Fire in your celebration?
Fire plays a central role in a number of life’s big moments. At a wedding ceremony to recognise a new family arrangement through a unity candle. At a funeral ceremony through cremation, leaving ashes that are treated with honour and respect.
Fire is a powerful symbol that can mark beginnings, endings and everything in between.
My home town of Lewes has a special affinity with fire, hosting the UK’s most famous Bonfire Night on the fifth of November each year. Seven bonfire societies process through the town before heading off to six different sites, each of which has a huge fire, and a firework display that lights up the sky, booming and crackling from one end of the town to the other.
The cause for this spectacular celebration isn’t straightforward. It has roots in the Guy Fawkes story, in commemorating persecuted Protestants, and in challenging authority in various forms. You’ll see people dressed in a whole range of costumes including Vikings, suffragettes, Tudor aristocracy, buccaneers, smugglers, clerics and monks, all walking along bearing flaming torches.
This year it was my turn to stay in with the dog. I’ve previously been a smuggler and a suffragette, carrying a torch in the procession alongside friends and neighbours.
On the fifth of November, for me, fire means a shared experience that marks a community with deep roots. It means people coming together to make an amazing event happen.
Will you include fire in your celebration, and what would it mean to you?
Services Overview
Wedding Ceremonies & Vow Renewals
A celebrant-led wedding or vow renewal lets you celebrate your relationship your way. I'll work with you to create a beautiful ceremony that reflects your journey as a couple, shaping the event the way you’d like it to be.
Celebration of Life Events (Funerals, Living Funerals, Memorials)
Everyone deserves a farewell that truly honours their story, and is delivered in a way that’s appropriate for their family and friends.
Script Writing
Need words for a special occasion? Whether you're looking for help with wedding vows, a funeral eulogy or a meaningful speech for any life event, I'll listen to your stories and create a unique script in a tone and style that feels right for you.
Naming Ceremonies
I'm currently training to offer naming ceremonies for all of life's new chapters and transitions, with plans to begin these services by the end of the year.
Other Events
If there's a moment you'd like to recognise that isn't listed on this site - a special birthday or anniversary, a big life change, the passing of a beloved animal - let's explore how to mark that event.
Whatever the occasion, I'll take the time to understand the story and capture the essence in a ceremony.