The first thing you'll notice about Cambridgeshire-based wedding celebrant Therese Coyne is her delightful purple hair, but you won't have to be in her presence for very long to be warmed even more by her super-friendly embrace and her fabulous sense of humour. We've absolutely loved helping Therese on her celebrant journey and we're so excited to see her and her celebrant business, Butterfly Heart Celebrations flourish and grow. Carry on reading to learn more about Therese and her celebrant story
What did you do before becoming a celebrant or in addition to being a celebrant now?
I had a long career in learning and development until I had a life change in 2020 and launched a mobile catering business set squarely at the wedding market - boho and eco weddings being a sweet spot.
What experiences or past skills do you think helped you with being a celebrant?
Working with clients to develop a learning strategy is about matching your products and services with the right resources and creating a programme to suit the needs of that particular client. You need to be able to take a brief, look at programme outcomes, the available assets, the audience, the timescale and budget. Sounds pretty aligned to ceremony creation. In catering you do the same thing but with food at the centre. You need to be committed, a self starter, have a creative mindset and a solutions-based mindset. You also need to be able to manage a cycle with a eye on the bottom line.
What made you want to train to become a celebrant?
I really like interacting with people, learning about their lives and like to joyfully solve problems. I have quite a lot of experience helping co-ordinate weddings and funeral ceremonies and I am often asked to be the family spokesperson as I'm happy to stand up and speak publicly. Several of my friends suggested I should pursue a career in social services, counselling or teaching, none of which appealed as much and I wanted to do something to compliment my catering business.
What did your friends and family think of your decision to become a celebrant?
They were all very enthusiastic and supportive.
Why did you choose to train with the Celebrants Collective?
I loved their friendly style, website and learning material and the fact it went beyond just the course.
Did you have any worries about being a celebrant which the course has helped you resolve?
Yes! Getting my first few bookings and making a go of it in these challenging times!
Cambridgeshire-based Wedding Celebrant, Therese Coyne
What was your most favorite part of the course and why?
I love the face to face sessions, being made to think on the spot and the interaction with the other trainees - it really feels like a family!
How has your training with the Celebrants Collective helped you to become a confident celebrant?
In the group sessions I unearthed some writing skills that I thought were completely absent.
What’s been your biggest takeaway so far about training to be a celebrant?
That I would really like to do funerals, too!
What kind of celebrant do you think you’re shaping up to be?
A boho hippy eco wedding celebrant who wants to expand to do funerals that CELEBRATE a life.
What would be your advice to someone looking to train to be a wedding or funeral celebrant?
Join this training group! Finding the right tribe will make the journey so much more rewarding and the mantra about being yourself is practiced here not just preached. The group is really, really diverse and you will learn so much more than the course curriculum 🙂
We just absolutely love Therese and her gorgeous purple hair!