Wedding and Funeral Celebrant in Greater Manchester

Hello, I’m Viv, a wedding, family and funeral celebrant in Greater Manchester. I’m able to conduct ceremonies in Greater Manchester or further afield if requested. I’m married with children and a lively dog called Coco.

I’ve been working in higher education for the last 20 years and I love teaching and connecting with people. Presenting in front of groups is something that I really enjoy and I love the buzz of delivering a great teaching session.

My mum actually planted the seed of becoming a celebrant many years ago when she said she thought it would suit me because I would get to take part in special occasions all the time. I parked the idea for ages but then when my dad died in 2018, I decided to deliver the eulogy. I wanted to give him the best tribute that I possibly could by acknowledging the sorrow that his death brought, but also to celebrate his greatest achievements, interests and funny moments.

After dad’s funeral, I decided to train as a celebrant because I realised what an honour it is to contribute to other people’s important life events. Now I can help others in commemorating their happiest days with weddings, naming ceremonies and vow renewals, as well as supporting those who are grieving the loss of their loved one.

Outside of work I guess I would describe myself as a creative dabbler. I get involved in all sorts of artistic projects like writing poetry and short stories, painting and sketching. My other big passion in life is cooking – I love to experiment with new recipes and love feeding a crowd. No-one ever leaves our house hungry!

My aim is to craft a ceremony for you that is personal, authentic and reflects who you really are. I will make sure that from the first contact you have with me up to the special day and beyond that I will take great care to plan and produce a ceremony that you are happy with. If you want a particular theme for your day, great, let’s go for it! If there are special elements that you want to include, we can work together to make them happen. If you want costumes, poems, music and glitter, let’s have a chat and see what we can do. Being British-born Chinese and having married a Scotsman, I embrace other cultures and can create cross-cultural ceremonies.  I will help you to mark your special occasion with any cultural elements of your choice. Although my ethnic background is Chinese, I conduct my ceremonies in English. I do not speak Mandarin and although I have a good understanding of Cantonese I am not a fluent speaker.

I’ll do my utmost to create the wedding you’ve always dreamed of, full of love and happy memories for you and your guests to treasure. We can collaborate on the type of ceremony you want and the special people in your lives that you’d like to take active roles in on the day. You might like to incorporate certain rituals into the ceremony that symbolise your union in a meaningful way.  I will work with you flexibly, with a keen focus on what matters to you. It will be a truly personalised experience tailored to your tastes and preferences.

When you need me for your funeral ceremonies, I will design an event that honours your loved one and celebrates their life in the most fitting way possible. I like to get to know my clients and their loved one and really enjoy hearing about family history, anecdotes and milestones in their lives. I’ll be sure to include all the elements that have special meanings for you so that you can be confident in the knowledge that yours is a truly unique ceremony. Funerals don’t have to be sombre occasions; they can also be quirky and reflect the personality of your loved one. I can help you to curate particular songs, readings and poetry to set the right tone for saying goodbye to your loved one.

If you’d like a chat with me about your ceremony, do get in touch.