Or, if you’d prefer, you can ask a friend or relative to deliver the ceremony I’d created for you. In this case, you would be refunded your second payment.
Naturally, I hope that this will never happen – and definitely not to YOUR ceremony! I hate to disappoint anyone and would feel as wretched as Adele clearly does right now. But, as it’s in the news right now, it seemed like a good time to clarify my own position should a similar thing happen.
And on that note, I’m off to drink some honey and lemon as a precautionary measure… 😊