Tell us a bit more about yourself outside of your celebrant work.

I have over 30 years experience working in schools and further education; first in learning support and mentoring roles and then teaching Functional Skills and GCSE English. I still do English tutoring four evenings a week.

I’m a Mum to a 31 year old, who’s left me to live and work in London – my daughter is a chuffing delight and I wish she and her gorgeous husband lived next door! I’m also human to a gorgeous greyhound, who we’ve rescued from the racing life – he is my goofy, affectionate fur baby and I adore him.

I’m not really a ‘hobbies’ person – my CV says my hobbies are sitting and staring and bimbling about! I do love spending time by the sea; reading whodunnits and crime thrillers; watching films, exploring the Yorkshire countryside with my husband and the dog and going to art exhibitions and events.  I also enjoy the odd glass of wine with friends, a good meal, talking nonsense, laughing like a banshee and dancing like no-one can see me – even when they can!

Another happy day

What is the most enjoyable thing about being a celebrant?

For me, it’s definitely meeting the people and hearing their stories. I love that I get enquiries from such a broad cross-section of the community. It’s a wonderful privilege to be invited into people’s lives and be trusted to lead their celebrations.

If you think about it, it’s quite an unusual position to be in; I only meet my clients a few times during the process of crafting their ceremony and yet I have to encourage them to share very personal details of their lives, in order to write a really meaningful ceremony script for them. I really enjoy building those positive relationships with people.

Getting lovely, heartfelt feedback from clients and from their friends and family is the most fabulous feeling because it confirms that I’ve been able to give them exactly the celebration they were hoping for and that gives me huge personal and professional satisfaction.

Are there any downsides?

Honestly, not really! Though I’m trained to offer funerals and memorials, I currently only offer weddings and namings, so I’m meeting people at very happy times in their lives, which is rather lovely.  Even when I have worked to create a funeral, it’s still an honour to be invited into people’s homes, listen to their memories and hopefully, help them navigate a challenging time more easily.

Some client meetings are trickier than others, particularly if people don’t have clear ideas about what they want; but that’s where the extensive training and ongoing CPD we get from @Humanists UK comes into its own – there’s always a way to tease out people’s ideas and help them work out exactly what they want for their ceremony.

I do hate navigating to meetings, as I don’t entirely trust Google not to send me into a farmer’s field and bad weather, illness and unexpected traffic incidents turn my anxiety up to ridiculous levels!

Being a celebrant is generally a joy and something I’m very proud to do.

What are the main things you’ve learned since becoming a celebrant?

Listen, listen and listen.

Make copious notes during meetings – it’s better to have more info than you need, than too little.

Leave all your assumptions at the door – people are endlessly and splendidly surprising.

And always set off on journeys earlier than necessary, just in case Google gets a bit quirky and sends you on a magical mystery tour.

Any advice to potential clients?

Find a celebrant who suits your personalities, your outlook and seems open to your ceremony ideas; you need to feel comfortable discussing all sorts of things with them.

Work proactively with your celebrant: complete the planning questionnaire in as much detail as you can; reply to communications promptly and be ready to discuss things openly at your planning meeting – a bespoke ceremony requires more input from you, but by gum, it’s worth it!

Make the most of the opportunity: you’re getting the chance to create a ceremony that is uniquely yours and your celebrant is there to help you every step of the way.