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Available for
Countries Covered
I travel Nationally & Internationally
Specialisms
'Spiritual but not religious', Inter-cultural, LGBTQAI+/Queer, Alternative/Creative, Classic Summer Weddings, Outdoors, International,
Affiliations
Fellowship of Professional Celebrants
Languages
English, British Sign Language and limited but decent French
Hi, I'm Jessica
Hello Everybody!
My name is Jess, your Award-Winning, Brighton-based Celebrant!. Jess May’s Special Days are chilled out engaging ceremonies filled with love and joie de vivre.
Award-winning, experienced, Alternative, Celebrant. Fusion, Intercultural, Meadows and Woodlands, Urban Chic, Brummie Locals and International Jet Setters. Spiritual but not religious. Fun and relaxed but never flippant or gimmicky.
What's my ceremony style?
My style is to focus on creative process with my couples. It makes it easy to tell your story.
Personality, flair, flowers in my hair. Lots of laughter, lots of tears. Serious sentiments in sentences which sing. Sitting in your gardens, drinking hot chocolate, listening and getting to know your children and pets. Even years later, I find that I still remember their names.. By the time you walk down the aisle most of my work is done. I’m not a Humanist but a Celebrant of the ‘Spiritual but not Religious’ variety. Blending and re-interpreting cultural traditions is a particular passion, Temple Garlands made from pink roses instead of marigolds. A table full of candles instead of a central fire. Promises to sons and daughters. ‘Percy the Whippet’ was a ringbearer of class. I listen and then help to uncover your own personal poetry.
Prices From
£850
highlight
Local BRIGHTON Weddings
Discount for Local Weddings £50 discount for recommendations
£800
Why choose Jessica?
Don’t tell anyone….but I don’t think your Wedding Day should be The Best Day of your Life! just One of the Best Days of Your Lives.. The Special Day that sets the scene for all the Special Days to come. My celebrations are about beginnings and I like to find out what happens next. Many clients become my friends . I enjoy being a part of that ‘beginning & I like to remain a part of the story, if you’ll have me.
What do I offer?
Weddings
Prices From
£700
Why choose Jessica for your wedding?
Naming Ceremonies
I often find myself doing Naming Ceremonies in back gardens, or marquees. I love them. I particularly love it when my wedding couples call me and ask me to Name the Baby. That is very special. I also love creating Adoption Ceremonies. It’s all so rewarding and lovely.
The main thing I offer is absolutely delight and lots of ideas and resources. I’m always genuinely thrilled to be holding a baby announcing their arrival into the world and watching their Grandma’s eyes misting with tears of joy. I often find myself in marquees in gardens with Fairy Godmothers, planting trees and sipping champagne. Some people have residual spiritual beliefs and for those people I have adapted ceremonies using blessings from varied traditions, including anointing with oil and water and honey. Wise sayings, and Winnie the Pooh often feature and abridged parenting philosophies developed into pledges based around your values. I love Naming Ceremonies, I’d love to do more of them.
Why choose Jessica for your naming ceremony?
I love celebrating new life. New beginnings and I love a snuggle with a baby.
People often approach me for Namings when there is a sense of a need for ‘healing’ and moving on.
Renewal of Vows
Why choose Jessica for your renewal of vows?
Funerals
Celebrating the Lives of those who have died. Telling the stories, saying goodbye.
When I do a funeral, I metaphorically invite that person into my life and ask them to live with me for a week or two. I get to know the person you loved, hear about their favourite colours, quirks and funny ways. Jeannie who was prim and proper but used to take a bite out of a block of cheese and then put it straight back in the fridge with the bite marks still in it. I tell the story of the idiosyncrasies, the paradoxes the multiple lives we live and people we are.
Prices From
£220
Why choose Jessica for your funeral?
I’ll be right for you if you are someone who values emotional honesty over formality and an accurate representation of a real multi-dimensional person. You’ll be looking for someone who actually cares about who that person is to you in life and in death. You will want someone who is interested in all the different people that person has been. You will want the freedom to express joy and sadness over conventional traditions. You won’t necessarily be Atheist, you may well be a person of Faith but you’d rather do away with the pomp and circumstance or prefer a Woodland over a Church.
Reviews for , JESS MAY’S SPECIAL DAYS, BRIGHTON
Total Reviews: 36
Average Rating: 5
reviews (36)
Richard Hudson
Jess was amazing, she brought Richard back to life during his eulogy, she is such a warm, charismatic lady, her voice is beautiful and she delivered his eulogy as if she had known him herself. She also looks amazing, full of colour and vibrancy, so many people commented on how good she was. Thank you Jess ❤️
Thank your for bring her to life one last time
I would like to say a huge thank you from myself, the family and friends of Alice for bringing her to life one last time.
It has been a pleasure sharing my sister’s journey with you and I have greatly appreciated the support and guidance at this difficult time. Adam and Dan
Jessica started as our celebrant but became our friend
We first met Jessica when we asked her to be the celebrant for our wedding and our sons naming day back in 2017. She was unbelievable at that meeting with us before hand and really getting to know us and our whole family and making the day so personal and special to us, so much so that we have all kept in touch with Jessica in the years following. Unfortunately this year our grandad passed away and his one instruction was that he wanted a funeral where people could celebrate his life and not mourn his death. Now the last thing I wanted for him was your usual funeral or as I call them funeral by numbers, where a random stranger stands up and just inserts a name in a prepared speech with no feelings, knowledge or emotion involved at all. This is where I instantly thought of Jessica. She was absolutely fantastic all throughout the entire process, from putting our Nan at ease when she met her on many different occasions to discuss our grandads life, his loves, his hates, his history and everything anyone could ever know. Her questions where in depth but asked in a way where you didn’t even realised they were Questions. It just seemed like we were all sitting round having a laugh and a talk about a man we all loved. Jessica sorted out all the music, dealt with the undertakers and sorted out absolutely every request we had of her. As for the ceremony itself, Jessica made us all laugh, cry, really remember the man we all loved. She brought his life to life before us by painting such vivid pictures with her words that we would have thought she knew him for years. Jessica was always professional, calm and so, so caring. I would never hesitate to use jessica again for any celebration we had and I’m so happy that she’s not only our celebrant of choice but also now our friend
