Hi, I'm Dawn
Hello and Welcome! I am Dawn Rees, a humanist celebrant based in East Anglia but very happy to travel in the name of love.
Becoming a humanist celebrant was one of the best decisions I ever made – I chose life and to live it fully. To be honest, I chose humanism as a deliberate act of rebellion. Once you get to know me, you’ll see that rebellious twinkle in my eye!
Whilst I respect other people’s beliefs and culture, religion isn’t for me and I saw humanism as a way of celebrating my fundamental values – kindness, fairness, love, equality, fun and compassion. I decided to take these values and share them with others by creating wonderfully personal and unique humanist ceremonies.
If you’re looking for celebrant, then you probably already have clear ideas about your ceremony aligning with your values and you probably already wanting something a little bit different! My role as your celebrant is to give your ideas life and make them sparkle. I deliver tailor-made ceremonies, I never use a pre-prepared script and your ceremony will be 100% unique to you.
‘Loving’, ‘Laughing’, ‘Living’ reflect my fundamental values and approach to my work as a celebrant. I have written and delivered scripts for hundreds of ceremonies and whilst all are unique, they all celebrate individuality, humour, equality, fairness and love. Why am I doing this? I've had a long career as an innovator - often appointed because I won't stand for second-best, for being straightforward, for being a great public speaker and a generator of ideas. I've worked in local authorities, regional government, as a director of innovation and change in government departments and in the last 15 years of my career, as an executive coach and leadership mentor. People have always been my motivators!
What do I love? My life, my family, camping out in the campervan (40% of my couples own one!), cooking for lots of people. Laughing.
What motivates me? Change, new ideas, imagination, courage.
Beat gig I've been to? Probably Nick Cave. But then again it could be The Killers.
Something to ask me when we speak together? Why didn't I stay in Mauritius?
What's your most memorable ceremony? Hard to say - but probably the one postponed for nearly four years (moving to the other side of the world, Covid and then a baby got in the way (the couple, not me )). At the last minute, I found myself assisted by the Indian aunties of the groom and we added a surprise baby naming ceremony in the middle. There were tears!!
With Dawns steady hand on the tiller we had the celebration we absolutely wanted! Her experience and confidence held the ring of some pretty riotous behaviour amongst our friends! We wanted something different, something a little quirky and a little ‘out-there’ that reflected us as a family and the relationship we have. We certainly got that!”
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“Thank you for such an ecstatically happy day naming Tilly and Eddie. We couldn’t believe it went so smoothly with all those children there! The ‘memory tree’ was inspired and thank you for including all those little references …… In the Night Garden, Moana and Frozen. Perfect!
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“As you know, we wanted to renew our vows with just two guests. I am sure it is more tricky to do that and to ‘make it real’ than to do a big ceremony. You held it all so lightly, it was as if we were in a little secret bubble. Nothing else mattered but being there and the words you wrote. We will never forget what you did and how you made us feel. You got who we are.”
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We haven’t even got to the wedding bit yet but I wanted to say how lovely it is working with you. As two women preparing for our special day we never thought it could feel so easy”
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“You were fabulous! You got our story absolutely pitch perfect, and everyone loved you! We dont just think of you as our celebrant, we consider you a friend. In fact you probably know more about us now than some of our friends!”
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“Don’t change Dawn, because the combination of knowledge, personality and utter respect for who we are and how we live our lives made for a ceremony without equal. Just wonderful. We are on Cloud Nine”
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Dawn Rees
Where I work
I am based in Norfolk, just south of Norwich. That's just the start of it! In fact i travel all over the UK and Europe. The gift of the internet, Zoom, WhatsApp, email and (sometimes) a hand-written letter means that couples from Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Cayman Islands, Greece, Spain, Italy, India, Mauritius, Colombia, and the USA all find me. From that point, we have wide-ranging conversations before we ever get to the booking stage!
Fees from...
Price on application
How to contact me
Phone
Website
HUMANIST CEREMONIES™ is the network of more than 550 celebrants, trained by national charity Humanists UK to a gold standard to provide memorable and meaningful humanist ceremonies to non-religious people. Operating throughout England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, we deliver authentic, tailor-made and heartfelt ceremonies for life’s key moments. They are always inclusive and welcoming, regardless of the beliefs of those attending.
You can trust Humanist Ceremonies celebrants: We are DBS-checked, fully insured, and regularly peer reviewed for quality assurance. We are committed to a code of conduct, and have a transparent and robust complaints process in the rare case of a problem. We all pay a monthly fee to Humanists UK to further support the work of the charity, and are part of a regional network for like-minded celebrants for support and learning.
Humanist weddings
A humanist wedding ceremony is a wonderful option to celebrate your wedding in the way you choose: without religion but with meaning, and totally true to the two of you. They are uplifting and heartwarming occasions, personal to each couple to reflect your personalities and interests, and your love story. Sincere and significant, your ceremony will be crafted to create an occasion which is unique and fitting to you both.
