Before I trained as a celebrant six years ago, I was a television and radio presenter for 35 years. Telling people’s stories has always been part of my working life.
Early in my career, I was lucky enough to be sent on a BBC scriptwriting course taught by Sir David Attenborough. He was awesome!
These days I use my experience to tell a rather different kind of story - yours.
For me, the best wedding ceremonies are the ones where you laugh, cry and come away thinking, “That was so them.”
That’s what I want to create for you.
One bride described me like this:
“Debbie is reassuring, organised and firmly on your side. She is the celebrant version of your mum - but with more mascara"
I have five years’ experience as a celebrant, conducting everything from intimate family gatherings of ten people to weddings with around 200 guests in venues from Surrey to Southern Europe.
My years in the media taught me how to ask the right questions, how to listen — properly — and how to spot the little details that sometimes tell you more about a couple than the big stuff.
I bring it all together in a ceremony that sounds like you, not like a wedding script.
I want your guests to laugh because they recognise you, be moved because the words are true, and perhaps discover something about the two of you they never knew before.
It doesn’t have to be solemn to be meaningful — and it definitely doesn’t have to be stuffy.
After years of live broadcasting, I've learnt a thing or two about nerves — and, more importantly, how to get the best out of people when they’re experiencing them. I will keep things calm and gently steer the ceremony so you can forget about what happens next and enjoy what’s happening now.
“The Mary Poppins of weddings”
I laughed when one Mother of the Bride said this after I removed make-up from a bridesmaid’s dress — and then lent her daughter my own wedding ring when hers turned out to be too small.
I now carry emergency wedding rings. Just in case.
I've led ceremonies at some wonderful venues: Claridge’s, The Hurlingham Club, The Oriental Club, Brunswick House, Horsley Towers, Cannizaro House, Pembroke Lodge, Morden Hall, High Billinghurst Farm and Barnett Hill. I have also travelled overseas for weddings in Tuscany and Portugal.
But once the ceremony begins, even the most spectacular venue simply becomes a beautiful backdrop to what really matters: the two of you.
If you think I might be the right celebrant for you, please get in touch.
