Do you work with LGBTQ+ couples?

Yes, 100%. Part of the reason the humanist approach chimes with my own outlook so beautifully is the absolute belief that we should all be able to live lives that allow us to be our most authentic selves, and being able to celebrate who we love is such an important part of this. I’m here to help make it possible for ALL couples to do so.

We’d like to get our dog involved in the ceremony, is that possible?

Your dog, cat, parakeet and childhood teddy and Great Uncle Kevin can all be included if you’d like! If it’s important to you that they’re there and they play a role in the ceremony, we’ll make it happen.

If a humanist ceremony isn’t legal, why would we choose it?

A humanist ceremony allows you to really put yourselves at the heart of your wedding day, rather than it all being centred around the formality of signing a piece of paper.

At the moment, the options for having a legal ceremony are limited; religious ceremony or civil ceremony. The former will be perfect for some but not at all relevant for others, the latter means a set script with standardised, impersonal wording that, in my mind, doesn’t do justice to the kind of joy and complexity and heart that exists between two people in love.

Choosing the humanist route allows you to lean into all the things that make your relationship uniquely yours. From big romantic gestures to small daily acts of kindness, late night dancing around the living room to binge watching Bake Off, giggles, tears, disagreements and steadfast support…these all deserve to be honoured at the moment you choose to set out the next steps for your lives together.

We’re not religious, but our families are - can we include this somehow?

Absolutely. There are several ways we can weave in moments that allow space for those with religious beliefs to connect to that, without compromising the secular humanist values of the wider ceremony.

If you’re bringing together families of two different religious (or cultural) backgrounds, the joy of a humanist ceremony is that you can choose to acknowledge this if you choose, and mindfully give thanks or acknowledgement to your individual backgrounds whilst being true to the life you’ve created, and intend to create, together.

Did you have any training to become a celebrant?

I sure did. The marvellous folks at Humanists UK have a rigorous application, interview and selection process, after which we undergo in-depth training on everything we need to know about being a celebrant.

Being accredited by Humanists UK means I’m connected to a fantastic network of other celebrants and I’m continually learning from them, as well as doing my own professional development.

We’re struggling with ideas for what to include, can you help us?

That’s my jam! Everyone will be at a different stage of preparation when they find their celebrant - I see my role as meeting you exactly where you are, be that flowing with inspiration or feeling nervous about all the possibilities. It’s all good.