Ashleigh the Sunshine Celebrant

What do you offer?

Hey, you lovely lot! I’m guessing you’ve found me because you’re after a fun, vibrant approach to your celebration. I officiate weddings, vow renewals, and re-naming ceremonies with a focus on truly connecting with people, getting to know their stories, and crafting a ceremony that feels unapologetically you!

Why do you want to work with the LGBTQ+ community?

As a queer celebrant who grew up in a small town surrounded by some very narrow minded views, I know how important it is to see yourself fully represented and celebrated. I want to help change the narrative that weddings look a certain way by celebrating all to-be-weds from all identities within the LGBTQ+ community. I want to create create a space where every couple feels seen, respected, and celebrated for every single inch of their gorgeous and unique love story. Not only that, I want us to have a bloody hoot, getting to know each other, writing something funny, yet heart-warming and being there to hold your hand (metaphorically) the whole way, because planning a ceremony can be overwhelming as hell!

Allyship

Last year, I started Sunshine Friday, which is something I plan to run every year, where a percentage of all booking fees taken during the month is donated to Galop the UK’s National Anti-Abuse Charity for LGBTQ+ people.

It’s a charity close to my heart, and it also connects to my other role delivering domestic abuse training, where highlighting the unique challenges and the intersecting experiences faced by LGBTQ+ folks is at the forefront. Part of my role of educating is also calling out assumptions, biases or language being used by delegates attending training sessions.

As a proud auntie, I make it my mission to introduce my nieces and nephews to a world full of diversity, showing them that love and partnership aren’t limited to cis, white, heterosexual relationships. Representation matters, and I carry that belief into every part of my work. As a celebrant I’m intentional about making everyone feel welcome.

My website, social media, and all my client forms use gender-neutral language, and I’m upfront about my proud queerness, feminist values, and love for working with progressive to-be-weds, something I wish was the norm rather than the exception. My pronouns are shared on my website, emails with the intention people will feel safe to share their own pronouns. I also actively choose to work with LGBTQ+-owned small businesses wherever I can, because I want to invest directly back into the community. I offer renaming ceremonies at a discounted rate to support and uplift people who have been through a period of change and want to celebrate their journey. I share and amplify LGBTQ+ voices, resources, and stories on my platforms, and I know that allyship isn’t a given. I’m always learning, reflecting, and checking my privilege.

I recognise that my social media platforms and website don’t yet reflect the full diversity of the LGBTQ+ community as much as I’d like. When I first started, I used stock images of LGBTQ+ couples to show inclusivity because it was important to me, but the real weddings I’ve captured so far haven’t included as wide a range of folks as I want to represent. To address this, I’m shifting from only sharing posts by others on national days or political moments to creating my own content that highlights and celebrates LGBTQ+ identities throughout the year.

For example, I plan to make dedicated posts for occasions like Lesbian Visibility Week, Trans awareness week, and more, so representation stays visible on my feed and doesn’t disappear after 24 hours. I’ll admit that before, I used lack of time or the fear of not representing every group perfectly as excuses for not doing enough. But I know that’s not good enough, I have to do better. Allyship means showing up consistently, even when it feels challenging, and actively working to make my business a space where all LGBTQ+ people feel seen and included.

Since launching my business last year, I’ve also been intentional about who I collaborate with, especially for styled shoots. I’ve made conscious choices to work with more LGBTQ+ owned businesses and couples from a variety of backgrounds.