Just a quick review of how we got involved in World Celebrants Week last month – such a great opportunity to shout from the rooftops about the best job in the world!!
So what is this and how does it work? Set up in 2021 by the awesome Natasha and Claire at The Celebrants Collective, celebrants across the globe are encouraged to harness the power of their social media platforms for one week only and talk about life as a celebrant – and why we believe a celebrant ceremony is simply the best way to celebrate your relationship!
Here it is - on catch up! Day 1 was all about introductions, so here we go...
“CIC was set up nearly five years ago by Lisa, who after years working in marketing, events management and training, took on a role with her local Registration Service. 100+ legal ceremonies later, she set up Celebrant in Cornwall to provide what couples really deserve - ceremonies from the heart. And that little business went from strength to strength! So much so, that very soon she was joined by Caroline and Sam to deliver ceremonies all over Cornwall and beyond. We LOVE what we do and we think that shines through in every single ceremony. We are all quite different in our backgrounds and lifestyles, but the threads that bind us together are that we thrive on good energy, positivity and kindness, as well as a passion for making our couples' ceremonies the very best they can be.”
Day 2 asked us to share some of the reasons you should book a celebrant– so we created a reel!
Day 3 and we had to share with you our favourite part of being a celebrant - which is tricky, there are so many!!
But I think one which we all love, is experiencing those really intimate moments with our couples, when we simply hold space for them - being physically, mentally and emotionally present for them, And that might occur during the lead-up conversations and meetings, or during the ceremony itself, but when they occur, those moments are incredibly special and meaningful, and quite unique to the job we do!
Plus since these times are generally filled with much joy, deep happiness and maybe even a few tears, that is why it is our favourite part of being a celebrant.
Day 4 and those naughty girls at Celebrants Collective raised the bar by asking us to identify our celebrant superpowers – and pin down the talents and abilities that make us unique and different from others. (Does cat wrangling count?!) For inspiration, I needed to reflect on what my couples say to me… and one of the themes that comes out time and time again, and which I am incredibly grateful for, is that it appears I have the superpower of emotional intelligence… and the ability to make my couples (and their guests) feel relaxed, listened to and truly special.
And now I think about it, that is reflected in every conversation, and in every ceremony. And often results in fabulous friendships! So much so, that I love staying in touch with couples and seeing where their journey takes them. Just like the stunning Kate and Juliet, who held their beachy wedding celebration in Cornwall earlier this year – we’re meeting up in a few weeks for drinks! Yey for celebrant superpowers!!!
Day 5 and the task was to reveal our celebrant inspiration! Now all sorts of things inspire us - from the couples we meet (we had some really AMAZING inspiration this year!), to the gorgeous environment we work in (who could fail to be inspired by Cornwall? Apart from, perhaps, when you're stuck on the A30 for hours on end!) and to the people we work with.
Which is why today I am giving a huge shout out to my team, who have helped me grow Celebrant in Cornwall and make it what it is today, who make me laugh when it's most needed, and who always, always have my back. These girls rock!
Day 6 what made you become a celebrant? This is actually pretty easy for me to remember, because it was 3 things, and had they happened in isolation, it may never have occurred to me to become a celebrant, so it truly was a serendipitous series of events!
So the first - it was my best friend’s wedding, SIX YEARS TO THIS VERY DAY! Happy, happy anniversary Sue and Mark, sending much love . Oh such a wonderful weekend, and even ‘though I was bawling my eyes out for most of the ceremony, I remember watching the lead registrar at work, and he was actually quite the showman, and I thought to myself, I could do that! That looks like a great job!
Then.....
Just a few weeks after the wedding, we relocated from Somerset to Cornwall. This had been a long-term dream of ours, but I never guessed how much it would impact my mindset. I set about establishing my marketing business, working out of our little rented home, and on days off we would visit all the places that were unknown to us - secret beaches, stunning tors and moors, so many beautiful spots that sparked my creative imagination and got me thinking how I might link this into my work.
Then...
A few months later, I couldn’t believe it when a vacancy for a deputy registrar and ceremony officer came up locally, delivering ceremonies every weekend. And 6 months into the job, something I thought I was going to love, I witnessed a ceremony that really was my wake up call, and I went home to my husband and said, “Couples deserve so much more than that. Ceremonies should come from the heart, not an official process.”
And so I trained to become an independent celebrant, and apart from running Celebrant in Cornwall and my marketing business, I now help train and mentor others to become independent celebrants! And it’s the best job in the world!
Day 7 and the final leg of the journey and it’s a thoughtful one – your best piece of advice for couples. Here’s a reel we posted, which made us smile a lot!
And there you have it! As always, World Celebrants Week was thought-provoking, challenging, exciting, hard work and fun. Thank goodness we’ve got a year to recover from it!
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