NORMAN BOWMAN

Wedding & Funeral Celebrant

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Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, UK & beyond

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JUST SOME LOVELY APPROVED SUPPLIER BADGES......

For Life. For Love.

That's as simple as it gets for me as a Celebrant.
To celebrate life & love.
It's both my mission and my passion.
It's who I am & what I do.

And with that passion, respect & a creative eye I want to help you mark your life event in a truly unforgettable way.

It deserves a bespoke, heartfelt & beautifully delivered ceremony & I am here to tell you needn't compromise on the Wedding of your dreams, the Life Celebration of a loved one, the Naming of your Child or the Renewal of your Vows.

A Celebrant-led ceremony gives you the freedom to celebrate or commemorate the way YOU want to. Let me help you do this. Click below to send a message or have a look around the chapters below.

How may I be of service?

Wedding

Funeral

Naming

Ceremony

“I’m sorry, you’re a what?”

More often than not this is the response I’m met with when I tell someone what I do. Quickly followed by the need to make the distinction between a Celebrant and a celibate. Sometimes more than once. I won’t explain that difference here but needless to say, ANY similarities are purely coincidental.

There is a strange duality to being a celebrant, in one sense it's still a relatively fresh and fledgeling occupation in spite of the fact has been around for around 15 years but as cultures evolve, and with it the laws that accompany it, the desire for a secular, non-religious ceremony that's free of any church imposed protocol grows. In spite of the many instances bye-bye I have had to explain what the celebrant is, that's giving the impression that it is indeed unheard-of, upon training oneself up and launching oneself into the business, one discovers it's an already well subscribed industry.

Google searches tend to include the words ‘independent’, ‘secular’ and/or ‘professional’.

Let’s deal with each search criteria individually.

Independent clearly indicates a desire for an officiant who’s not in any way affiliated with an organisation or body. Celebrants are by their very nature independent being that they tend to be self-employed and their own boss.

Secular is an interesting word in itself. Meaning devoid of religion or spiritual matters and in direct contrast to sacred it suggests the need for a ceremony that whilst celebratory contains no elements that resemble religion or spirituality. This is where a Humanist comes in, they are not permitted to perform any religious elements whatdsobver where as a non-humanist Celebrant-led ceremony remains open to ALL needs of the client.

Professional is an ambiguous word. It ought not to be but these days anyone who feels like being a professional something or other need only regard them selves as professional. What do we deem to be oroffesional? Is it a qualification, is it experience, is merely someone who earns any money from providing their service.

So, what does it take to be an independent, professional and certified Celebrant in the UK (or Civil Celebrant as we are sometimes called)? Well , it encompasses a wide spectrum of ceremonies and requires a skillset that needs to be imaginative, compassionate, insightful, attentive, mindful, creative, communicative, understanding of both the human heart and soul, business-minded which also includes finances, digital marketing, social media, always honing and keeping abreast of ever changing trends, laws and wants. And, unlike Humanists who aren’t permitted to deal with any religious elements, even though we are secular we can and do cover ceremonies both religious and non-religious, depending on the clients desires. Weddings, funerals, life-cycle ceremonies, memorials, ashes scattering, vow renewals, transgender naming, divorce healing, pet funerals, new family unions, we should be able to write an order of service including eulogy, conduct mini-rituals including hand fasting, jump the broom, sand ceremony etc essentially whatever event someone deems special enough to have a ceremony for that they wish to signify with a sense of formality, celebration or commemoration.
Given the broad nature of such things, fees can be tricky to nail down given the bespoke nature of creating and the highly competitive industry that it is fast becoming. Prices can vary from £150 to....well, with weddings, up to thousands!

Based in Great Missenden but covering all of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Greater London,
Wedding, Funeral, Baby Naming, Vow Renewal, Pet Funeral Celebrant operating in the Buckinghamshire (Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, Marlow, High Wycombe, Amersham, Chesham, Newport Pagnell, Aston Clinton, Beaconsfield, Great Missenden, Gerrards Cross, Iver, Denham, Chalfont St Giles, Haddenham, Stokenchurch, Hazlemere, Taplow, Bourne End, Burnham, Bletchley, Long Crendon, Princes Risborough, Wendover, Buckingham)
Hertfordshire (Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford, St Albans, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden Centre)
Oxfordshire (Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Kidlington, Chipping Norton, Carterton, Witney, Thame, Chinnor, Abingdon-on-Thames, Wantage, Didcot, Wallingford, Henley-on-Thames

Originally from Arbroath in Scotland, for 27 years I've tread the boards as an actor/singer in productions such as Les Miserables, Mamma Mia!, Cats, 42nd Street, Macbeth, Henry V, King Lear and so on.

Once I realised what a Celebrant was I knew I wanted to be one - enabling, facilitating & celebrating love, through ceremony, just resonated so profoundly within me.
Then I realised both my passions served the same purpose, that I love making people happy. Years of public speaking, character study, creative writing, an interest in people & above all telling wonderful stories has allowed me to do achieve that aim.

Just for peace of mind, I trained with & am a fully insured member of The Institute of Professional Celebrants.

Any questions, click the heart.

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while you're here...

LOVE

In my time I have been christian, agnostic & atheistic but have settled upon a belief in the human spirit & our individual capacity for good, compassion & love.

Love is without doubt the fundamental element of all Celebrant led ceremonies & the reason that I wanted to become a Celebrant. I love to help people celebrate love. As such I don't judge & want you to feel comfortable & open enough to be able to express your needs so that we can create something personal & truly memorable. Life is tough but can be better endured with more golden moments found through compassion & love for each other.

"Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth, 'You owe me'.
Look what happens with a love like that. It lights up the whole sky."
Hafiz

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