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Paula Black Celebrant – A Sense of Occasion
reviews (3) - leave a review
Available for
Countries Covered
Areas Covered
I travel Nationally
Specialisms
I am happy to include rituals and symbolism and explore combining elements of your beliefs within the script.we create. We can play games which involve your guests and we can also celebrate the people who might not be able to be part of your day.
Affiliations
Fellowship of Professional Celebrants and Association of Independent Celebrants and also a member of Kelly Mortimer's The Inner Level for wedding suppliers.
Languages
English
Hi, I'm Paula
For a true Sense of Occasion……. I am an independent celebrant – and this gives me the freedom to work with you outside of the boxes but within your imagination. Every ceremony will be unique. I offer bespoke scripts for Weddings, Vow Renewals and Naming Ceremonies and Funerals.
I come without judgement but I leave behind memories.
For all of life milestones, from celebrating the name you have been given, or the name you chose to show the world the real you. From declaring your love before friends and family to showing them you are still in love, and at the end of your life celebrating you and life you lived so those memories remain vivid and part of the eternal cycle of life.
What's my ceremony style?
Well, there is only one of me!, although I do come in many guises. I love nature and the outdoors, festival style weddings, barn weddings, garden ceremonies and natural burials – as happy in a posh frock as I am in my wellies and mac – oh!, it happens – with woodland weddings and British weather! I am also a secretly, swooning, Jane Austen heroine playing out drama and romance in castles and great halls.
It is however, all of your dreams and ideas that bring out the best in me – the inner woodland faerie, goth, or maybe the festival vibe. Most of all I can create experiences – even the sad ones, which are totally, authentically, you.
Prices From
Please see individual ceremonies for prices but the initial call/zoom/meeting is FREE and without obligation to discuss your ceremony. and the finer details of your day
Highlight
Just one moment of many – standing in a tree circle with the couple and their 5 children , the air still smudged by sage, as the wind whispered in the trees looking up from the hands I had just bound to see the same, deep smile on everyone’s face-
I offer 10% reductions on price for NHS and Armed Forces employees (proof required prior to booking)
Why choose Paula?
My journey into Celebrancy after 30 years as a social worker was a natural evolution, driven by my passion for connecting with people and weaving together the threads of you life into the stories I get to share with you and your friends and families.
I am creative and quirky, but romantic as well. What I guarantee is that when people leave which ever ceremony I have created for you , they will know exactly the people you are, were and who you want to be, how you love and were loved because you all deserve to be celebrated.
What do I offer?
Weddings
There is no ideal couple and likewise, no ideal ceremony.
Every Ceremony will be as unique as you are because it is your story.
Getting a couple and their celebrant together is a bit like using a dating app – I always want you to swipe right on me as the celebrant for you.
What I enjoy most is being part of the ceremony which shows you as your most authentic selves – and know that I have been a big part in making sure ‘your day’ and ‘your way’ are not just throw away statements – bring to me the unconventional and I will do my upmost to bring it to life.
The Main Package includes
A meeting where you tell me your story and all about your dream day and to talk about your visions for the day.
A bespoke script for your ceremony with up to 2 re-writes to ensure it really reflects the unique people you are (and because we can always think of something we should have included, rarely is it something we need to take out)
Support with writing your vows if required
Help with choosing music, readings and any special ceremonial elements.
Regular contact by email/phone/WhatsApp or Zoom (your choice completely in how we do this)
Liaising with your venue and suppliers
Attend your Wedding rehearsal so we can all be clear on our places on the day
Travel to your venue within a 45 miles/one hour’s travel from Lewes
Presentation of your script and vows and a memory to last a lifetime
but there are other options to discuss,
Prices From
£350 (script writing only)
Why choose Paula for your wedding?
I work with you, we both travel on a journey of exploration and collaboration – we share, we imagine and we create.
Naming Ceremonies
Whether it is naming or re-naming, the important feature is you. Ceremonies to celebrate the new-born or the children in your family can be tailored to capture their personality and the hopes and wishes of the family and people who will be important in their futures. We can involve all the family and siblings as well as life guides – it will be tailored to be as unique as they are. Adoption and becoming the person that you really know you should be, are as important as being born and named. I can create a ceremony to mark the transitions in your life as these are important milestones as well. You might want to celebrate your decision to live your life as you chose and want to share that celebration with the support of your friends and family Maybe you are a family that are blending your lives and the names you all have chosen to move forward with need
Before we get to the package and to find out if I am the person you trust with your ceremony I offer a free no obligation meeting to discuss what I can do for you.
The Main Package includes:
Time and date saved on deposit
A meeting at a comfortable, convenient time and location, where you tell me all about the new person in the family or how you have grown into the person you want to be
A bespoke script for your ceremony with up to 2 re-writes to ensure it really reflects the occasion (and because we can always think of something we should have included)
Help with choosing music, readings and any special ceremonial elements.
Regular contact by email/phone/WhatsApp or Zoom
Liaising with those people important to your celebration
Travel to your venue within a 45 miles/one hour’s travel from Lewes
Presentation of your script, certificate and memories made
Prices From
£450
Why choose Paula for your naming ceremony?
I make no assumptions and hold no judgement on your uniqueness – who you are and who you will be is what is important to me. That initial call will give you a sense of me and how I will take your information and turn it into a Sense of Ocassion ❣️
Renewal of Vows
Who doesn’t like a story of eternal commitment and unconditional love ………. whether it is 5 years, 10 years or affirmation of love over adversity, you are all unique. Love does not stay static – it flames and it can stay in the shadows until you are ready to declare its strength again – it may be on a significant anniversary or because you now have children and want to renew your vows with their involvement. Perhaps the vows you made and the ceremony you had don’t reflect the relationship and the people you are today and you want to have a bespoke ceremony in front of family and friends.
The first step is finding out if I am the right celebrant for you. Contact me for a ‘no obligation’ discovery conversation about what I can offer create for you.. Once booked , you will have the whole day reserved for you..
The Main Package includes:
A meeting where you tell me your story and all about your dream day and to talk about your visions for the day.
A bespoke script for your ceremony with up to 2 re-writes to ensure it really reflects the unique people you are (and because we can always think of something we should have included)
Support with writing your vows if required
Help with choosing music, readings and any special ceremonial elements.
Regular contact by email/phone/WhatsApp or Zoom
Liaising with your family and friends involved in the ceremony
Travel to your venue within a 45 miles/one hour’s travel from Lewes (other distances by negotiation)
Presentation of your script and vows and a memory to last a lifetime
Prices From
£350 (script writing only)
Why choose Paula for your renewal of vows?
I will take your memories and make that commitment shine bright for all to see. Call me and have that initial discovery call to see if you get a sense of me understanding you and being able to share your true commitment with a Sense of Ocassion 💞
Funerals
The way we say goodbye to our loved ones is changing. How we chose to say goodbye is the very last thing we can do for a loved one.
Planning a funeral can be a daunting task, especially during a time of grief. However, it can also be a meaningful way to celebrate the life of your loved one and create a ceremony that is truly unique to them.
The bespoke service I create reflects the unique beliefs and values of the deceased, your loved ones.
When working alongside you, as you begin to say goodbye to your loved one, I will assure you that you can take your time.
There is no need to rush into planning a funeral service. Take as much time as you need to grieve and to gather your thoughts. I will be with you every step of the way,
Each Service is individually created for you cand can include Natural Burial’s, Living Memorials and Life Celebrations after Direct Funerals. However you want to remember, or be remembered is all that matters.
My Funeral Services include (for example):
• Meeting in Person or video call/phone call to plan the service and to talk about the memories that you want to include in the service
• Support you in choosing music, readings, hymns and tributes and planning the order of Service
• Liaise closely with you, the Funeral Directors and venues
•Support friends and families in creating their tributes if required
•Professionally delivering the service on the day, in your chosen location
•Being available to talk through your thoughts, try to find the answers to your questions, or the right person who can
•Providing you with copy of the service
Prices From
From £240 (when working with Funeral Directors my fee forms part of their final bill)
Why choose Paula for your funeral?
Would you think of me as strange if I said ‘I love a good funeral’?, and by a good funeral, I mean one where, if you closed your eyes as I spoke, you could see, and feel, your loved one in my words. .
I think that life is to be celebrated and I will give families and friends the opportunity to reminisce on the life lived, as well as honour and acknowledge their loss.
Reviews for Paula Black Celebrant – A Sense of Occasion
Total Reviews: 3
Average Rating: 5
reviews (3)
Thank You
Dear Paula. I wanted to say thank you for the wonderful funeral service you conducted for my Mother in Law. The whole family were touched by your words. It was difficult trying to piece together memories of her life (she was 90) but you made the process easy to do and your eulogy reflected a life well led. The poems you chose were spot on and your help co ordinating with the funeral directors much appreciated. I will certainly be recommending you to family and friends especially as I think you helped us process our grief.
Most Georgus Fun
We had the most gorgeous fun creating our ceremony with our celebrant Paula, who’s warm and kind presence made the journey to our special moment, so wonderful.
Thank you for leading our ceremony so beautifully
E & R
Thank You
Paula led a wonderful service for my Grandad’s funeral last month. He was 100 years of age and Paula really helped us to celebrate his long, amazing life. The service she wrote was very him and spoke his story beautifully. Paula was brilliant from the moment we contacted her, spending time with us and getting to know Les and our family which she reflected beautifully in the ceremony she created. Thank you again Paula!
