Interview | Elegant Boho Ceremonies | Celebrant Karen Betancourt-Jess

I was lucky enough to meet the lovely Karen at Cowdray Park earlier last year.

Karen is an independent celebrant with a love of crafting words and visuals. She has a passion to ensure that every ceremony is unique, thereby creating beautiful memories for everyone to share.

Here, Karen shares her thoughts and memories about being a wedding celebrant…

Please tell me about your business and style

As a Wedding celebrant I create and conduct bespoke and personal wedding ceremonies. I work very closely with every couple to design and deliver their unique ceremony. Turning dreams into reality through close liaison, regular meetings, research and creativity.

What background work goes into each ceremony?

I average between 25-30 hours on meetings with the couple, research on content, writing and redrafting as necessary,  constant liaison with each couple,  venue visits, rehearsals and then conducting the ceremony.

What would be the most important piece of advice you would give a couple?

Think about how you want your ceremony to feel and look. What aspects of your personalities do you want the ceremony to reflect, then work with your celebrant to create the content that will do this.

What are the most popular trends and requests for next year?

Lots of couples are looking at tailoring special elements like hand fasting and unity candles to match their ceremony style. Outdoor ceremonies are becoming more popular.

Do you have a favourite review?

One couple wrote to me to thank me saying that their guests remarked how humorous yet touching the ceremony was. They were thrilled as that is exactly the balance they had hoped for and said..” we chose the right lady to be our celebrant.”…

What do you love most about the wedding business?

Sharing the love stories of all my couples and being honoured to hear their stories and for me to have such a positive impact on one of the most important days of their lives.

What is your favourite personal touch you have seen at a wedding?

Having live musicians during the ceremony… beautiful violinists and acapella singers.

Tell me about your memories of a favourite wedding

During the jumping the broom element the groom trying to sweep the broom across him and his bride at the same time as looking at her so that the photos looked good. This had everyone howling with laughter and made it even more of a special moment.

And please tell us about your favourite wedding traditions that you’ve come across

Including the close family in the ceremony by writing parts for them to take a role.

You can find out all about Karen and Elegant Boho Ceremonies on her website here , call her on 07936 308559, or email her at karen@elegantboho.co.uk