Hi, I'm Rachael

Image of Rachael Bowers

Looks like a wedding. Feels like you!

I'm a professional wedding celebrant based in York, North Yorkshire and working all over the UK. I create wedding ceremonies for couples who want to celebrate their love in ways that feel true to them and their relationship. I love telling your story in a way that connects with your guests, bringing smiles, warmth and laughter. Guests will remember the way your wedding ceremony made them feel, whether it's a gorgeous sense of understanding your relationship or being part of the important moment that kicked off an immense celebration!

Working with me is fun, instinctive and truly one of the best parts of planning a wedding. I've conducted over 40 ceremonies, including weddings, commitment ceremonies and elopements. In each one I've connected with the couple, got to know and understand them and created a ceremony that sang about their love for each other with a vibe that suited their personality.

Take a look at my website to learn more about me and be inspired by my previous couples.

Rachael was just the dream in helping us craft our wedding ceremony. From our first conversation, she was kind, patient and encouraging - not an easy thing to do with total strangers! - which immediately put us at ease.

Many guests told us how moved they were by the ceremony. We are so grateful that our story, feelings and relationship were communicated in such a special way.

If you're wondering if you should book Rachael for your wedding day, do it!!

— Lauren + George

We are beyond grateful for Rachael as she made our wedding day truly amazing. From the very first meeting, she exuded warmth, professionalism, and a genuine passion for honoring our love connection. Her attention to detail and her ability to understand and incorporate our love story into the ceremony made the day incredibly personal and memorable.

Her calming presence helped us both feel relaxed and focused, allowing us to fully enjoy the moment. The way she conducted the ceremony was nothing short of magical. Her words were heartfelt and beautifully delivered, capturing the essence of our relationship perfectly.

Our guests were equally impressed, many of them commenting on how touching and unique the ceremony was. She struck the perfect balance between humor and sincerity, ensuring there wasn't a dry eye in the house while also bringing smiles and laughter. We couldn't have asked for a better celebrant.

She went above and beyond to make our wedding day unforgettable, and we will cherish the memories of our ceremony forever. We highly recommend her to any couple looking for a celebrant who will make their special day truly extraordinary. Thank you for making our dream wedding a reality!

— Jordan + Greg

Well what can we say! From start to finish Rachael was just amazing! We wanted our ceremony to reflect our love for each other, but we didn't want it too serious and wanted everyone to see how much fun we have together. Rachael totally got what we wanted and delivered an amazing ceremony with lots of laughs as well as some very special memories shared with each other.

We have had such good feedback from our guests as well as 'older' relatives who were a little apprehensive but loved how much love was on show and how personal our ceremony was to us. We couldn't have even dreamt of anything better. Thank you so much, we would recommend 1000000% to anyone thinking of tailoring their ceremony to share their personalities and memories.

— Helen + Lucy

Rachael was the celebrant at our wedding in York in September 2022. It was the polar opposite of a copy and paste registrar-led ceremony - Rachael took the time to truly get to know us as a couple and crafted a bespoke ceremony which felt personal, unique, and a genuine reflection of our personalities. One of our guests told me that our ceremony made her more emotional than her own wedding had!

It's clear that Rachael really cares about her craft, and I couldn't recommend her highly enough.

— Allison + Mark

We were absolutely over the moon having Rachael as our celebrant! The process was so easy from start to finish, and Rachael put us at ease throughout.

Rachael is the calming presence you need on your wedding day and is full of wit and charm, which comes across in her speech writing. She has a unique skill of reading people, and our friends couldn't believe she wasn't a lifelong family friend!

All of our guests were raving about Rachael and how fun and personal the ceremony had been. The ceremony was the highlight of our day, and we'd choose Rachael again in a heartbeat.

— Jen + Phil

Rachael is simply the best!

From the moment we met her, we were blown away by how friendly and professional she was.

She truly got to know us, and wrote and delivered such a meaningful, heartfelt and personalised ceremony, our wedding guests couldn’t believe she hadn’t known us for years!

Highly, highly recommended!

Thank you Rachael!

— Rebecca + Nick

Rachael has been more than a celebrant for us. She was approachable and professional from the start.

The list of questions she sent at the beginning to get to know us a bit more were very cleverly written and thought provoking that they actually helped us to start writing our vows, which she later on helped to 'smooth out'. Finally, Rachael managed to summarise all of this into an incredibly moving ceremony with equal amounts of tears and laughter.

— Anatasha + Raef

We were lucky enough to have Rachael as our wedding celebrant last weekend. From the moment we booked her to the big day itself she was absolutely wonderful with us.

I grew up in Scotland so I am familiar with Humanist ceremonies and how much more personal and special they feel - and this is exactly what Rachael created for us and our guests. Her demeanour is so calming and kind, you can tell she truly cares about her role.

Many of our guests had never witnessed a Humanist ceremony before and were instantly complimentary about how unique and heart-warming it was and that they want one now too!! This being said - I'd book Rachael asap before all of our guests do!

— Kate + Ben

Image of Rachael Bowers

Rachael Bowers

Where I work

I'm based in York, in beautiful Yorkshire, but I will happily go wherever love takes me!

Fees from...

Price on application

How to contact me
Email

rachael.bowers@humanistceremonies.org.uk

Phone

07877 954485

Website

www.ceremonieswithrachael.com

Instagram

http://ceremonieswithrachael

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.