Hi, I'm Serena

Image of Serena Cross

If, like me, you're not religious, but you still find it important, meaningful and fun to mark the big moments in life with family and friends, you've come to the right place! I create and deliver joyous, heartfelt and uplifting humanist naming ceremonies to celebrate your new arrival into a family, whether a baby, or an adopted child. Or perhaps you want to celebrate an older child, a blended family, or affirm a new identity.

No two ceremonies are the same, because no two families are the same....

From the initial consultation to the final script, I’ll work closely with your family to craft a bespoke non-religious ceremony that welcomes your child into the family with warmth and love. I ensure that every detail is tailored to your preferences and reflects your personalities and what's important to you... You may choose to involve family and friends, singing, music, poetry, and perhaps symbolic rituals. You can also appoint special, trusted friends as 'guideparents', as an alternative to godparents. Together we’ll create an authentic and heartwarming ceremony, incorporating personal elements, stories, and promises, to make the day uniquely special.

About me

I live in Crouch End / Hornsey in North London with my husband (who’s a musician), two teenagers and our cats Maude and Arthur. It's very much a family-centric community and our kids attend the local school. Having said that I have family and friends in all corners of the country and am happy to travel for ceremonies. I run the girls’ section at a cricket club, as well as playing a bit myself and I'm a keen all-year outdoor swimmer; I love walking and being in nature generally, but also enjoy all the theatre and culture that city life has to offer. Being a celebrant is a dream job for me and I find that being a good one draws upon many of the same skills and passions as my long career as a producer in music and arts television and live events.

Contact me

Anyway, enough about me… I want to hear about you and your plans, so please do get in touch if you are looking for a warmly professional celebrant to conduct your child’s naming ceremony. I’m happy to have a no-commitment conversation in the first instance to explain more about how I work and what's involved.

You can find me on Instagram @wildandserene_ceremonies and on Facebook too.

We chose Serena to carry out our son’s Naming Ceremony and I am so pleased that we did. Serena is so warm and friendly, it was a positive experience working with her from start to finish. It was fun spending some time with her while she got to know us and our son, and she listened very sensitively to our journey to parenthood via IVF and reflected our emotions and reasons for wanting a Naming Ceremony perfect in her script. She had lots of ideas of what we could do to make the day feel special but also ‘us’. On the day itself she was beyond helpful, and felt very easily like one of the family getting stuck in! The ceremony was incredibly special and emotional, as well as fun and lighthearted. I had never been to a Naming Ceremony before so wasn’t 100% sure what to expect but, it turns out under Serena’s care it was everything I wanted it to be! Our friends and family also loved it, they also had never been to one before and are now considering it for their own children or passing on the idea to others! 

It was a day I will always remember and it will always be very important to us as a family.

— Hannah

Serena was so warm, relaxed and professional. Her approach was collaborative and inclusive and both children and adults absolutely loved the way she steered the ceremony. The tone was always spot on, combining humour and emotional insight. Serena involved our daughter E wonderfully throughout and made her feel like the star of the show – which of course she was!

— D

Image of Serena Cross

Serena Cross

Where I work

I live in Hornsey / Crouch End in North London and work all over London and the Home Counties. Also Cambridge, Norwich, Bristol and Bath, and I'm happy to consider travelling further.

Fees from...

£300

How to contact me
Email

serena.cross@humanistceremonies.org.uk

Phone

07740 732379

Website

humanist.org.uk/serenacross

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 naming ceremonies

A humanist naming ceremony is a joyous event, and the perfect opportunity to gather friends and family to welcome your child into the world, with no reference to religion. It focuses on the child, their future and the circle of love and support around them, offering a sincere and personal alternative to a christening or other religious ceremony.