Meet Helen, the heart and soul behind Your Best Life Celebrant, and our esteemed February Wedding Supplier of the Month! Helen’s journey into the world of celebrancy is not just a profession but a passionate mission to redefine the essence of wedding ceremonies.
At Go Book It, we believe in celebrating the unsung heroes of the wedding industry—those who go above and beyond to make every moment extraordinary. Helen embodies this spirit wholeheartedly. Her commitment to crafting deeply personalised ceremonies that reflect the essence of each couple’s love story is truly inspiring, and this is why Helen is our Wedding Supplier of the Month!
I married my lovely husband, Joe, back in 2010 and I hate to admit it now but, back then, we didn’t know any better and we viewed the ceremony itself as the necessary, transactional, legal bit. We knew it was something that would take around 20 minutes, we could choose our music and readings (within reason, these were carefully checked by the registrar!), exchange rings and then go off to celebrate with our friends and family which we saw as the bit that then became more ‘about us’.
We exchanged vows but they weren’t promises particular to us and our relationship and there was no mention of why we had chosen to get married, our story or what our hopes for our future lives together were. Thankfully we had some pretty awesome speeches that picked up that mantle, however, now when I look back at it, the ceremony is THE moment in time when you are together before all your nearest and dearest making a commitment to one another, and this really should be the key focal point of any wedding, not something to be rushed through or a generic ‘insert name here’ template. Every human and every relationship is unique and different so why would we expect for every wedding ceremony to take the same format and use the same words? However, at the time, like I said, we were none the wiser and we had a perfectly lovely day (I am still holding out for an epic vow renewal of course though!). My mission is now to make sure that no-one else has a similar experience and that more couples are aware of their choices and the benefits they can get from a more personal and tailored approach.
Over the years that followed, I attended a number of Humanist funerals as well as a couple of Celebrant ceremonies (still very much in their infancy) and I was struck by the contrast with the more ‘off the shelf’ ceremonies. These ceremonies were personal, meaningful and heartfelt. They made me laugh and cry and I learnt something about the couple or person they were about, even when they were for people I was related or close to. I knew in that moment that it wasn’t necessarily about what was said but the way these ceremonies made me feel and each one made a profound impact on me. The Humanist ceremonies in particular were what introduced me to the concept of Humanism and made me realise there were other people that shared my outlook on life. Humanism is a value-based belief system that believes in fairness and equality, celebrates diversity and individuality and encourages us as Humans to live the best life we possibly can, both to do right by the others that we share our planet with but also, as non-religious people, because we believe this is our one and only life and it deserved to be lived to the fullest.
I have always loved storytelling whether that was in my corporate life working on a large number of big brands or in my younger years when I would write my own stories and hide them under my bed, and what better story is there to tell than that of a person or two people and their love? When I decided to train as a Celebrant, it was the obvious choice for me to combine this with my Humanist values and become a Humanist Celebrant. For me, it’s all about building a connection with my couples which enables me to really bring out the best of you and your love in your ceremony, putting you and your love centre stage on your day, not just in the party that follows but in the ceremony itself.
Interested in booking Helen for your big day? Helen is based in Leeds but offers her services around Yorkshire and the North East. Contact Your Best Life Ceremonies HERE on Go Book It!