Blog

Couple ceremonies, whether wedding or civil partnership celebrations, commitment or renewal ceremonies have a number of distinct characteristics that traditional religious or civil marriage formats simply cannot provide. Firstly, and obviously, they are secular in...

When I launched my Toastmaster career, I was often advised by my more experienced peers never to suggest in advertising what your rates might be. Far too many variables was the argument, leading to the risk of a “But you quoted £x!” when discussing a huge and...

I recently watched a TikTok from a somewhat frustrated bride-to-be who just happened to be marrying another woman. Nothing out of the ordinary, you might think but her experiences hinted that the wedding industry hasn’t necessarily stopped to reflect how it deals with...

Toastmasters are often asked to act at charity fundraisers – the ‘dinner dance’ ones where everyone’s turned out in their formal finery.  But what value does the Toastmaster add? To give you an insight, a recent ‘black tie’ fundraiser for a local charity was...

I guess anyone could buy a long-tail red coat (useless fact – it’s called a Hunting Pink) and set themselves up as a professional Toastmaster. In fact, I have heard of a wedding DJ who ‘adds value’ to his clients by doing exactly that. But has your ‘Toastmaster’ been...

Such an exciting time! I remember well my own ‘Wedfest’ in 2015, and how the months of preparation were as much part of the experience as the day itself. Perhaps you are planning something a bit more formal than our wedding (we larked about a lot, to be honest). Maybe...