Former Express FM host from Portsmouth loves his new life as a celebrant

On stumbling across becoming a celebrant, Paul began training virtually, and he could never have imagined just how wonderful this new life path would be.

From seeing couples bringing along their dogs to bear the rings on their big day - to hand-fasting ceremonies where the couple are bonded together throughout their entire service – these were just a few unique examples that Paul could one day see himself conducting.

And yet Paul – who served in the RAF from 18 to 20 – has thrown his all into this new career. It’s his new lease of life.

Paul, 49, from Portsmouth found his passion for being a celebrant when he discovered he could take up an online course on it during lockdown.

‘While I was working at the NHS during the pandemic, I wanted something else to do and I reduced my hours,’ he says.

Being a celebrant was that perfect career option that would give him flexibility and the opportunity to feel immensely ‘rewarded’ by witnessing what is one of the happiest days of so many couple’s lives.

Instead of tying the knot in the more traditional way like at a church, Paul’s celebrant service gives couples the option to marry in unique locations.

‘You still may have to go to a registry office to do the legal part, but what it means is, if you're having a celebration in a castle or on a ship or something like that you can have your event – but you can change your vows to the way you want them.

‘It can be delivered in a completely different way so it's not so formal.’

Not only this, but being a celebrant means Paul is also now qualified to conduct naming ceremonies (the non-religious Christening equivalent) and funerals too.

For funerals, he emphasises that he wanted to do them as a celebration of that person's life, focusing on all the good things in their life instead of the ‘sorrow and sadness that they’ve passed’.

He adds: ‘I still have meetings with the family beforehand and then stand at the lectern for instance to talk about their loved one in a more positive way,’ he says.

‘It's very rewarding spiritually. Emotionally, you get lots of people shaking your hand and saying thank you afterwards.’

During his lifetime, Paul has had a plethora of jobs, from business advertising, working in sales and he was even a special police constable for a while before he eventually landed a job in radio through volunteering.

Paul has worked 17 years in radio.

For a while, he was juggling working at Express FM and a career with the NHS, but he’s since ditched the headphones and mixer – balancing a life as a physiotherapy technician at Queen Alexandra Hospital , Cosham, and a celebrant.

‘One of my other jobs I did in the past was working as a funeral director and - as well as my radio work - I used to DJ at weddings.

‘When I looked into being a celebrant I thought I'd quite like that. I like standing up in front of people. I'm happy to talk in front of people.

‘I'm not shy or anything like that.’

Aged 18, Paul joined the RAF Regiment after yearning to excel in the force since he was little, but his dream career came crashing down when he ruptured his Achilles tendon.

Two years later, in 1992, he withdrew from the forces and led a fulfilling life brimming with career opportunities that many children aspire to when they’re little.

However, nothing comes close to the adrenaline rush Paul gets on performing a wedding ceremony at the ‘happiest time of a couple’s life.’

And it was because of his wealth of experience alone with a microphone, that he naturally felt the next step would be to become a celebrant.

During the pandemic, his job at the NHS – inevitably – came with added stress and pressure.

But his work ethic was a force to be reckoned with and after shifts at QA he’d go home to his computer to study for his City and Guilds diploma to be a celebrant.

‘I was still working for the NHS as I still do now.

‘I was working there three days a week.

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‘I was working hard. And then with everything that was going on, I was coming home and studying, putting all my time and effort into my celebrant work through online presentations and completing videos.

‘You have to film yourself as if you're conducting a funeral or a wedding, which, during the pandemic was quite challenging.

‘I live alone so it's quite hard to do that.’

‘I think my days of working in radio gave me good practice with that because in radio you're sat in a room on your own talking to a microphone.

‘It's just a natural thing for me to sit there talking to myself, which sounds bonkers!’

In August 2021, Paul was finally able to get back out there and kick-start his celebrant career.

‘Now with things opening back up again, as celebrants we can all get back out there and carry on doing more work,’ he explains.

Now with a new business under his belt called Celebrant Your Way, which has been going for six months, Paul is eager to see what future couples will have in store for him.

As ‘more people are opting for the the celebrant route’ Paul feels there is opportunity for a vast array of weddings to look forward to.

‘You may get people who are punk rockers and they want a punk rock wedding.

‘You can completely change the ceremony to adapt it to whatever your clients want.

‘I've just seen one wedding recently where a couple got their dog to bring the wedding rings to the front.

‘It's bizarre and it gives people lots of different choices and options.

‘You can do hand-fasting ceremonies where you bond them together with rope and they obviously take it apart once the service is done.

More and more people are choosing to go down that road.

‘And weddings, what's better than being there at someone's happy moment in their life celebrating it with them and witnessing it with them.’

Paul sayst he has five main values as a celebrant, and these are honesty, empathy, accountability, rapport and transparency.

Even though he is Portsmouth-based, Paul can travel to Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset or much further afield. If he is the right celebrant for someone he is very happy to travel.

Visit celebrantyourway.co.uk.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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