Meet the expert: Alison Carter founded Springwood Ceremonies in 2018, becoming a Berkshire-based celebrant after enjoying a career in marketing. She creates ceremonies that capture the essence of a couple, family or loved one. A celebrant-led ceremony takes inspiration from all aspects of life – a favourite poem or song, cherished memories, values and beliefs. Alison says: A micro-wedding, with just a few hand-picked guests, is an exclusive event. Couples may feel more comfortable expressing their emotions in front of a smaller number of loved ones. The focus is just on them and the commitment they're making to each other and having a smaller guest list means it's easier for everyone to get involved in the ceremony which creates some poignant heartfelt moments. Here are some ideas: Promise of support A marriage needs support. Here I ask the guests as a group to promise to support the couple, to love them and encourage their love for each other. The guests respond with “we will, we promise.” Ring-warming ceremony The exchanging of rings is the traditional way of sealing the marriage contract. It's an unbroken circle, symbolising unending and everlasting love and is the outward sign of the lifelong promise that has been made. You could introduce a ring-warming ceremony just before this where each guest holds both rings while making a wish, or saying a prayer, and then passes it on to the person next to them, creating an inclusive and intimate aspect to the ceremony. An alternative way to approach the ring-warming ceremony is to have a ring-blessing ceremony that avoids the multi-touch element of the ring-warming ceremony. The rings are placed on a cushion, box or tray and passed around for each person to say a blessing. At the other end of the scale is the new trend of anniversary receptions – you can easily incorporate a celebration ceremony where the couple can reaffirm their love with all their friends and family. A very simple way to create a poignant moment is for each guest to light a candle and say a few words or to make a wish for the happy couple. A ceremini with your trusted circle of family and friends, those that mean the most in the world to you, creates an intimate setting where everyone feels they can be more expressive with their emotions which makes the ceremony even more personal.