Char the Celebrant

What do you offer?

Omg, here goes! I'm Char the Celebrant and I create heart-led, inclusive ceremonies for everyone, filled with warmth, human realness and humour. I like to think of my ceremonies as being like officiated by one of your best mates. I cannot WAIT to meet you!

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

I want to work with the LGBTQIA+ community because it is my beloved community.

I’m queer myself, born in the 1990s to two lesbian mums and I grew up understanding both the joy and the challenges that can come with living authentically. Some of the happiest, funniest and most meaningful interactions of my career have been with LGBTQ+ people. As a celebrant, I love the warmth, creativity, humour and openness that queer communities bring. There is such deep JOY in those spaces, and I feel privileged to help hold and celebrate it!

Marriage equality in England and Wales is only just over a decade old, and same-sex marriages continue to rise year on year. That progress is worth celebrating, but it is also worth remembering how hard-fought it was. Many LGBTQ+ people have had to overcome barriers, prejudice or exclusion simply to live and love openly, and that, I acknowledge in every moment.

Our community is rooted in solidarity. From Stonewall onwards, queer liberation has been built through collective action, protest and support for other marginalised communities. Those values continue to guide me today, including through my support for Wedding Industry for Palestine (@wed4pal).

For me, working with LGBTQ+ people feels like coming home. I feel the humour, the resilience, the chosen-family dynamics and the importance of being fully seen at a cellular level. Helping people mark life’s biggest moments with authenticity, love and joy is not only what I do professionally - it is a genuine honour. I feel it to my bones.

Allyship

I passionately believe allyship is something you do, not something you simply identify with.

In my personal life, I regularly attend LGBTQ+ demonstrations and community events, including London Trans+ Pride and recent protests supporting trans rights.

I HOUND my MP about LGBTQ+ issues (no, genuinely), including calls for a trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban and stronger protections for trans people, and I actively support petitions and campaigns led by organisations such as Stonewall and TransActual.

In my work as a celebrant, I strive to make inclusion an embodied practice. I continually educate myself on evolving language and identities, use gender-expansive and inclusive terminology, avoid assumptions around gender roles, and ensure my ceremonies celebrate diverse relationships, families and chosen family structures.

I also use my platform to advocate for wider social justice causes, recognising the LGBTQ+ community’s long history of solidarity with other marginalised groups. Ultimately, allyship means continuing to learn, speak up, show up and create spaces where people feel genuinely seen, respected and celebrated.