My Origin Story

Perhaps you’ve landed on this site because you’re looking for a celebrant. But finding someone you can trust with something as important as a wedding or funeral ceremony is a big deal. You might want to know bit more about the person you’re considering contacting. Who are they really? What makes them tick?

Origin Story

I was born in the mid 80s and raised in Nottingham, a true early millennial that first went on a website in 2001 and spent my formative teen years on MSN Messenger and spent literal hours inputting custom ringtones on my Nokia 3310.

Flicking through my maroon record of achievement folder would show you I was a goalkeeper in the school netball team, a position I achieved due to sheer height and limb-length in the absence of any sort of co-ordination or sporting ability.

I also achieved bronze, silver and gold in Lifesaving, which means if I’m ever swimming in my pyjamas, I know exactly how to make a mediocre float.

Outside of school, I worked as a waitress and later as a barmaid in old man pubs where everyone drank out of a tankard. I was probably better at listening to people about their life stories and drinking pints than I was at actually running the bar and serving customers (sorry Kev!)

My interest in people and what makes them tick continued, when I went to college and studied English, Psychology and Communication studies. I continued along those lines when I went to uni to study Media, Culture and Society, a degree which was very interesting but qualifies you for very little.

As a graduate, after a brief flirtation with a career in law (thanks to having a DVD collection limited to Ally McBeal), I studied for my Professional Diploma in Marketing and worked my way up the ranks in creative agency client service.

Enter Mr R

Having first become adorably dorky online friends / penpals in 2001, I’d eventually met my future husband Neil in person for the first time in Manchester Piccadilly Train Station in 2006. We moved in together as his video production company started to grow.

In 2011, with a few years experience under my belt, I did the brave thing and joined forces with Neil. We built the business together and did some amazing work with clients like Center Parcs, Toyota and Rab.

Along the way, we got married, raised two beautiful boys and bought a renovated our home. Eventually we got to the point where the business didn’t need me to be at my desk all day, there was space to do something new.

I spent a lot of time working out what I wanted that to be, but I had some non-negotiables:

1. After almost 20 years working in marketing, whatever I did next needed to not make me feel a little bit dead inside (IYKYK).
2. I was looking for something interesting and creative, that built on my love of getting to know people (that’s a nice way of saying I’m nosy, and we all know it).
3. Thinking practically for a second, I was also looking for something that fitted around my other business and family life.
   

So whilst I was on my soul searching mission, I went to a funeral of a woman who was vivacious and full of life. During her lifetime, she was multifaceted and complicated, but her funeral ceremony wasn’t much more than a list of dates and accolades. It didn’t do justice to the woman I knew and I thought I could do a better job.

So I did.

I trained with Humanist Ceremonies, who train their celebrants to write and conduct meaningful non-religious ceremonies. At first I trained in funerals, and, realising how much I loved it, I trained in Weddings too.

Since then, I’ve worked on hundreds of ceremonies big and small, some full of laughter, some full of tears, usually a bit of both.

Whilst I might sound a bit smug, the truth is, I bloody love it. Whilst the news might try to persuade you otherwise, being a celebrant has taught me that people are, inherently good. And that coming together to celebrate, whether on a wedding day or at a funeral, is an important part of being human. It’s a privilege to get to work with the couples, families and friends to do what I do.

It’s taught me public speaking skills, storytelling and writing skills. But none of us are ever the finished product. My “To Read” bookshelf is packed with books about the art of great speechwriting, holding space, ceremony, ritual and journalistic interview questions so I can get to the real nitty gritty of what I need to know to write the best ceremonies possible. When I’m not listening to industry-related podcasts, I’m taking inspiration from elsewhere. This has got to be one of the few jobs where watching Married at First Sight and Love is Blind counts as CPD, right?

Being a celebrant isn’t for everyone, although the number of phone calls I get from people wanting to quit corporate life and become a celebrant would suggest otherwise. I’ve got a blog post about this very subject rattling around in the old brain, but until I get chance to take pen to paper, you can do a lot worse than checking out my Humanist UK Wedding Mentor Kick Ass Gatherings’ excellent post* on the subject.

*bonus points if you spot the photo of me, in the pub AKA my natural habitat

So there you have it, the backstory of how Kate The Celebrant came to be. Do you have any other burning questions or do you want to discuss the latest season of Love Is Blind? If so, get in touch.

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