Wedding and Funeral Celebrant in Reading

My name is Sheila and I am an Independent Family and Funeral Celebrant. Aspire Bespoke Ceremonies aim is to work closely with you, and your family and friends if you wish in order to plan, prepare and perform a truly bespoke ceremony, as unique as you are. My childhood was spent in Manchester and I also have many happy memories of visiting my grandparents in rural Ireland with my siblings as a child. When I finished school, I went to London to study Engineering and after graduating I landed my first proper job there. I started in a sales role in the IT industry and over time I focused more on creating and delivering business skills training. My work involved a great deal of travel, initially just in Europe, which I enjoyed enormously. I loved visiting different places and especially finding out about new cultures, so I seized the opportunity to live and work overseas. First, I went to Hong Kong, then Singapore which opened my eyes to the countries around Asia Pacific. I did finally come back to Europe to live and work in Munich before returning to live in south Oxfordshire with my husband and twin daughters. I have been involved in military service since I was a teenager. Training and working with the Army and REME in particularly has opened so many opportunities and experiences for me, and I enjoyed the all-encompassing camaraderie, values and standards that are the foundation of the services. Most recently I had the opportunity to serve alongside the NHS as part of our country's response to the pandemic. Those decades of experience serving in the Armed Forces are important to my work as a Celebrant as I that enables me to offer a deeper empathy and understanding if you too have service connections and would like to include service elements in your ceremony.

Aspire Bespoke Ceremonies is built on the foundation of my own life experiences. My work has allowed me to experience many countries with diverse people and cultures. My ongoing curiosity about people, family, culture and how we mark important life events fuels my ambition to do the best job I can do as your celebrant. My view is that any achievement as a celebrant can only come from working closely together with my clients to build trust and a common understanding in order to create a ceremony that is satisfying, meaningful and as unique as you are. Whether you want to celebrate a wedding, renew your vows, welcome a child into the family, or mark the life of a loved one at a funeral or memorial, Aspire Bespoke Ceremonies will create and deliver a ceremony designed to exceed your expectations. Working with current service members, retired or veterans their families is a particular interest of mine. Our Armed and Blue light services are a rich source of traditional, symbols and humour so there are usually many elements that can be incorporated into your ceremony that will make it extra special. For most people their service is not just a job but a way of life for them and their nearest and dearest, so it is important to acknowledge and include it as part of any ceremony. I am based in the South East of England and Cornwall, with lots of connections to Manchester still, but as you can see, I love exploring other places so don't hesitate to call if you want to hold a ceremony further afield. It would be a privilege to help you mark a significant life event.