Paul Jennings | Wedding and Funeral Celebrant

Hello, I’m Paul your Wedding and Funeral Celebrant in The West Midlands and Welsh Marches. Living in the beautiful, Medieval, Market Town of Ludlow in Shropshire with my wife, I am actively involved in the Arts and our community.

I have had a very long and varied working life from working in a sawmill and steel works in the 70’s, to a 30 year career in the police, in uniform and as a detective, both locally and nationally. I have trod the boards as a stand-up comedian, compere and radio presenter and I am a qualified bushcraft and survival skills instructor and tree surgeon. Also, one day a week you can find me driving steam engines and giving talks and demonstrations to visitors at the Blists Hill Heritage Museum in Ironbridge,

Telford. My experience gained throughout my 30 years in the police has given me the necessary skills to listen empathetically to people and to provide support in times of crisis. I have written and prepared files of evidence for some of the highest courts in the land to the most exacting of standards and have always been praised for my ability to portray non-judgemental and unbiased profiles of people and events with accuracy, respect and sensitivity.

My approach to writing and delivering a celebrancy service is equally thorough and professional and every meeting with my clients is a new opportunity to produce a unique fitting ceremony whether that be to celebrate the joy of love for two people starting out on a new life together or to celebrate the love for a life that has been lost, however long that life may have been.

I remember many family wedding and funeral ceremonies over the years which did not reflect the wishes of those involved. These occasions mostly tended to be somewhat impersonal affairs which overwhelmed the actual point of the ceremony itself.

These days, thankfully, with the help of a celebrant, we can work together to produce a more meaningful event. In the case of a wedding, which is ultimately a public declaration of love and commitment between two people, couples starting out their lives together can express their feelings in a manner that they wish, in a way that they wish and in a place that they wish.

The same is true with funeral ceremonies, where family and friends can now come together to remember, reflect, and celebrate a life lived, to share feelings of loss, to say goodbye and to begin the healing process, whatever the circumstances.

Using my skills and experiences I will meet with you to craft a ceremony that reflects the personalities and individuality of all concerned and I will be there to help you through the whole process. I will listen to your anecdotes, your memories and your stories to weave them into a bespoke celebration, whether this is for the love you share together or for the love of the person you have lost. By sitting and listening to you I can help you present your ideas for music, songs, poems, readings and beliefs into a memorable and meaningful ceremony that flows from beginning to end and one which will become a treasured memory.

As a police officer I gained vast life experiences through contact with people, sometimes during the happiest of life events and sadly sometimes, the most tragic. I have supported people from all walks of life irrespective of their beliefs, backgrounds and lifestyles in a non-judgemental and compassionate manner and it would be my privilege to share my sensitivity, warmth and professionalism with you to create the perfect ceremony.