Being a marriage celebrant is a huge privilege. You share the dreams and sometimes keep the secrets of many beautiful couples. I love meeting my couples for the first time and hearing their story. It’s not just listening, it’s about reading between the lines, watching their body language and Holding Space for them.

So what is Holding Space? I had never heard this expression until recently. The definition is:

“It means that we are willing to walk alongside another person

in whatever journey they’re on without judging them, making them feel inadequate,

trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome”.

Listening quietly and honestly is something I think it’s important to practice. Letting everyone around you feel comfortable and allowing them to be themselves. Allowing them to unfold into the best version of who they are.

It’s about celebrating the time between thoughts and allowing people the time to recognise and own their feelings and formulate their thoughts without rushing them and inadvertently projecting your own thoughts onto them.

Sometimes holding space feels like doing nothing but really we are empowering those for whom we are holding space.

We all need people around us who will hold space for us and it’s important that we are willing to hold space for others too. Let’s turn it into a living art form!