Susannah the Heritage Celebrant

Last night, in those precious minutes while the bath is running, I jumped on the latest AI trend and asked it to create an image board for me as a celebrant. It went through a couple of iterations, but this is what it came up with eventually. I think it's done rather well.

How about you? Would this give you a good feel of what it's like to work with me?

Yesterday I was working on my 'style statement', which is jargon for describing what I do in a couple of sentences in a way that will inspire my perfect people to work with me.

The words and ideas are all mine, but I'll admit to using AI to help me generate different options so I could choose what I like and why and get a feel for lots of different possibilities. AI will never write for me, but as a tool to play with ideas it's useful.

Anyway, this is what we came up with for a kick-off. How does this sit with you, and do you think it captures who I am and how I work? If not, what would you change?

“I create imaginative, inspiring ceremonies with warmth, heart and compassion. Every ceremony is unique, blending creativity, a touch of theatre and your personal story to capture your essence and honour life’s milestones in a way that feels genuine, heartfelt and meaningful. Where appropriate, my work is inspired by the richness of Jewish heritage and tradition, always celebrating what makes each person’s story unique.”

Happy Monday, everyone.

I'm thrilled and delighted to tell you that today I have added naming ceremonies to my celebrant qualifications and I can now officially conduct all kinds of naming ceremonies.

In case you're wondering how I achieved this qualification, there were five modules of self-study which were graded and returned with personal feedback. I then had to create a naming ceremony script, which was returned with feedback from my wonderful mentor Helen, and then perform the ceremony for her on Zoom, having incorporated her feedback. This is what Helen said about my ceremony:

Congratulations again on a fantastic naming ceremony - you absolutely nailed it!"

You really are wonderful and have so much to offer couples and families. Your script writing is excellent and there is constant flow as you move through the sections of the ceremony. Even though I knew the content of your script I was still completely invested. You really made the script come alive with your wonderful storytelling and you were in complete control of the ceremony space at all times which was wonderful to see. You act in local productions in your spare time and that really shows. You did a brilliant job of bringing the script to life, speaking directly to the young cousins and making sure you were expressive physically.

You are relaxed when you speak and you exude a warmth that means as the listener you feel comfortable. Fantastic energy and emotion, wonderful body language and facial expressions. Great skills, great qualities and a bright future!"

If you want to discover more about what a naming ceremony can be (they're not just for babies) or you know someone who would love a naming ceremony, please do get in touch.

Today is another momentous day in the life of the Heritage Celebrant.

Today I performed my live Naming assessment and was told that I have passed. I haven't yet received my mentor's written feedback, but the verbal feedback was so positive and lovely that I feel very encouraged to pursue this career and create beautiful ceremonies for lovely families.

So, as of today, I can perform naming ceremonies as well as funerals. Exciting stuff!

Remember, namings are not just for babies. A change of gender identity, the integration of a blended family and the reclaiming of a maiden name after divorce are just some of the reasons someone might want to celebrate the acquisition of a new name.

These are lovely ceremonies because they can take place anywhere, be any length and any size, and include all sorts of creative elements. They can be upbeat and fun, and a great excuse for a party.

Who do you know who might want to have a ceremony for a new name?

More news from The Heritage Celebrant today.

I have had my naming ceremony assignment marked and returned. My mentor loved it, particularly the personal touches, the way I involved grandparents and guide parents, the creative elements and the way I told the story.

Next week I have my practical assessment, and then hopefully I will be qualified to perform naming ceremonies.

At the same time, I'm getting ready to appear in 'Calendar Girls'. It's my third time doing the play, but my first time in the role of Jessie.

When they hear I'm going to be in this play, people always tell me how brave I am, because there is a little bit of nudity in it. I'm honestly neither brave nor body confident. When you live in a fat body, which the rest of the world wants to erase, it's very hard to have body confidence.

But I keep auditioning for this particular show because I love telling the story so much. The writing is fabulous and the play celebrates the fact that every woman is amazing and individual and the body they are in right now is more than good enough.

What has this got to do with being a celebrant?

Well, I'm committed to celebrating you exactly as you are and bringing your amazing stories to life, just like we do in the play. I celebrate with people of diverse ages, interests and backgrounds and I love to create something beautiful for each and every one.

So, if you want a celebration that truly reflects your unique story, I'm here to bring that ceremony to life.

And if you want to see me playing Jessie in Farnigham next week or the week after, alongside a really excellent cast, there are still a few tickets remaining.

Today I want to share something very special. It's not something we like to think about, it may have a highly personal meaning for you, and it may well make you feel very upset, but we need to speak about it.

Baby loss has been a significant part of my family story. I don't want to overshare, but I do want you to know that. That's why it was particularly meaningful for me to train with Poppy Mardel in how to be there for families who wish to mark the loss of a baby. Poppy's amazing charity, Daphne and Friends, helps families affected by baby loss every day in the most empathetic way. I would absolutely have wanted Daphne and Friends in my corner for various reasons, and would recommend them to anyone.

That's why it's such a privilege to be accredited by Daphne and Friends. Although it was as poignant as you would imagine, the course was uplifting too, and I'm so pleased I had the opportunity to study with Poppy. Her support is ongoing, and I'm so pleased that I can turn to her at any time so that I can serve my clients better when they most need it.

Whether you are marking a sad occasion or a joyous one, The Heritage Celebrant is here for you.

Last night on the way to rehearsal my car broke down on the A20. It was completely unexpected. Luckily, I managed to pull over onto the verge (no hard shoulder available) before my car ground to a halt altogether in a sea of traffic travelling at 70mph.

Luckily for me, lovely Matt from National Highways came to my aid, but I still missed rehearsal, and it was nearly 3 hours after I initially broke down that I finally made it home. Now I just need to find a mechanic.

Not the evening I had expected at all, but in many ways I was extremely fortunate.

The moral of the story? Unexpected crises can happen at any time. You can't always prevent them but you can be better prepared than I was.

Sadly, I'm aware that death is one of the unexpected things that can happen, especially as yesterday I was also at the funeral of a friend who passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. We don't like to think about it, but in my opinion we should all prepare for it by having the paperwork ready for our executors and next of kin. An easy way to do this is to have a folder which contains all the documents they will need to register your death, carry out your funeral wishes and deal with your estate.

I have to admit that I don't have one of these yet, but yesterday certainly gave me the nudge I needed. Don't worry, I have no plans to die any time soon, but you just never know.

What plans have you made to organise your affairs for when the time comes?

This has been a big week for the Heritage Celebrant.

I'm working on training for naming ceremonies at the moment. At the start of the week I had my self-study assignments marked, and I'm delighted to tell you that I scored 100.%. I've been assigned the most incredible mentor and I'm now in the process of writing my first naming ceremony.

The scenario is a gay couple who are adopting a little boy. I chose this out of the two possible options offered to me because I am friends with one of the first le***an couples to have their child blessed in synagogue. I know how much their daughter means to them and how much joy she has brought to their lives, so it's special to me when gay couples bring a child into their family to be raised in love.

This also tells us that naming ceremonies don't have to be traditional, and they don't have to be for babies. There are several scenarios in which people might want to celebrate the change of a name. I will post a blog about that another time. For now, I'm getting on with writing my ceremony and looking forward to feedback from my marvellous mentor.

If all goes well, I'll be qualified for naming ceremonies in 4 weeks.

Wish me luck!

The Heritage Celebrant has been quiet for a while.

This isn't by any means because nothing has been happening, just that things have been going on quietly behind the scenes while I've been dealing with a few personal issues, and also working away at my Naming qualification. As we speak, I'm waiting for my self-study modules to be marked before being assigned a mentor. My aim is to be qualified for Naming ceremonies by the end of the month.

The other big thing I've been working on is my website, and I'm very excited to let you know that it's now live. It's not perfect, but I think it's good enough to show to people. and get some feedback.

Easter/Passover weekend feels like a great time to launch, with its symbolism of new beginnings and the importance of life, and of the key role that faith plays for some people.

If you get a minute, please do come and visit the website, and perhaps leave me a message. Let me know what you think, and what it would be helpful to have on the site.

The next thing I'm working on is some free resources. Is there anything that would be particularly helpful for you to have when planning a ceremony? Do let me know.

I very much look forward to your visit. https://heritagecelebrant.com/

This morning I was speaking with a celebrant colleague who had recently met a registrar at a networking meeting. The moment she told them what she did, they turned hostile.

I think this is super-sad. They obviously saw her as some sort of threat or competition, rather than as an opportunity for collaboration.

The truth is, registrars and celebrants do different things, so we can work well together.

Unless you are being married by a Minister of Religion, you need a registrar for your marriage to be legal. If you get a good one, they will give you a nice experience.

Let's be honest, you don't absolutely need a celebrant. You can have a registrar-only wedding, particularly if you're on a tight budget. But here are some things that registrars don't offer:
- They aren't allowed any religious content, or even to be in a ceremony where you want religious content (e.g. a song that mentions God). My personal experience is that they're not particularly fond of religion at all.
- They won't dress in your favourite colours or according to the theme of your ceremony.
- They don't add in creative personal elements. If you want to release doves, have a handfasting, or a candle lighting, a registrar doesn't facilitate these things.
- They won't spend much time getting to know your personal story. Their appointments are only so long, and they have to fit in all the legal aspects before they move on to getting to know you as a couple.

Of course you want (and need) to be married legally, but many couples want a ceremony filled with meaning and personal touches as well. That's what someone like me is uniquely placed to offer.

The reason I feel it's so important is that it's what I experienced at my own wedding. We could just have had the registrar, but our experience was vastly enriched by having our Rabbinic friends perform a blessing and deliver the address, and we were able to include some ritual as well, some standard, some tweaked for our own needs.

Celebrants are taught that there is no competition, only collaboration. I love this approach and wish more people had this as a business model.

If you know anyone I could collaborate with as a fledgling celebrant, I'd love to be introduced. At this time, I'm particularly looking for funeral directors, interfaith connections and florists, but I'm open to suggestions.

Here's to working together.