Hi, I’m Karen, the creator of Full of Heart Ceremonies.
I’m a Celebrant based in Bromley, which sits right on the border of London and Kent, and strikes a great balance of access to vibrant city life whilst preserving a bit of green scenery and quiet time too!
I’m a sentimental soul, and over the course of my career, I’ve come to understand that the special ingredient in every great performance, book or song comes down to that feeling of heart. You feel something true, and you feel connected, perhaps a little more seen, heard and understood.
my background
I started my career as an actor and a playwright.
When I’m not telling stories on stage or TV, I’m writing them myself. I’m forever with my nose buried in a book or binge watching a Netflix series! I’ve always loved the written word and getting lost in a great story.
And what is more interesting than telling a real life love story or the story of a great life well lived?
So now I work as a Celebrant so I can do just that!
here are few of my favourites that keep me full of heart:
- Song: Do I Do by Stevie Wonder
- Food: Veggie Pizza (always Neapolitan-style!)
- Wedding ritual: Ring warming (ask me for more details!)
- Season: Autumn
- Film: Little Miss Sunshine
- Plan for a day off: A cosy coffee date with friends
- Playwright: Duncan Macmillan
- Actor: Viola Davis or Stephen Graham (I can’t decide!)
- Play: Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan
- Place to visit: Italy
becoming a celebrant
A big factor in me becoming a celebrant is: my mum.
She has always been a great source of inspiration for me.
She’s been ill as long as I can remember, and despite this she’s big on romance, witty and fun, and always unapologetically herself.
Following a particularly difficult period of ill health, I was told that my mum was going to pass away imminently. Perhaps it was the shock, but I was consumed with thoughts for her funeral.
I so badly wanted for it to reflect her playful essence. It couldn’t be stock or boring, it had to do her justice.
And it did.
Having full creative freedom for her ceremony was something that made the most traumatic moment of my life feel a little more in my hands. I could celebrate her in a way that reflected her life and the precious legacy she was leaving.
Her funeral was a heartfelt and personalised tribute to her wholehearted and fun nature, and it captured her unique essence fully.
(complete with a slideshow of photos from her life to the soundtrack of Dynasty, Dallas and The Golden Girls!)
The funeral was such an important part of my grieving journey and I now know personally how precious a moment like this is, and it’s so important that it’s done right.
I started working as a celebrant shortly after.