Your life is worth celebrating.
Welcome to Steve Morris Celebrant.
When there is a major change in your life, you need a way to mark it. That’s where ceremonies come in.
I imagine, write and deliver celebrant services for weddings, naming ceremonies, coming-of-age, end-of-life celebrations and all other rites and rituals to help you celebrate the milestones in your lives.
I take the time to get to know you, so you get the ceremony you deserve. Even a funeral can be a perfect day if it’s a celebration of a life well-loved.
Each ceremony is completely new, hand-written and crafted for you and yours by an experienced and articulate presenter.
I can do this with or without ‘god’. If you’re an atheist, agnostic or pagan, I can help.
what is ceremony?
Ceremonies are for all the transitions in life. Some of them may mean little to others; that does not matter at all. The important thing is what matters to you.
They are a chance to say “I love you”, “thank you”, “I’ll miss you”, or “I’m moving on” to the people, places, ideas and experiences which form and shape us. Most are a celebration. Some are a recognition of sadness and loss. Every ceremony has one thing in common. They mark the milestones in our lives.
Most people still think that ceremonies are or ought to be religious. In fact they are perfectly human and need not be religious at all. Humanity has developed all sorts of ways to mark important life events and transitions. There was a time when the conventional path welcomed every child into the community with a ceremony based on religion: the child married in adulthood, and death was commemorated.
That meant almost everyone had three rituals in their lives. Today, there are many ceremonies and celebrations in almost every life, and there are fewer people who follow that conventional path.
Ceremonies are a chance to celebrate how you got to now. They are chance to leave the past behind and embrace the future.
Ceremonies are a chance for you to be heard. For you to you use your words, actions and feelings to make a statement to your family or community. Almost any occasion where someone gets up and makes a speech or where the family or community gets together can be a ceremony. A particularly important birthday can be as significant as a funeral or a wedding. A retirement, a divorce, the death of a pet, a change of employment; the list is endless.
You decide what you want to celebrate, and I’ll help you have the best day!
common celebrations
Children’s Ceremonies
- Naming Ceremony (for a child or if you decide to claim a new identity)
- Ritual of child protection (Pagan)
- Child Protection (community)
- Adoption
- Coming of Age/Majority
- Leaving home
Adult Life Ceremonies
- Graduation
- New Start
- Betrothal
- Handfasting
- Friends and Family Ceremony
- Special Anniversary
- Renewal of Vows
- Divorce Ceremony
End of Life Ceremonies
- Funerals
- Celebrations of life
- ‘Living Funeral’ (life re-set)
- Memorial Ceremonies
- Interments
- Scattering Ashes
- Death of a pet
Miscellaneous
- Coming Out – Public recognition of (for example) your sexual preference
- Change of Life
- Achieving a lifetime ambition
- Transitioning (for example, to another gender)
modern and traditional
We are no longer restricted to using other people’s words and the traditional ways of doing things. Many people are choosing to write their own ceremonies and choose their own vows.You can choose the perfect place, the perfect time, and the perfect words. I can help with that. Every ceremony I write and perform is unique, because everyone who asks me to celebrate with them is unique. I work with and for you to create the ultimate experience. I have worked with the same families and individuals through many ceremonies marking the changes in their lives.
It’s not just the words; it is the whole shape of the event. The place, the time of day, the setting, the props and the staging all make or break the event.
Sometimes that special ceremony just isn’t possible at the time. Many people dream of a ‘special day’ yet cannot afford it or don’t know how to fulfill their dreams early in life. A renewal of vows or public ceremony can make those dreams come true, wherever and however you like.
Ceremonies can be themed; for example, some people want costumed events or would like to reflect something special in their lives. You should be able to reflect the way you live your life in the words used and the visual style of the event.
Whatever your wish: to jump the broom or be married on an anvil like an eloping couple, to pass from the world with a bespoke themed funeral, or to remember your loved one with a special memorial, there are no limits.
Perhaps you have always dreamed of being married by the Green Man or a fully-armoured knight? Would you like something themed around vampires, steampunk or your favourite TV series? Would you like to use only words from Shakespeare?
Your ceremony should be fantastic. It should also fulfil your fantasies. There are some case studies in the blog section below.
Blog Entries
GALLERY
Celebration price guide
The tricky bit. Fees fall into two parts: expenses and ceremonies. I’m not in this to rip people off or get rich, but I have to eat and pay the bills like everyone else. Local ceremonies are expenses-included, but if I have to travel further afield I have to charge.
Expenses are based on where your ceremony needs to be conducted. I charge at-cost, which is basically the HMRC ‘per mile’ rate plus any toll road charges etc. I will let you know how much that is. For any location which is over 3 hours away, it may also be necessary to do an ‘overnight’ – but only if the ceremony is particularly early or late. I will always try and keep expenses down to a minimum.
Ceremony fees are more difficult. As each one is different, and work is unique to you, it can depend on what you want and how long it takes to achieve it. I don’t aim to be the cheapest celebrant, but why would you want that for your special day?
Naming Ceremonies
Children and Young People’s Ceremonies
starting at
£250
Handfastings
Marriages
Other Ceremonies
starting at
£350
Costumed Ceremonies including Handfasting
starting at
£400
End of Life
OR NEW LIFE Celebrations
starting at
£220
a little about me.
I have around 30 years of experience writing and performing rituals and celebrations. I love taking your ideas and transforming them into your perfect occasion; I never forget who really matters!
I am not here to tell you what to believe in. I do not agree with dogmatic religion or militant atheism. The universe is a big place, and therefore humans have always made up ‘gods’ or archeypes as symbols of bigger things. Maybe the Universe is conscious, as we are. Maybe not.
Whether you want something completely humanist (with no mention of ‘god’) or you’d like something a little more traditional with some spiritual or pagan content (whichever tradition speaks to you) I can help. I am completely comfortable with atheist celebrations and agnostic ones.
I see my role as more of a ‘master of ceremonies’, someone who helps you say what you need to in the way that you want to. It’s not just my job to make sure it works, it’s my pleasure, no matter what the celebration.
I have worked with British and Celtic, Greek, Egyptian and Northern traditions. I have made some contributions of my own to the literature as well as adapting pieces of folklore into full ceremonies.
It’s not just the words though. I have been an actor and presenter for many years. I know the importance of place, of props and costumes. Music too can be very important.
I’m more than happy to develop a themed or costumed event. I have a fairly extensive costume collection, so what do you want? Something in the style of your favourite TV show? Historical? Fantasy?
I’ve got all those bases covered. I will write your celebration using original or source material and keep you in touch with the script every step of the way.
If you want something truly bespoke in form as well as function, something so tailored to you it’s like you made it yourself, come and talk to me.
testimonials
We wished to introduce our new daughter to our friends and family through a naming ceremony. Steve was the perfect person for this.
After witnessing him performing similar ceremonies in the past, I knew he would be able to introduce our first born in a ceremonial way that fitted us.
We were more than happy with the ceremony and will be asking Steve to conduct other ceremonies in the future.
RH, September 2019
Our Handfasting ritual was perfectly worked in to our wedding ceremony. We had a huge diversity of beliefs present, the handfasting was treated with the same ease and preciousness as the legal ring exchange ceremony.
That was thanks to Steve’s skill and presence presiding it.
I have attended many ceremonies and rituals of family and friends presided by Steve, including several weddings and naming ceremonies, each has been unique and ideally catered to its environment.
KV and RV
Would 100% recommend Steve!
When we were planning our wedding, we approached Steve and asked if he would lead our handfasting as we were confident that he would do it better than anyone else we know and we were not disappointed.
Steve listened to what we wanted and ensured that our wedding was inclusive to all of our family and friends regardless of their own beliefs.
Thank you Steve for helping to make our day perfect xx
MB and IB, 2018
Links
Fellowship of Professional Celebrants
Terri Shanks says “I am proud to be the Founder & Director of the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants (FPC), an organisation which now has a reputation for excellence and has built not only on high standards and professionalism, but strong ethics, values & belief diversity.
Each and every one of our celebrant members have been professionally trained; successfully completing either their ‘Certificate in Funeral Celebrancy’ and/or their ‘Certificate in Marriage & Family Celebrancy’ with us. This means that by choosing an FPC Celebrant to conduct your ceremony you can be assured of choosing someone who will not dictate to you what you can or can’t have, and will not be reading from a pre-set template – but someone who will spend time with you, will listen to you & guide you and will work with you to write and deliver a beautiful, personal & heartfelt ceremony whatever the occasion may be.
It doesn’t matter what your religious beliefs may or may not be, it doesn’t matter whether you are marrying someone of the opposite sex or someone of the same sex, whether you want a ceremony which is more traditional or are looking to have something more unusual or contemporary. We hope that you can find a celebrant in your area that you make a real & genuine connection with, and whatever the occasion you will be able to work closely together to find the words, music & symbolism to create a meaningful ceremony which will be remembered by all – for all the right reasons”.
Eleri Owen Design
Eleri Owen is a glass artist working in both blown glass and beadmaking. Eleri’s work is known for her use of organic forms and her passion for integrating recycled materials using waste coloured shards of glass for unique pieces. Her work has been exhibited internationally.
Eleri makes ‘wedding chalices’, large vessels capable of containing a full bottle of wine or mead, which are essential for sharing with guests in some traditional ceremonies. Things of beauty themselves, Eleri makes each one individually, expertly using a combination of new and recycled glass to create a piece as beautiful as it is unique. I have one that I use in some of my ceremonies, but why not have your own?
Eleri also makes wedding cords and beads for traditional handfastings; each cord is hand-braided in an historically accurate style (for example, a tablet-woven silk cord) and secured with a glass bead. These are also available to buy separately, so that you can take them home as a lasting and unique memento of your special day.
For end of life celebrations, Eleri can take some ash and fuse them into a glass object for a permanent keepsake. Beads and ‘stones’ can be put into a setting to make a necklace or brooch, or you might like a more organic art piece.
Will Dover and Jemima Palfreyman
Will Dover is an artist working mainly in the medium of paper-cut. His amazing command of line and negative space means that he can create quite incredible cards and souvenirs.
Will recently produced themed wedding invitations and reception menu cards based around bees and birds for his mother’s wedding!
Will can also produce ‘order of ceremony’ cards suitable for end-of life celebrations, and can have the central themes of his work made into other items such as fabrics and pin badges.
www.facebook.com/pg/WRDover/about/
Jemima Palfreyman is a classical concert pianist and harpist. Jemima is a Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music.
She has performed in venues with a variety of orchestras and ensembles including the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and the Bridgewater Hall
With her duo partner (flautist Rachel Johnson), Jemima regularly performs in venues including many of the UK’s cathedrals and St-Martin-in-the-Fields.
Ready to get Started? get in touch!
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steve@stevemorriscelebrant.co.uk
Tel: (+44) 7988 428854
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Wolverhampton