This week, we’re honoured to be interviewing a fabulous wedding celebrant to give us a glimpse into her day in the life! Recommended Supplier, Roxy Celebrates Love, is a London and Brighton based wedding celebrant that specialises in lighting up wedding ceremonies. A wedding ceremony doesn’t need to be that thing you just have to tick off to get to the party. Nope, with a celebrant like Roxy, you’ll be laughing, crying, and just bursting with love. This series is all about answering those questions you’ve always wanted to know. How far in advance should you enquire with a wedding celebrant? How can you become a wedding celebrant? As well as pricing and advice! So, let’s get those answers!

A day in the life with wedding celebrant, Roxy Celebrates Love!

1. How did you become a wedding celebrant?

The first time I saw a humanist ceremony, I was totally blown away. I’d only seen registrar ceremonies before – including my own! I instantly felt sad that we hadn’t known more about our options when getting married. The humanist ceremony was such a beautiful, unique way of celebrating such an important moment. I knew instantly that it was something I wanted to pursue.

2. What does an average day in the life of a wedding celebrant look like for you?

My day always starts with a dog walk. I live on the seafront in Hove, so it’s a run and a dip for our cocker spaniel, and sometimes I join her for a swim (if the weather is behaving, of course.) Then I start my working day. If it’s a non-ceremony day, my day mainly consists of sitting at my desk crafting couple's ceremonies (while drinking about 10 cups of tea!) or meeting the lovely couples I’m working with to plan their ceremony.

If it’s a ceremony day, it’s all systems go. You know how long it takes when you get dressed up to go to a wedding, well, that’s a frequent routine for me in the spring and summer! I do it all about 40 times a year! I work all over the south of England, and sometimes abroad, so there’s normally travel involved. I’ve racked up quite a few miles in my little green Fiat 500. After marrying the couple, I’m often all giddy with that post-ceremony high and will head home, de-glam into something slouchy and have a nice glass of wine.

3. How far in advance should couples book you/enquire with you?

In short, as soon as possible after setting a date and securing a venue! Celebrants are often one of the first things booked for a wedding, and I’m usually booked up far in advance. Depending on the time of year and my workload, I occasionally have the capacity to take on last-minute weddings. I absolutely hate telling couples that I’m unavailable, so the best bet is to enquire early!

4. What is the skill set required to be a wedding celebrant?

Celebrants wear many hats and there are lots of skills needed for the job. Being a confident, professional public speaker is obviously a big part of it, but it goes beyond that alone. For me, it’s also about being able to be authentic while standing up there, being personable and being a good storyteller. Celebrants also write bespoke ceremonies for all of their couples, so there’s a huge amount that goes into that. It requires creative writing skills, interviewing and being able to put couples at ease. Aside from all of that, there’s a huge amount that goes on behind the scenes to promote your business. As with many small businesses, it’s basically like being a one-stop-shop marketer!

5. What’s the most rewarding aspect of your day/job?

There are so many wonderful elements! The whole job is basically a massive love-in, and being able to stand alongside a couple through one of the moment important moments in their lives is amazing. I love looking around the faces of the guests during a ceremony and taking it all in. But if I had to pick, it would be hearing all of the lovely feedback after the ceremony. Whether that’s talking to guests, who often tell you it was the best ceremony they’ve ever seen, or receiving messages from happy couples saying what a key part of their day it was.

6. What do you wish more couples knew about wedding celebrants?

That they absolutely won’t regret a thing if they book a celebrant to personalise their day. Instead of a generic ceremony, they can have their love story shared with all of their guests. A truly memorable, magical moment is guaranteed.

7. What current trends are you seeing within the wedding celebrant world?

Our whole little industry has exploded in popularity in the last few years. When people attend a celebrant-led wedding, they now leave knowing that they want the same, too. There are more celebrants than ever and some of us are very busy indeed!

8. How do you get inspired/get in the zone?

I make sure to do something creative with frequency. Whether that’s reading an inspiring book, going to a gallery or even just being in nature. If I’m ever feeling a bit blocked, a walk along the beach often shakes away the cobwebs.

9. What are your lowest and highest price packages/options?

Unlike some, I don’t really go in for “packages”. I offer couples a fixed rate price because I feel that they should have the whole work available to them without worrying about having to pay extra for anything. You can find out more about my pricing on my website.

10. What advice would you give others looking to get into this field?

You should train with a reputable, well-known body. I’m trained by Humanists UK. It is a wonderful job, but don’t go into it blindly. You should be aware of all of the behind-the-scenes stuff that you need to do to make your business a success – from website and SEO knowledge to social media and marketing, networking and beyond. It’s not as easy as it looks!

11. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

The ceremony should be front and centre, the beating heart of the whole day. After all, that’s what the whole thing is about really, isn’t it? But so often, the ceremony is a boring formality, while people wait for the fun to really start. Don’t compromise. Having a celebrant ceremony is a decision you won’t regret, and really sets the tone for the party that follows.

How do you become a wedding celebrant? We hope you can consider all your questions answered!

Whether you're a curious couple looking for wedding celebrant advice or a budding wedding supplier looking to enter the industry, we hope you've found this interview, with the amazing Roxy Celebrates Love, very interesting! A huge thank you to Roxy for giving us a little glimpse into her hard work and creative talent. Looking for more ceremony information? Take a look at our guides. We have all you need to know about humanist ceremonies, handfasting ceremonies as well as a guide to civil ceremonies!