Melly the Celebrant

Description

Hiya, I’m Melly. I’m an independent celebrant and professional storyteller, based in Plymouth and travelling across the South West and beyond.

I create warm, personal ceremonies for some of life’s biggest moments: weddings and vow renewals, when people are choosing to make promises to one another, and funerals, when families need to find the words to say goodbye.

They’re very different occasions, of course, but my approach to both starts in exactly the same place: with the people.

I don’t think you can write a meaningful ceremony about people you barely know. So I don’t.

I take time to listen properly and get to know the real people behind the ceremony. The big stories matter, but so do the quirks, humour, little habits, family folklore, in-jokes and ordinary everyday things that make us who we are. Those are often the details that make people listening think, yes, that’s them.

For weddings and vow renewals, that means creating a ceremony completely from scratch around the two of you. You might want something fairly traditional, wonderfully unconventional or you might not have the foggiest idea yet. Keep the traditions that mean something to you, leave out the ones that don’t and add something completely unexpected if you fancy it. I’ll help with vows, readings, rituals, music and all those little ceremony decisions you may not even know you need to make yet.

For funerals, I spend time with the people who knew and loved the person who has died, gathering their stories and memories and getting to know the whole, real human being we’re there to remember. A funeral can hold grief and sadness alongside warmth, laughter and wonderful memories. It doesn’t need to turn someone into a saint or reduce an entire life to a list of dates and achievements. It should sound like them.

Families and relationships are rarely beautifully uncomplicated, and that’s absolutely fine. Whatever the occasion, you’ll have someone calm and reassuring alongside you who will listen without judgement and help you work out what feels right, rather than expecting you to arrive knowing all the answers.

One of the loveliest things people say to me after a ceremony is that it feels as though I’ve known the couple or family for years. That means an enormous amount to me, because that sense of recognition is exactly what I’m trying to achieve.

Getting married and still exploring your ceremony options?

You don't need to have everything worked out before speaking to a celebrant. Perhaps you're wondering whether to have a celebrant or registrar, which traditions to keep, or even what a celebrant actually does!

I've written about the differences between celebrants and registrars on my website, including the legalities and the freedom a celebrant ceremony can give you: https://mellythecelebrant.com/what-is-a-celebrant/

If you're ready to enquire, it really helps to include your wedding date and venue, if you've chosen them, and a little about what you're hoping for. The more I know, the more useful I can be.

And if you're still exploring possibilities, that's fine too. Sometimes the best place to start is with a conversation.