So many couples are looking for genuine celebrants to led their elopement and wedding ceremonies but they’re not sure where to find them. In my experience, most couples have a clear idea of what they don’t want (because they’ve been guests at weddings where the ceremonies didn’t feel true to the couple and their story). These same couples aren’t entirely sure of what they do want in a non-traditional ceremony or how it’ll all come together. That’s where our team of celebrants comes in.
As much as I love my job, family life means I can’t drive to Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Riebeek Kasteel every Saturday. After turning down too many requests for personal and unique ceremonies, I recognised the need to find storytellers that can hold space beautifully and make people laugh and bring the kind of gravitas that such an occasion deserves. As you can imagine, finding the right people took a while. But eventually our paths crossed.
So let me introduce you to the celebrants that i feel proud to send in my stead. (If you’d like to connect with one of these celebrants, send me an email and I’ll introduce you and we’ll take it from there.)
SUZANNA
In 2025, three things happened: I went to a wedding with a celebrant who moved me to tears, I went to another that left me fuming, and then after enough complaining, a friend challenged me to take on the role for her big day. My journey as a celebrant only began recently, but I like to think that I’ve been preparing for years.
Poetry open mics, Toastmasters, and speeches at family events were, as it turns out, a kind of training ground. It helps too that I’ve always loved rom-coms and romance novels. I’ve been quoting Pride and Prejudice since I was a kid. Unsurprisingly, my background is in English Literature and screenwriting.
My day job is writing film and TV scripts. I’m also a published poet. My favourite on-screen celebrant moment will always be the Hot Priest at the end of Fleabag, though my own approach to the work is far less dramatic. What the Hot Priest and I do share is an uncompromising belief in the bravery and beauty of two people declaring their love for each other.
As a queer woman, romantic love is also something that I view as revolutionary. I’ve seen it heal losses and build community in the most unexpected places. While I’m not qualified to perform any of the legal aspects of a marriage, I am available to craft a ceremony that deeply honours the love present. You know that flip you get in your stomach as the music swells in a movie, and a character’s saying something true and gorgeous and you suddenly believe again in the deliciousness of being alive? That’s what I’m here to help you create.
Love is ordinary, yes. But it’s also magic. When I’m not being accused of being a romantic for saying things like that, you can find me behind a pottery wheel or on a yoga mat. Calm and creativity – that’s what I prioritise in all aspects of my life and work.
LAUREN
This strange thing happens to me almost everywhere I go…Strangers tell me their stories. I could be picking up a bouquet at a florist I’ve never been to before or waiting for a lift … and before I know it someone I’ve only just “met” is telling me how the first year of marriage has been more difficult than they imagined it would be or that they are losing their mother to dementia. This force (for want of a better term) is so strong that I’ve even had therapists want to tell me what’s going on in their lives. Some of these therapists have expressed that I probably should’ve been a therapist myself. As tempting as that idea seems, it’s too late for me to launch a career as a psychologist but there are other ways to make the most of this “gift” that I’ve been given – other ways to collect stories more intentionally. And you know, love stories… oh love stories… those are my favourite kinds of stories!
So, ya, there’s that – this natural ability to get people to open up that I don’t fully understand myself, if I’m honest. And then there’s the fact that I recently married my love of 10 years in a deeply meaningful and personal ceremony. It’s cliche but it proved true – it really was one of the most joyous experiences of my life … Not only did I walk away with the husband of my dreams but I also fell in love with the celebration of it: The vows, the poetry, the way none of it went exactly to plan and how that made it even more special… From that moment of I do on the boulders of Clifton 5th to this one, writing these words, I’ve known that I want to create the same exquisite experience for others.
This is all to say I would love to hear your story. I want to know about the big moments: How you met; when you moved in together, the engagement… But I am most curious about the small everyday moments: The blush pink bathroom that sold you on your first home together; the way your partner has luck on his side and no matter how many times he leaves late for the airport, he still manages to catch every flight. I want you to tell me about how you throw birthday parties for your fur babies. Show me the wonky crochet animals you make for him. Give me a rendition of the silly songs he’s written just for you. Together, we will create a ceremony that honours and celebrates your one-of-a-kind love.