Lauren Dowell (The Spiritual Celebrant)

Lauren Dowell writes ceremonies for the big moments — weddings, handfastings, funerals, celebrations of life — for people who don’t want the standard script. Working across Greater Manchester, Cheshire and West Yorkshire, she builds each one from scratch around the person or the couple in front of her, whether that’s a wild elopement on a misty moor or a full day at a venue.

Her view is that these thresholds — marrying, grieving, marking a turning point — are genuinely important, and worth doing properly rather than reading off a card. So a wedding might fold in an old Celtic handfasting tied to the values a couple actually holds, a ring-warming passed hand to hand around everyone present, a blessing of the four elements, or something built around a solstice or a particular moon. She runs vow-writing sessions too, for people who want to say something true and can’t quite find the words alone. It’s a thoughtful way to work, underpinned by her studies in mindfulness.

For a funeral or a celebration of life, the same care applies in reverse: a service that sounds like the person it’s for, not a template with a name dropped in.

Lauren brings The Spiritual Celebrant to the Mind Body Spirit & Wellness Weekend, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September 2026 at Stockport Masonic Guildhall — one of over 70 readers, healers and stallholders across the two days.