Celebrant, party starter and all round Bodacious Babe!
Hi, I’m Steph,
I trained as a Civil Celebrant for two reasons:
I attended the funeral of a legend of a man and watched in awe as his super-cool Celebrant turned a single slot at a crematorium into the most memorable celebration of life I had ever seen!
As a wedding guest I always wondered why the ceremony was short and standard. You just know the guests were thinking “get through this bit then the bar will open”… Surely the party could start at the ceremony not the reception?
Ten semi-interesting facts about me
I am married to my love and best friend and have inherited 5 grandchildren and a very silly rescue dog called Maggie May.
I have a Masters in human rights, emergencies and development from Oxford Brookes University, graduating with a Distinction (got to get that in).
When I was much younger I went backpacking, working in LA and Sydney along the way. After this I spent 5 years as a tour rep for Grecian and Thomson Holidays (TUI), serving on Nile cruise boats, the ski slopes of Italy, and the beaches of Greece.
After I came home I was a trainer and qualified project manager in law firms in London and New York for most of my thirties and early forties.
I once built shelters for refugees in the ‘Jungle’ camp of Calais, France.
5. I once won a Social Entrepreneur Award for supporting those wanting to move into purposeful roles in later life.
6. In my late forties I took another career change and started the UK’s first Bakery, Boutique and Spa for Pets - ‘Vanity Fur’. I won Southend Business of the Year and Essex Small Business of the Year. After a few years I expanded, opening ‘The Pet Spa’ and the ‘Canine Cookie Company’ in Harrods, Knightsbridge.
7. Around this time I broke a Guinness World Record for baking the World’s largest dog biscuit. Random I know!
8. Still on the pet theme I wrote a recipe book called ‘Pupcakes’. You can still buy it on Amazon for about 5p I think! At this time I appeared on The Alan Titchmarsh Show where Alan and I baked ‘Mutt-loaf’, This Morning, Sunday Lunch and was resident ‘Pet Chef’ on Sky 1’s Pet Nation with Liza Tarbuck.
9. Now in my fifties I am proud to work part-time for our great NHS. I worked throughout Covid across our three local hospitals and recently was invited to Buckingham Palace where I met the King - he was very charming!
10. Now I am living my best life in the heart of Suffolk as a trained Civil Celebrant, telling other people’s stories.
So if you are looking for a Celebrant with varied life experience who will commit unlimited energy to telling your story and making your ceremony unforgettable, get in touch today.