As an Interfaith Minister & Nature Connection Guide in the remote North-West Highlands of Scotland, I am blessed with having the most awe-inspiring landscape on my doorstep.
Nature is at the very core of my ministry of the wild, which is all about the bold and subtle colours in the far North, green and blue spaces, the sky & the sea, ancient geology & Atlantic woodlands, about immersion, exploration, and discovery. Whether anchored in a specific faith or a spiritual seeker, I am happy to create and hold space for anybody keen on taking awe a step further. I offer guided experiences to explore spirituality in nature through meditation, contemplation, prayer, pilgrimage, and arts, supporting visitors to the far North in finding a deeper connection with the landscape and the elements. More information on my offerings in the field of Nature & Spirituality can be found at my website https://allthecoloursofthenorth.co.uk/
I also offer ceremonies anchored in nature for all life events around love, loss, and new beginnings. There is an emphasis on ceremonies of love – weddings, marriage blessings and commitment ceremonies as well as vow renewals, but I also support with the scattering of ashes. My second website focuses more on this side of my ministry https://alltheceremoniesofthenorth.co.uk/.
Working with Monika was a true delight. We come from different religious and cultural backgrounds and wanted to make sure we found a minister who could help us honour our respective traditions. Monika worked with us for over half a year to iron out the details, and she was more than happy to make adjustments on how best to weave together our traditions with the Scottish setting. We had to communicate virtually only, but Monika was always a text or email away. We had a handfasting ceremony, a quaich, a unity candle, and an exchange of rings, to name of few. Monika gave each the significance it deserved. Leading up to our big day, a few key elements were severely disrupted, causing us quite a bit of stress. Monika stepped up not only as the person presiding over our blessing, but also in the way only an interfaith minister could. Monika supported us with words and actions, constantly communicating with us even late into the night and even advocating on our behalf to rectify the issues and creating a much-needed space for us to figure things out. For this alone, we cannot recommend Monika enough. In the end, the disruptions were resolved and we were able to proceed. Weddings are so often a blur, but the ceremony will always be remembered as a tranquil and purposeful moment for us. Monika helped integrate everyone in attendance (and those who couldn\’t make it) and her words held deep meaning for us on an individual level. Monika exceeded every expectation and helped make our day the best it could be. We recommend her wholly and completely. https://alltheceremoniesofthenorth.co.uk/mara-and-nick-interfaith-church-wedding/
We were lucky enough to meet Monika, not through the usual google search for a potential candidate to conduct a wedding ceremony, but through a house sitting web page. Monika and her family love to travel and what better way than to look after other people\’s homes whilst you explore the local terrain? Monika was intrigued by our listing of a converted church, perhaps drawn by the history and link to her chosen career. And so we got onto the subject of our wedding, our desire to have a humanist ceremony with the entire congregation involved, free speech,no fuss, lots of fun but a serious side to it too, and above all, for all of our friends and family to feel totally included. Had it not been for Monika, we would have struggled at the first hurdle. She was able to guide us up, down and sideways along the many paths a wedding ceremony can take when all you have is a concept of an event without ever having experienced anything like it before. Monika was able to talk us through all the various ceremonies she had conducted over the years, pulling out and matching the items to what she thought we were looking for. Many online meets later and a few emails and the scaffolding for the ceremony was up, all we had left to do was populate the church with fun, laughter, and guests which we managed to do comfortably. The end result was a ceremony that had everyone laughing, crying, laughing again, and so on. Monika had grasped the energy and concept of the day with a light touch that made the ceremony flow with ease. Her attention to the Pictish history of our building\’s location enabled her to tie in the Pagan and Christian heritage of the site by introducing the concept that wedding ceremonies had been happening here for potentially thousands of years. She captured the essence of our relationship and family ties in a moving speech about building futures, homes, and lasting friendships. So would I do it all again, absolutely not, I\’ve married my soul mate and certainly do not intend to be a groom again, but if I had to recommend someone to conduct a personalised ceremony that draws in and captivates a gathering of friends and family, I could not, hand on heart, recommend anyone more highly than Monika. Thank you for everything, Monika. https://alltheceremoniesofthenorth.co.uk/emily-and-rob-home-wedding/
When Sean and I began planning our trip to the Scottish Highlands to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary we didn’t have renewing our vows in mind. But, that’s what a romantic notion and a little late night internet searching will get you! We couldn’t be happier with the outcome and sweet memories. Finding Monika and All the Ceremonies of the North was truly a gift. I had looked at other officiant websites and they seemed quite lovely, but I knew Monika was the one after reading her philosophy. She is calm yet whimsical, philosophical but also witty. She took the time to get to know us. Monika’s service was thoughtful and joyful – it was just so us! It was like she had known Sean and me for years. Thank you, Monika, for making our day so special, memorable, and filled with love. https://alltheceremoniesofthenorth.co.uk/a-highland-vow-renewal/
As soon as we got in touch with Monika to begin plans on our wedding she made us feel totally relaxed and at ease, which is exactly the feel we wanted for our very intimate beach wedding. She was always quick to respond to any of our queries and also help us with ideas to include on the day.
The wedding itself was conducted beautifully with a poem that Monika had chosen which suited our dogs perfectly, it felt like it could’ve been written about them!
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Monika as a celebrant. Thank you for making our day so great!
https://alltheceremoniesofthenorth.co.uk/tina-and-patrick-clachtoll-beach-elopement/
We were so fortunate to have been married by Monika, she understood us so perfectly! Nature and the outdoors is an important part of our life together and when I read about Monika\’s approach, her values and the types of ceremonies she has covered, I knew she was the Celebrant for us. Communication and organisation from Monika\’s side was brilliant, she made it so easy for us. Our wedding ceremony was very small and intimate and it was lovely to have a Celebrant we connected so well with. We wanted a simple, relaxed ceremony in a woodland that means a lot to our family and Monika really helped to create the right atmosphere for that. We also appreciated her guidance on how to ensure our two children were involved in the ceremony in a meaningful way. Monika took time to get to know us, which meant that the contents of the ceremony was tailored to us, including her beautiful readings.
https://alltheceremoniesofthenorth.co.uk/bex-and-ali-highland-woodland-wedding/
We were so lucky to find Monika. When we first emailed her about the possibility of being our celebrant, we were pretty clueless about the whole business. Monika was fantastic and, over many emails and Zoom calls, guided us through the process of creating our perfect day. She thought of everything and covered many things we had never even considered. After agreeing on the general outline of the ceremony and sending Monika the readings, our story and other information she requested, Monika began crafting the ceremony. Experiencing it for the first time on the day was fantastic. Monika had taken all the random snippets of our life and woven them into a story linking everything together. The ceremony surpassed all our expectations and was truly perfect.
https://alltheceremoniesofthenorth.co.uk/chris-and-rico-achmelvich-beach-wedding/