Michelle Taylor Your #FunkyCelebrant

12/11/2024

Planning a Ceremony over this festive period?
Here are my 4 top tips for including a festive ritual, whatever the ceremony.
Read my full blog over on my website
Funkycelebrant.co.uk
Want to know more? Get in touch soon

https://funkycelebrant.co.uk/4-heartfelt-christmas-ceremony-rituals/

07/11/2024

Mentoring for the modern celebrant.
Are you a UK based wedding celebrant and feeling a little bit stuck?
I am the Savvy Celebrant.co.uk and here to assist you demystify some of the basics for you.
With access to a wealth of my paperwork and the opportunity to pick my brains in directed 1-2-1 mentoring sessions.
I have it all covered for you.
Along with a 101 basic diversity and inclusivity course for wedding professionals, designed by people with lived experiences this will start you on your inclusivity journey within the wedding industry.
Visit my website for more information and book a discovery call now

Come on in and take a look around... learn all there is to know about how I can help you take your celebrancy to the the next level.

04/11/2024

Turn that frown upside down. Have you completed your initial celebrant training and feeling a bit lost wondering what you need next and where to go to get that support? I mentor and celebrants. Whatever stage of the journey you are on I can help with a friendly ear, words of wisdom and years of knowledge. Get in touch soon to see how we can work together

03/11/2024

Why You Need a Celebrant Mentor: A Reintroduction to The Savvy Celebrant

17/10/2024

Interesting!

Since the election of the Labour Government- who expressed support for marriage reform in Opposition and who pledged to introduce cohabitation reform in their manifesto – a number of question…

20/09/2024

IT'S NOT JUST A TREND
Caring for our planet and ensuring you wedding is as sustainable and eco friendly as possible IS the new way to plan your special day!
Are you onboard?
Plenty of suppliers are, come find us
at naturalwedding and Sustainable Wedding Alliance

How can we help you make your day greener?
Let's talk

20/08/2024

PHOTO DUMP PT 1 //
with today's blog. Either follow the link or go and check it out on my website
Pete & Denise from FINALLY got married, they set some time aside from their busy wedding and event catering business to get married themselves.
AND WHAT A DAY IT WAS!!!

https://funkycelebrant.co.uk/if-you-go-down-to-the-woods-today/

SUPPLIERS aka THE DREAM TEAM

Venue:
Celebrant :
Caterers :
Props :
Flowers:
Cake:
Band:
Glamping:
Glitter Artists:
Candy Floss:
Cheese Table :
Pizza Van:
Breakfast:
Photobooth:
Magician:
Hair:
Make-up:
Bride’s make-up and hair:
Ice cream Bike:.creamdreams
Rings:
Dresses:
Suits: Chimneys of Bassingbourn
Photographer:.foxphotography
Tableware: Banqueting Hire Service

16/08/2024

FRIDAY TESTIMONIAL//
It's so important to say goodbye in a way that truly honours the person and their life. D loved Kylie, so his sendoff was full of her music, which was both uplifting and poignant. His mum, dad and brother did D proud and it was an honour to put together and deliver his au revoir.
Sleep easy D

02/07/2024

AN ADORABLE ESSEX WOODLAND WEDDING//

My latest blog over on my website now.
Celebrating the nuptials of the new Mr and Mrs Stubbs at Captains Wood Barn in Essex.
We had so much fun, mixing books, films and tv shows into a ceremony that perfectly reflected our happy couple and their family.
thank you for entrusting your ceremony to me.
https://funkycelebrant.co.uk/an-adorable-essex-woodland-wedding/

22/06/2024

WINDRUSH DAY - 22ND JUNE
Commemorating and standing on the shoulders of the giants who answered the call of the Motherland and have helped shape our country ever since.
Scandalous they are still awaiting compensation for the wrongdoing of Governments, but we see you, we salute you and I am proud to be a generation given opportunities because of your sacrifices.

15/06/2024

MANNINGTREE HAS PRIDE//
Today I was given the privilege of conducting a blessing for our local Pride event.
We gathered on the beach, holding hands & dodging rain showers with smiles and love.

Welcome to Manningtree & our, YOUR 2nd Pride Festival.
My name is Michelle, your Funky Celebrant.
Please join hands because in a mo we will pass the heartbeat of hope, friendship & connection.
Let’s remind ourselves before we do though that…
Pride was & remains a protest, a call to arms & a reminder that we are all unique & we should be allowed to live our truth & reality without fear, prejudice or malice.

Pride is about acceptance, it's ok to be perfectly imperfect, please accept me as I am with all of my flaws. Just as I accept you with yours

Pride is about celebration, let’s shout it from the roof tops, not just for a day, or a month, but every day of every month as we celebrate our beautiful individuality

Pride is about understanding & education, keep on talking, sharing & teaching our friends, families & more importantly those who wish to detract from our lived realities.
Pride is about LOVE….it’s always about love. Love stories can be a sentence, a paragraph, chapter or a volume of books. Everyone is worthy of love, never forget that!

Embellishing on a quote from the great Lady Gaga, do not allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded, tell them to put on some sunglasses because my darlings you were born to stand out, to shine & to be authentically yourselves.
After all….everyone else is already taken.

Pride is about Allyship, supporting each other, not regardless of our differences,
but BECAUSE of our differences

Pride is about community, we are one when we come together in moments like now, connections blossom & communities expand
Pride is about tolerance, be kind to each other, & give out what you hope to receive back.
Let’s form that connection now. I am going to start by passing the heartbeat of hope, look out for it, pass it on, ramp up the energy & let the love flow.

And remember as Ru Paul always says, if you can’t love yourself,
how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else, can I get an amen up in here
AMEN

14/06/2024

HERE WE ARE MY LOVE//

Here we are my love
We’ve survived the ravages of time.

Here I sit my love
With your hand firmly held in mine

Here we are my love
Ready to renew our ties

Here you lie my love
It’s ok to close your eyes

Here we are my love
I’ve come to stand by your side

Here you go my love
I’m ready to let you fly high

With all my love, my love
I know it’s nearly time to say goodbye

Your heart and mine, my love.
Now and forever more entwined

My musings on losing a loved on 7/12/20
Poems about love and loss

05/06/2024

(WEDDING) WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY//

5th June

See how we in the wedding industry can support the environment with top tips in this blog from the

https://sustainableweddingalliance.com/how-uk-wedding-businesses-can-celebrate-world-environment-day/

Why not come and join us, suppliers, making a difference, one wedding at a time
®️

31/05/2024

This is why you get a professional and not ask a mate.

A man was honoured after his friends asked him to be the 'Master of Ceremonies' at their wedding – but he was left scratching his head as to what the role would actually involve

08/05/2024

TALKING ABOUT DEATH MATTERS BECAUSE...//

6 Good reasons to talk about death

1. It prepares you: Discussing death allows us to prepare for our own mortality and make necessary arrangements, such as making that long overdue will, specifying healthcare wishes, and addressing financial matters. This can all alleviate the stress and uncertainty for everyone involved.

2. It allows for emotional expression: Talking about death provides an opportunity for us all to express our fears, concerns, and wishes regarding our own death or the death of loved ones. Sharing these emotions can foster connection and understanding among family members and friends.

3. May improve quality of life: Open discussions about death can lead to a better understanding of what matters most to individuals as they near the end of life.
This understanding can help healthcare providers and caregivers tailor treatment and support to improve the quality of life for individuals facing terminal illness.

4. What is your legacy? Conversations about death allows us to reflect on our life experiences, values, and accomplishments. This reflection can help us all articulate our legacy and how we want to be remembered by future generations.

5. Coping with Grief: Talking about death can facilitate the grieving process for those who have lost a loved one. Sharing memories and feelings with others who are also experiencing grief can provide comfort and support.

6. Allow yourself some spiritual and existential exploration: Discussing death can prompt individuals to explore questions of meaning, purpose, and spirituality. It can lead to profound conversations about the nature of life and what comes after death.

Talking about dying matters because it enables us all to confront our mortality, express our feelings and wishes, prepare for the future, and find meaning in life and death.

07/05/2024

An interesting thought. Should the state be paying for people to marry?
I think there are a lot more important things to worry about in our country personally.
A basic registration of marriage will cost less than £130 , not the £550 they're quoting in the article...
And how will marriage combat loneliness exactly ?

What are your thoughts?

Married people are the least lonely, but report suggests the poorest are priced out

07/05/2024

Two subjects we don’t like to talk about ‘Money’ and ‘Death’, but it’s a fact of life, and comes to us all that death does involve cost…and in this cost-of-living crisis, not everyone can afford a proper send off .

HERE’S A QUICK GUIDE

8 ways to pay for your own or a loved one’s funeral…( make sure to have the conversations!)

1. Personal Savings…some folk will have put money aside with their instructions on the type of funeral they want.

2. Funeral plans…you can opt for a pre-payment plan Age UK have some excellent advice on how you can ensure your pre-payment planning is all above boardhttps://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/ageuk/documents/factsheets/fs27_planning_for_your_funeral_fcs.pdf

3. Life Insurance – A lot of people will take out life insurance policies to cover their funerals and give family peace of mind. Be sure to research the best policy for your circumstances.

4. Government assistance – in certain circumstances the Govt will assist with funeral costs find out more here.
https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments

5. Family Assistance- on occasion the family may pool resources to cover the costs.

6. Crowdfunding- a possibly controversial way of raising money for funeral expenses and involves reaching out to family, friends, community and even strangers.

7. Social Fund Funeral Payments- if you are on a low income and need help to pay for a funeral you may be able to get a funeral expense payment from the governments social fund.
https://www.gov.uk/budgeting-help-benefits/how-to-apply

8. Support for child funeral costs (Children’s Funeral Fund for England)
There is help for child’s funeral costs available and this is NOT means tested https://www.gov.uk/child-funeral-costs

06/05/2024

DYING MATTERS WEEK 2024 //
This year’s theme, ‘The way we talk about Dying Matters’, focuses on the language that we use, and the conversations we have, around death and dying.
It's time to normalise the conversations.
It's time to change the antiquated language we use around the rituals of death
Let's take dive into dying matters together.