Meet Emily Lloyd-Cook, a Surrey-based certified wedding celebrant who trained with us to turn her passion for love stories into a thriving career. Now, she creates and delivers heartfelt wedding ceremonies across Surrey, London, and beyond, helping couples celebrate their special moments in truly memorable ways.

Read on to learn more about Emily's celebrant journey.

What did you do before becoming a celebrant or in addition to being a celebrant now?

I am currently still working as a primary school teacher part-time. Before this, I trained as a dancer at The BRIT School and Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance.

What experiences or past skills do you think helped you with being a celebrant?

Growing up in the performing arts has given me an abundance of confidence (maybe a bit too much), oodels of stage presence, the ability to project my voice and work a crowd. Dance training, gave me an excellent work ethic (nothing like an 8am ballet class after a night out, right?) and resilience. I love organising so teaching suits me well, I get to be a little bit creative with my lesson planning and I have learnt to control the room, albeit it sometimes be through the use of 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes'.

What made you want to train to become a celebrant?

After having to postpone our wedding due to Covid, we got legally married when restrictions lifted. When our much bigger wedding was then allowed to happen, we still wanted to have a wedding ceremony of sorts so decided upon a celebrant led ceremony. It was the best decision we made about our wedding day 2.0! I was utterly inspired by our wedding celebrant and wanted to create magical moments for couples myself. 

What did your friends and family think of your decision to become a celebrant?

My family and friends have all highly encouraged me to embark on this journey expressing that they feel I would be very good at it. 

Why did you choose to train with the Celebrants Collective?

I liked that there was an online option that I could work through in my own time.

Did you have any worries about being a celebrant which the course has helped you resolve?

No worries as such but the course has given me a bit of a confidence boost when it comes to speaking with couples and marketing myself.

What was your most favourite part of the course and why?

I really enjoyed writing the assignments, particularly the love story (Assignment 2). I just absolutely loved being able to write about my friends' relationship in my own words and put my own spin on it so that it was personal to them but equally reflected my style as a celebrant - I suppose it also helped me to find my celebrant voice. 

How have you been making a name for yourself since you became certified or in the process of getting certified?

Telling everyone I know! I have contacted lots of venues, as well as visited a few. I have created social media content and written blog posts for these venues. I have attended two venue showcases. I have met many suppliers and couples who I have given my details to. 

We’re incredibly proud to have Emily as part of our Celebrants Collective community, and we know she’ll continue to shine as a fantastic celebrant ambassador, inspiring couples and fellow celebrants alike.

Ready to follow in Emily’s footsteps? If her story has sparked your excitement about becoming a celebrant, explore our online and in-person celebrant training courses on our homepage and start your own celebrant journey today!

Discover more about Emily and her work here: Made with Love Celebrations.