I am delighted that you have chosen me to be your celebrant and trusted me with your special occasion.

Please click on the Contact Me page and I will be able to discuss any further details with you. This can be via telephone, video call or email.

The best services are crafted as a collaboration between me and your family to ensure that your ceremony is personal and special for you. I take time to listen to your stories, hear the funny in-jokes and note carefully the key elements that are central to your relationships, so that I can incorporate these naturally into my bespoke and beautiful ceremonies.

Yes, of course they can. A wedding, funeral or naming ceremony can be completely secular. Equally, I am very comfortable with incorporating any religious or cultural traditions which are important to you and your loved ones. It is your ceremony and therefore should clearly reflect your beliefs and values.

Many couples have included hymns, Bible readings and traditional prayers in their ceremony. 

In other instances, couples of other denominations have incorporated religious elements of significance to them. This can all be discussed together at our meeting. 

Registrars are employed by the local authority and are authorised to conduct legally binding marriage and civil partnership ceremonies. They are also responsible for the administration of registering births, marriages and deaths. Celebrants are self-employed and conduct non-legally binding celebration ceremonies.

​The most important difference is that with a celebrant you will have a ceremony that is unique and personal to you. A celebrant will get to know you in advance and work closely with you on the script. A registrar usually has a standard script and it is unlikely you would meet them before the ceremony day.

I would be honoured to respect and incorporate a particular theme into a ceremony where appropriate. This can be discussed at our first meeting or through follow up conversations.

I am based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire but am willing to travel within a reasonable distance by arrangement. 

Funerals can be undertaken at Barnsley, Rotherham or Wakefield Crematoriums.

I cover Weddings and Naming Ceremonies at venues across Yorkshire. We can discuss a location that you have already booked or I can suggest beautiful locations where couples and families have enjoyed special celebrations and excellent service from the staff team.

My basic charge would include travel within South Yorkshire. Mileage charges for ceremonies at a greater distance will be discussed in advance.

The Full Service offers you the opportunity to relax and let me take care of the whole event from start to finish! I will meet with parents and other family members as required to discuss your requirements. From this, I will craft a bespoke service incorporating all of your required elements to produce the ceremony which you are wanting. On the day, I will lead the event, engaging the gathered group and supporting any additional speakers. You will have no worries at all about the smooth running of your Naming Ceremony and can relax and enjoy the occasion.

Being conscious of those wishing to hold a smaller, lower-key event on a lower budget, I have also introduced a Simple Package. In this, I spend the same time and care crafting the service. I pass the written copy on to you to lead yourselves and take control of your own event. This is ideal for a more informal event with fewer guests.

All children who are being welcomed into a family or community can be celebrated with a  special event to mark the occasion. Older children can play a part themselves, either in the initial discussion or at the ceremony itself.

What a lovely idea! Since my services are all written individually, I can easily include more than one baby or child. Remember, these ceremonies can also be a very special occasion and opportunity to welcome adopted children into a family and community so this would be ideal for such a situation.

Yes! I have experience of a number of different rituals and traditions.

Some couples choose to include a Handfasting element in their ceremony. I have my own beautiful cord which I can use or can provide a bespoke one for you to keep yourselves by arrangement (additional costs will apply).

Other couples select to have a Sand Blending element. Here, two different colours of sand are symbolically blended to represent the new shared life of the couple. This blend can be decanted into smaller souvenir bottles to give to the congregation as souvenirs of the occasion. Again, this will be at a small additional charge for materials.

Another popular tradition that can be incorporated is the Jumping over the Brush ceremony. This is a popular and distinctive tradition. According to folklore, in order to be married, a couple had to successfully jump over a broom placed in a doorway- without touching it. A positive result would mean that they were married! I can provide a personalised broom with your names and wedding date for this extra feature at a small additional cost.

It is entirely up to you how much or how little of the traditional ceremony of marriage that you include in your own celebration. You are very welcome to exchange rings, I can write some suitable words to introduce this or you can compose your own personal vows.

With a Celebrant-led ceremony, the only limitation is your own creativity,  assisted by my experience and suggested ideas.

Yes! Couples are often keen to mark a special anniversary or the end of a challenging period of life by celebrating with a Renewal of Vows. This can take a variety of forms, from a simple family ceremony in a favourite restaurant to a larger party-style service with a  higher degree of formality.  Do contact me with your ideas and we can discuss creating a ceremony together.

In England, a celebrant-led ceremony is not a legal marriage. However, many couples choose to separate the legal registration of marriage from their wedding ceremony, this allows them to have a ceremony that is unique to them. 

The legal marriage involves a short civil ceremony at a registry office where you will make your declarations in front of two witnesses and receive a marriage contract. Most couples do this during the week before their wedding celebration so that they can enjoy a unique, personal and memorable celebrant-led bespoke wedding ceremony with their special guests in their own time. 

Although I cannot book your legal registration, I can help to provide information so that you can arrange easily and simply for yourselves.

A civil partnership is a secular ( non-religious) ceremony that is conducted and registered by a registrar and is legally binding. As an independent celebrant, I am unable to complete the legalities- this would need to be arranged and carried out by the Registrar's Office in your local Council . 

However, many couples choose to follow their legal civil ceremony with a commitment ceremony.

This enables them to have a ceremony that celebrates their partnership in the way that is right for them. 

I lead these ceremonies in a highly personalised manner, incorporating aspects and elements that are unique to each couple. Each service is bespoke and written exactly to your wishes and requirements, enabling you to celebrate your love for each other in a memorable and special manner.

A Civil Funeral Ceremony is about celebrating the life of a loved one and often takes place at a crematorium or burial site. You can also have a memorial ceremony, or burial of ashes after a funeral. The ceremony can be non-religious or contain religious elements such as hymns, readings or prayers. It can also include elements of different faiths. 

I work closely with the staff at the venue to ensure a smooth and straightforward service to mark the life of your loved one with dignity in a manner that brings comfort to all.

Of course, mourners are welcome to make their own contribution to a service and many are keen to add their own personal tribute. Since each crematorium runs to tight time deadlines, I will work with you to ensure that the time scales are not overrun. Additionally, I would remain on standby to read the tribute out myself on behalf of the mourner should they experience any difficulties in completing the task on the day itself.

Absolutely! Carefully chosen music, that reflects the tastes of the departed person and their loved ones, can be very appropriate, comforting and poignant within a service. I am able to discuss your choices and assist you to make the vital selection.

The crematorium will have a professional sound system to play your music on the day.