Lisa Duffy Celebrant

Lisa Duffy
Humanist Wedding Celebrant

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My Story

Celebrant.
Celebrator of love.
Teller of great stories.

Hello and thanks for stopping by! Let me tell you a little about me.

I love a good story. In fact every job I have ever done to date has been fuelled by story. And the very best stories of all, are those about Love. Hence why the job of wedding celebrant is me in my element!

My strength is in understanding people and what makes you unique as individuals and as a couple, so that on your special day, you can trust that you are walking towards someone who just ‘gets you’.

My Core Values

01

Love

Love is at the heart of everything we do, but what is it? In my 20s, I used to shiver at the word ‘contentment’ in a relationship. However my mistake was confusing this with ‘settling’. True love is feeling pure peace and contentment in your body and soul. Having someone to do everything and more importantly, nothing with - that is love.

02

Craic

Find someone who makes you laugh, those big ugly belly laughs when no noise comes out, and life will feel full. Craic is a word gifted to the Irish and the envy of the every other nation! At a wedding ceremony, it is my job and my privilege to take your love story and share the craic with your guests. The joy of a humanist wedding is that it is your day, your way … if craic and laughter is your thing, I am there to make that happen!

03

Truth

If you have chosen a humanist wedding, chances are it’s because authenticity and ‘something a bit different’ are what you look for in life. Too often in life we do things simply because it is how it has always been done. But there is a different way. Once we question things and look at what fully represents you as a couple, a world of possibilities open up in this great big wide world. And the same goes for your wedding day and I am here for it!

Why choose me?

As an actor and theatre maker, storytelling is my life blood.

Years of training and experience in how to gently guide the atmosphere in a room have been a priceless gift when it comes to officiating weddings.

Whether it’s the perfect punch line delivered on point or a poignant piece of your life puzzle told with truth and simplicity, I weave together skills of voice, body, instinct and improvisation to ensure that your guests leave having heard and felt every word. No two ceremonies should ever be the same and this is exactly the comment I receive most commonly -

“You made us understand these two in a way we didn’t before. It is so meaningful”

Book

I Love, Love Stories

My Wedding

This is me. The one in the white dress. Back in 2016 Humanist weddings weren’t legal in Northern Ireland so my husband and I brought our whole gang down to Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin for the weekend so that we could have the legal humanist ceremony we knew was right for us. We’d been to one before in , but most of our friends and family were experiencing their first humanist ceremony. With everyone more familiar with a church wedding, I have to say I was a wee bit nervous about the feedback.

Well! What a response!

“it was utterly personal to you and your story.”
“The celebrant seemed to effortlessly balance the importance of the occasion with a fun and celebratory tone making all of us feel involved.”
“It was so magical. So memorable, just what a wedding should be.”

Without exception everyone, old and young, were bowled over by the ceremony and even now, years later, they still talk about it.

And this is my WHY. The reason I became a humanist wedding celebrant myself.

Your Story

Your Stories

“Thanks so much Lisa. It was a perfect ceremony and a perfect day! Thanks so much for your lovely words and for bringing it all together for us. Everyone absolutely loved it!”

Jack & Sarah
“Lisa's ceremony was exactly what we wanted: well organised, great content and really fun”

Weronika and Pete
"I was surprised by how nervous I was waiting for Shelley to arrive. Lisa was literally the perfect person to have by my side in that moment. She knew how to reassure and distract me and had great tips for calming my nerves so I could enjoy and be present in the moment."

Nikki and Shelley
“Lisa delivers with real humour and timing. Her style makes every one there feel involved.”

Roisin and Craeg

Humanism is about an approach to life based on humanity and reason. It is a belief that we should strive for consideration and compassion towards all people and the environment around us. In short, it’s about good people.
A Humanist Celebrant is someone who is legally accredited to marry you in a venue and in a style that reflects you and your story. Whether you prefer traditional, romantic, lighthearted, simple or full of craic; your celebrant will spend time getting to know you, spend time writing and rewriting the perfect script for you and finally delivering it on the big day in a tone of voice that is just right for you. By the end, your celebrant will know you as well as your closet friend and that’s exactly how personal it should feel!
It’s an important job and all the celebrants at Humanists UK take it very seriously.
Hell yes! It would be an honour. Thankfully in NI, marriage is now inclusive and celebrates all of us equally and that is as it should be. Let’s do this!
Just about anywhere! That is the beauty of a humanist ceremony! I am licensed to conduct ceremonies across Northern Ireland in almost* any location, indoors or outdoors.
*Excludes churches or registry offices.
Humanists generally believe in living an ethical life that embraces empathy and equality for both people and the natural world. Many of us have humanist views without labelling ourselves as humanist. It’s really just about being dead on! You can absolutely have a humanist ceremony whether you not or choose to define yourself as one.