Celebrant shortlisted for two awards in first year

A WEDDING celebrant from Nettlebed has been shortlisted for two industry awards.

Suzi van der Mark became a celebrant in September last year and has since officiated 10 weddings across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

Now she is a regional finalist in the celebrant of the year category in the Wedding Industry Awards and is also shortlisted in the best newcomer category.

Mrs van der Mark, 47, who lives with her husband Ryan and children Louis, 16 and Bella, 13, said: “I feel lucky and honoured and grateful. It has been lovely to get that unsolicited recognition and validation. It really has been brilliant.

“I’m super happy and super proud. To be nominated was exciting and to now be a finalist for wedding celebrant of the year is beyond what I could have imagined.

“The great thing about the awards is that it’s not quantity over quality, so the judges will look very closely at the feedback of your clients.”

Mrs van der Mark decided to become a celebrant after the sudden death of a close friend. She had been working in corporate communications and decided she wanted to use the skills learned towards this new career.

Mrs van der Mark said: “I was introduced to the idea of celebrancy following my friend’s passing while we were investigating what to do from a funeral planning perspective. It struck me that it’s a very privileged position to be in as a celebrant in that environment.

“I started to look into how you can train to become a celebrant and, although you don’t need to be qualified to be one, I’ve always set a very high bar for myself throughout my career in corporate communications.

“I thought, if I’m going to look into this, I’m going to really get stuck in. I investigated and decided to train at the International College of Professional Celebrants, which I did in March last year. I continued to work towards my qualifications in UK funeral and wedding celebrancy and I haven’t looked back.

“I’ve had a very enjoyable and successful career telling stories for brands and their people and I wanted to be able to call on all the skills that I’ve developed over the years and it seemed like all the stars were aligning. Celebrancy seemed like a natural fit.

“I decided to take a career break anyway and all the cards seemed to fall into place. The energy was good around me and I thought this is feeling good and I’m going to explore this.”

She has officiated weddings in Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxford, Stratton Court Barn in Bicester, the Post Barn in Newbury and the Great Barn in Banbury.

Mrs van der Mark said her work has brought her a lot of fulfilment.

She said: “The relationship I get to build with my couples is a really genuine one. So far the chemistry has just been right between us, so they’ve felt comfortable to be really open and honest about themselves and their wishes.

“For me to be able to craft and create really personal, meaningful ceremonies for them which, in turn, their family and friends have praised as well, is such a nice feeling.

“I’ve built relationships with people who were strangers but are now friends and I’ve been on dog walks and coffees with quite a few of my couples as well, which is lovely.”

Along the way, Mrs van der Mark has been a part of some memorable ceremony moments. She said: “We had a photographer fall in the river at a wedding at the Swan at Streatley and we had a ceremony gatecrashed by a lovely working cocker spaniel at Dorney Court in Windsor.

“I had to pull the photographer out of the river and help get her reclothed and washed and dried and ready to carry on and save the memory card from the cameras.

“I managed to get the dog that gatecrashed under control and, luckily, the couple were dog lovers too, so it was all fine.”

Mrs van der Mark said ceremonies are tailored to suit the couple’s wishes and personalities.

She said: “If they want to do a ritual like a handfasting, I will happily do that for them. I did one very recently that included plaiting the ribbon within the ceremony, which was lovely.

“That was an opportunity for me to talk about the significance of the ribbons that we were using and the colours involved as well as the meaning of them. They’re like personal promises and personal vows.

“What I also like to do for couples at the end of the ceremony is something called the lovers’ cup or the lovers’ toast, where we all toast the couple and their future.

“We arm all the guests with something fizzy as they come into the ceremony space. With all the guests, as well as the couple joining in that toast, it’s a lovely end to the ceremony and a real kickstart of the celebration ahead.”

The award winners will be announced next month. The companies which received the best feedback from their clients and have been judged best by the panel will be crowned regional winner before progressing to the national finals in January.