Wedding and Funeral Celebrant in Kent

Hello, I’m Lucy Jessop your Family, Wedding and Funeral Celebrant in Kent, Tonbridge Wells. I work across Kent, East Sussex and London, and I’m always happy to travel further if I’m the right fit for your ceremony, so do get in touch wherever you’re based.

I’m a trained civil celebrant with the UK Society of Celebrants (UKSOC), qualified to create and lead weddings, vow renewals, naming ceremonies, funerals, memorials and other meaningful life ceremonies. My approach is compassionate, creative and deeply personal, shaped by both professional experience and the many life experiences that have led me to this work.

Before celebrancy, I spent much of my career working in events across the arts, charity and music sectors. While I loved that world, celebrancy felt like a true calling, a way to support people through some of the most important moments of their lives with care, presence and heart.

I founded The Compassionate Celebrant because I believe in the power of ceremony to honour life’s thresholds: moments of joy, loss, love, change and new beginnings. As an empath, writer and poet, I have a natural love of language and the way words can hold meaning, emotion and connection. I take great care in crafting ceremonies that feel authentic, moving and true to you.

I’m also a vegan, animal lover, and someone who cares deeply about living with compassion. Those values naturally shape the way I work, bringing warmth, kindness and respect into every ceremony I create. I’m especially passionate about honouring sacred bonds, between people, families and beloved animals alike.

Alongside my celebrant work, I walk a personal spiritual path as a shamanic practitioner and Buddhist. This brings a grounded sense of presence, care and connection to the ceremonies I hold. If spirituality, ritual or symbolic elements are meaningful to you, I’m always happy to incorporate them in a way that feels genuine and personal.

To me, being a celebrant is about far more than delivering a beautiful ceremony. It’s about listening deeply, understanding what matters most to you, and helping shape something that feels honest, heartfelt and memorable.

For weddings and commitment ceremonies, I can include meaningful ritual elements such as:

Handfasting
Jumping the broom
Unity sand ceremony
Tree planting
Wishing jar
Ayni despacho
Smudging
Custom rituals created just for you

Each ceremony is tailored to reflect your story, beliefs and values.

For funerals and memorials, I bring compassion, calm and sensitivity to help create a ceremony that truly honours your loved one and supports those gathering to remember them. My own experiences of grief and loss allow me to hold these spaces with genuine empathy and care.

If you’d like to explore creating a ceremony that truly reflects the people, love and moments that matter most, I’d be honoured to hear from you.