About me
Humanist celebrant
I’m Alex Collis, a non-religious celebrant for weddings, namings, and funerals. I started working as a celebrant in 2019 and am trained by Humanists UK.
how i became a celebrant
My first experience of a humanist funeral was when my father died, and my sisters and I had to plan his funeral. It was difficult to know what he would have wanted but the one thing we were sure of was that it should be a non-religious ceremony. He had also written that he wanted to be buried, so we found a natural burial ground close to his adopted home in South Wales.
What I loved most about the humanist service we chose was how personal it was. How much it was about him and the wonderful dad and friend he was. And, as we stood on that Welsh hillside, the Rolling Stones blasting out across the field... it just felt right. Now, my passion is about helping others have the same experience that we had. Whenever I work with a family, I try and think back to how I felt at that awful, difficult time and treat people with the same compassion that my sisters and I needed then. My job as a celebrant is to help families work their way through the jumble of ideas and help them design the ceremony that works for them. Most of all, my job as a celebrant is to listen.
While I began by training as a funeral celebrant, I quickly followed this up in 2020 by training to lead weddings and, in 2022 I trained as a naming celebrant. One of the biggest privileges of my work is getting to walk alongside people at the important moments, whether that is welcoming a new life, or celebrating a life well lived.
compassion, empathy, and kindness
I share lots of core humanist values, such as compassion, empathy, and kindness. Now, through my work, I support people through some of the biggest milestones of their life. It’s a privilege to do my job.
Previously, my background was in community work, especially the area of food poverty and food justice.
Creative ceremonies that tell a story
I meet some amazing people through my work, each with a unique story for me to tell. Whether it’s introducing a new life to the world, the tale of two people joining together in a marriage, or celebrating the life of someone who has died. I will talk you through what is possible and help you plan a ceremony that reflects you and/or those you are honouring.
Your day, your way
Weddings, namings, and funerals can all be personalised to your heart’s content. I will guide you through the ceremony structure, ask you questions to get you thinking, and provide plenty of ideas - but I want you to have the freedom to make it yours.
Supporting families across East Anglia
I’m mainly based in Cambridge, but work across East Anglia, including in Huntingdon, Peterborough, Ely, Newmarket, Royston, Harlow, Epping, March, King’s Lynn, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds. There is an extra charge for travel outside of 40 miles. For weddings, I will consider traveling further afield (including overseas) – especially if it’s somewhere hot!
Community
Aside from my celebrant work I am heavily involved in my community – particularly as an advocate for food justice - and run a food hub. I am also a member of Humanists UK pastoral network (think non-religious hospital and prison chaplaincy), a trained dementia friend, and a volunteer chaplain at my local hospice.
