Celebrate Life's Milestones With a Family Celebrant
Let’s make your family celebrations memorable – for all the right reasons!
WELCOME
So you’re seeking a celebrant for your event? Well, you’ve come to right place.
What are YOU celebrating?
Whilst weddings are the most popular type of event officiated by a celebrant I cater for many other events too. I make every celebration one to remember and special to you. Why not contact me for an informal chat to see if we are a good fit. Either call me or send a message through the contact form .
HELLO
I’m David, an independent family celebrant. Welcome to my world of celebration!
I am a passionate wedding and family event celebrant based in Croydon, London. I am dedicated to making your special day even more memorable. My job is to make your celebration as unique and as special as you are. I celebrate and embrace individuality, diversity and inclusivity.
Family celebrations are many and varied, they come in all shapes sizes and no event is quite like another. I take the trouble to learn about YOU, the person, or people who are celebrating, whatever event it may be. This way I can create and tailor a presentation that really conveys your message and feelings.
With my expertise in crafting personalised celebration speeches I ensure that your family events are filled with joy, love, and laughter.
Let me help you create unforgettable moments that will be cherished by you, your family and friends for a lifetime.
Below are some examples of the types of events you might be considering. This list is not exhaustive, so please contact me about any upcoming special event. I look forward to working with you.
My Services
READY TO CREATE SOME SPECIAL MEMORIES?
Simply get in touch by calling me or send a message by using the contact form
SOME CASE STUDIES
BABY NAMING CEREMONY
The Johnson family wanted a special ceremony to celebrate the arrival of their precious baby girl. They asked me to design a baby naming ceremony that would unite family and friends in welcoming their little one into the world. The ceremony featured heartfelt speeches, wishes for the baby’s future, and a symbolic tree planting, representing the growth and love she would experience in her life. It was a joyous occasion filled with love and hope for the newest member of their family.
WEDDING CEREMONY
Sarah and James, a young couple deeply in love, reached out to me to officiate their wedding ceremony in a beautiful garden setting. They had a vision of a heartfelt, non-traditional wedding that celebrated their unique love story. Together, we crafted a personalised ceremony that included their favourite poems and shared memories. The ceremony seamlessly blended their personalities and left their guests in tears of joy. It was a truly magical day that celebrated their love in a way that was entirely their own.
RENEWAL OF VOWS
Celebrating 25 years of marriage, the Smiths decided to renew their vows in a grand ceremony with close friends and family. They wanted to reaffirm their love and commitment to each other. We created a ceremony that combined their cherished memories with their hopes for the future. Their children shared heartwarming anecdotes, and the ceremony concluded with a symbolic sand ceremony, blending two unique colours into one, signifying their enduring union. It was a touching and emotional day, reminding everyone of the power of love and commitment.
SOME CASE STUDIES
Prices shown include everything you need, any extra things you would like will incur added cost. This can all be discussed in our no obligation initial contact.
Bespoke Ceremonies in celebration of your loved one, at a location of your choice / your local crematorium / Natural Burial Ground. Please get in touch.
FAQs
Many modern couples want to host their wedding ceremonies a non-licenced space. This could be their garden, or in a marquee or teepee in a farmer’s field. Their only option is a personalised Ceremony created and performed by an Independent or a Humanist Celebrant. Local Council Registrars can’t perform a marriage at a non-licenced premises.
For venues that do have a Civil Licence, then using Registrars is the favoured option for many couples. The basic civil marriage ceremony script has many limitations including the choice of wording, vows, music and spiritual content, as well as restraints over location and timings. With a Celebrant you have complete freedom to create a ceremony that’s totally 'you' – with your views, feelings, values and vows at its heart.
Maybe your budget is limited (and whose isn’t?), hiring a licenced venue, plus the cost of Registrars travelling out, may be prohibitive. It’s more cost-effective to use a Celebrant. Without a doubt though, the main reason is the freedom to make your event your own.
Absolutely!
Celebrants write and create a bespoke ceremony script just for you – so no two will be the same.
A personal Wedding Ceremony can incorporate many different elements – we like to tell your love story, and you can enhance these words with any symbolism, such as hand-fasting, ring-warming or a unity candle lighting, to name just a few.
We encourage you to write your own personal wedding vows – with help if you need it.
A Celebrant gets to know you as they plan your ceremony, so that you feel comfortable and prepared.
Included in my main wedding package (package one), is a full in-person Rehearsal close to the wedding day. For other ceremonies we might still practice but this is via Zoom or WhatsApp.
Every Celebrant tailors their ceremonies to each couple, to produce a bespoke script. Some are intimate and brief, others longer and more complex but all will be absolutely personal!
We meet all of our couples personally and they often book us months or years before the Wedding Day. Celebrants work together with their clients to produce the perfect ceremony that reflects you as a couple.
You can hold your Wedding Ceremony anywhere and at any time. There’s nothing stopping you having a moonlit wedding ceremony under the stars!
Unique enough?
My pricing for an average wedding is shown above but should you want to add any extras they may incur an added cost. This will all be discussed when we meet and a firm quote will be given. If your wedding is on a weekday (and I am available) I may be able to offer a discount!
I am super happy to co-ordinate and liaise with all the other professionals you’ve hired, ensuring your wedding runs just as smoothly as it can – again our fee includes this element of stage management – which you would certainly not get with a Registrar!
Our most popular wedding fee includes unlimited contact and as many meetings and revisions to the script.
When required, I use PA system, especially outdoors. I know exactly how frustrating it can be for a guest who can’t hear the ceremony words. And particularly your beautifully-composed and emotional vows! We’ll play your ceremony music if you like, meaning you don’t need to source a separate PA. We offer a hand-held microphone to anyone who’s doing readings, and for you to speak your loving vows to one another.
In short, no. A wedding ceremony performed by a celebrant is symbolic, beautiful and personal, but not legal or binding.
UK-based couples split the legal and ceremonial elements of their wedding into two parts. They would have a basic legal marriage at a Register Office, prior to their Celebrant-led Wedding Ceremony. Most major Register Offices call this a ‘Statutory Registration of Marriage’.
International couples may have already taken part in a brief legal marriage many months before their ‘English Wedding Day’. They still think of this as their “proper” wedding though.
The Ceremony that we create for you will be forever remembered as your actual Wedding Day. We often hear that our personal wedding ceremonies have touched your family and friends very deeply!
Under current Marriage Law in England & Wales, a Registrar civil licence is issued to venues with a permanent structure. This is why “Wedding Gazebos” pop up in hotel grounds so they can offer an “outdoor” wedding ceremony, and satisfy the law. Often it’s just your guests seated fully outside, whilst you’re hidden away under the dark gloomy gazebo!
What My Clients Say
CONTACT ME
Feel free to contact me anytime. Use the contact form below and I will get back to you as soon I possibly can. Please see office hours below for phone calls.