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About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2020

Last update: July 2024

HEART-WARMING CEREMONIES FOR HAPPY DAYS!

Laura Gimson Ceremonies

Hello! I'm Laura; celebrant extraordinaire, serial wedding obsessive and first ever winner of 'BEST CELEBRANT' at the UK Wedding Awards! Thanks so much for stopping by. More importantly, congratulations on your engagement!

So...how does it feel? Are you relishing the opportunity to plan every last detail of your big celebration? Or are you up to your eyeballs in wed-min and ready to run for the hills?! Either way, you're in safe hands here.

Since training with Humanists UK in 2016, I’ve been writing and conducting weddings which celebrate the little details that make each and every couple so gloriously unique. I'm on a mission to disprove the myth that ceremonies have to be dull, dry and devoid of personality. What a wasted opportunity! A truly brilliant ceremony will have people laughing one minute, crying the next and leaving on an absolute high.

Every wedding is a collaboration, so we’ll work together to create a ceremony which feels totally honest and authentic. That’s not to say you need all the answers. My job is to be your expert guide - to unpick your story and tease out a plan which feels like the perfect fit.

Your wedding is written to reflect you and your relationship – no templates, no gold, silver or bronze package options, just your own little love story.

Areas Covered

I'm based in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire and cover ceremonies anywhere up to an hour away. Plus, having spent 10 happy years in London, I'm always excited to pop back for a wedding in the big city.

  • Woman-owned

Frequently asked questions

Language:

English

Religion:

Non-religious/humanist

Type:

Celebrant

Served in

Oxfordshire, South West London and Warwickshire

illustration notebook

Do you have any questions?

Reviews for Laura Gimson Ceremonies

We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to make your big decisions easier.
5.0 out of 5 rating
Hitched Wedding Awards 2024 Winner
5.0 out of 5 rating
25 reviews
100% recommend it
  • Quality of the service
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value for money
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
J
Jonathan G. Sent on 02/05/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Best wedding decision we made

Guests at weddings often compliment things like the food, venue, flowers or dad dancing, but at our wedding the highest praise was reserved for our celebrant. Laura set the tone and energy not just for the ceremony itself, but for the entire day, creating an atmosphere that was full of fun, positivity and meaning. So good that she inspired one guest to train as a celebrant herself!

In the preparations, Laura was genuinely invested in the story of our relationship, and the time she spent with us was translated into a personal, tailored ceremony that fully reflected our character. While she was conscious of when we were nervous or unsure, she always encouraged us to be bold, suggesting a few touches that truly made the occasion.

In summary, Laura's a professional, a lovely person and a creator of gentle wedding magic!
Jess
Jess Z. Sent on 09/09/2024
5 out of 5 rating

The most personal ceremony

We truly cannot sing our praises loud enough for Laura. She has a gift, and that gift is weaving the story of two people in such a deeply personal way that you would think she has known them for years. She told our story in a way that touched everyone present, and she was so creative in incorporating unique aspects of our lives. From the three hours we spent sitting in a café, talking about our life together, to the thoughtful feedback on our vows, she made us feel so excited and honored to have her stand in front of our friends and family to celebrate our marriage.

The one aspect of our wedding which was complimented the most by far was Laura and our ceremony. Whether it came from the bride’s American family or the groom’s British side, we were told by so many that it was the best wedding ceremony they’d all ever been to (and we’d have to agree). The personal touches, the interactive bits, the sing-a-long, all came together seamlessly to create the vibrant, joyous atmosphere we had hoped for.
Eve
Eve Sent on 03/09/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect perfect perfect


It’s been quite hard to put into words how special the ceremony was, and the whole process of working with Laura over the last 18 months.

Our ceremony was even more magical than we expected, after receiving her fantastic script. It hit exactly the right balance of acknowledging the gravity of our marriage, but bringing joy, life, and light into the picture.

Each of our calls and meetings was so happy - as an anxious bride Laura made me feel reassured and heard. I knew we were safe in her hands! She even stood outside with me shortly before my wedding ceremony started, helping me breathe and giving me a brilliant pep talk.

Our guests were also blown away - many remarking that it was the best ceremony they’ve ever been in. Almost everyone said that they were so surprised she hadn’t known us for years, as she perfectly captured us and our love.

We had a lot of guests who had never heard of a humanist celebrant, nor been to any non-religious wedding, and whilst being perplexed prior to the ceremony, there are certainly some converts now! One guest went to a Sikh wedding the following day, and, much to his wife’s mortification, spent the entire day saying how impersonal that ceremony was and how much more wonderful ours was. He’s now apparently spent the last three weeks attempting to persuade the rest of his family and any engaged couples to avoid the temple and go for a non-religious ceremony..!

I would recommend Laura to anyone and everyone. She was just wonderful and I can't wait to relive the ceremony again and again when we receive our video.
Gbemi
Gbemi B. Sent on 14/08/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful Ceremony

We can't recommend Laura enough. She was brilliant throughout the entire process. She held our hands through the planning, helping us decide what we want to include in our ceremony and to write our vows.

The ceremony she wrote was fantastic, it felt incredibly personal to us and all the more meaningful for it. I can't remember the number of people who came up to us to rave about Laura on the day as well.

A heartfelt thank you from the both of us for making our day so special.
Jonathan
Jonathan M. Sent on 29/05/2024
5 out of 5 rating

The highlight of our wedding day

Myself and my wife knew from the beginning of our wedding preparation that we didn't want to do anything traditional. That just isn't our style! We didn't want the usual boring ceremony which consists of religious reading and hymns. We didn't want anything which would send people to sleep... we wanted something which reflected who we are as a couple; then we found Laura.

From the very first video we watched of Laura, we knew she was perfect for us. We reached out and were blown away even more by the way she spoke and how she carried herself. Her kind and inviting nature was exactly what we needed, especially during the stressful planning stages of our wedding. We met with Laura for a coffee to talk about our story. We had planned to be there for a couple hours and it ended up being four! It was an amazing experience, talking to someone who listened so intently and who asked all the right questions.

We received the first draft our Laura's speech, which she built off the back of our coffee chat. Myself and my partner, Jess, couldn't stop reading it! We laughed, we cried, and everything in between. It was perfect.

On the week of the wedding, my nerves were particularly high. Laura suggested a call to run through the day one last time and to settle my nerves (mainly around my speech!). She helped me so much in the build up to my speech, I honestly don't think I could have done it without her.

On the day of the wedding she was the calming presence we needed. She arrived early and greeted me with a big hug and smile, held my arm and settled my nerves before ding the same with Jess as she got ready

The ceremony felt like a fairy tale. It was by far the best part of the day. Although we had incredible suppliers; food, 6 piece band, pianist, singer, even a saxophone... Laura was the best and most memorable. All of our guests have since sent messages, mainly commenting on the ceremony above all else!

If you're on the fence about whether to use Laura as your celebrant, please take this review as a sign to say - just go for it! I promise you wont look back. We had the entire ceremony recorded so we can relive that moment over and over again.

One note to make - we were hesitant regarding the legal element. We were unsure on how we would feel about getting legally married prior to the big day. However, we decided to treat the legal bit like any other day. No fuss. We both took an hour out of our work day, went with two friends (as witnesses) and got the job done with zero emotion, knowing that the wedding day would be the real deal. It worked perfectly.

Thank you Laura, for everything. You captured our story better than we ever could, and you shared it with our loved ones in the most powerful and uplifting way. You really do have a special gift.

Thank you
Jon & Jess McCance-Kirby
Suzie
Suzie C. Sent on 23/05/2024
5 out of 5 rating

The perfect ceremony!

Laura makes a point of learning as much as possible about the couple and their journey to each other, then crafts a perfectly-tailored, creative ceremony that she delivers with grace and aplomb. We laughed, we cried, we loved every moment of our vow renewal! Laura made us feel exactly like we did on our wedding day 20 years ago. The beauty, the excitement, the walking on air -- it was all there again, thanks to her. She made us feel comfortable and in good hands, like our ceremony was being conducted by an old friend. What a a gift!
Andrew
Andrew R. Sent on 22/01/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Megan and Elliot December 2023

A totally professional and personal service and a pleasure to deal with at all stages; Laura takes the time to get to know the bride and groom in order to deliver a unique service and beautifully memorable.
Emma
Emma R. Sent on 12/11/2023
5 out of 5 rating

We feel so lucky to have found Laura

Our ceremony was amazing - we couldn't have imagined it being such a highlight of the day when we first started looking into the idea of having a celebrant. Our guests loved it, and thought Laura was great.

We had no idea what we wanted when we first spoke to Laura, and it was the aspect of planning the day I was most nervous about. Right from the start of us working together Laura made the process enjoyable and fun, and I felt less stressed as soon as we spoke. The first draft of the ceremony was almost perfect and we only made a few tiny changes - we were so impressed that she'd taken in a huge amount of information from us and managed to capture our story and our thoughts so well.

On the day Laura was warm and funny, and made everyone feel at ease and part of the ceremony. I can barely remember most wedding ceremonies I've been to, but guest are still talking about ours. Everyone, even people we don't know as well (partners of friends etc) enjoyed it, which is what we really wanted.

Considering how much it costs to book a registrar to come to a venue, Laura is great value. I'd say it was the best investment we made and made our wedding really special and unique.
Clio
Clio C. Sent on 13/09/2023
5 out of 5 rating

We felt so lucky we found Laura!!

We felt in such safe hands working with Laura, whose experience shines through everything she does, and whose commitment to making our day feel special and authentic was apparent the whole way through – not just in her ceremony, but in the advice and wisdom she shared about what extra details or planning would help the day go smoothly and feel like ‘us’. It is a cliché, but we – and our friends and family – genuinely laughed, cried and cheered the whole way through the service. Laura, you are magnificent and a true legend – thank you for your empathy, your ingenuity, and your incredible good humour. We hadn’t originally planned for a humanist ceremony, but we can’t now imagine our wedding any other way, and we'll never forget it.
Rebecca
Becky Sent on 29/08/2023
5 out of 5 rating

The ceremony of our dreams

Laura created and delivered the most magical wedding ceremony for us in July at Homme House. We met in a lovely pub in Leamington and Laura really got to know us as we discussed our views on marriage, our relationship and each other. When we had the first draft of our ceremony through - we were blown away - we absolutely LOVED it!!! It even brought a tear to Aaron's eye and that is incredibly rare - Becky has only every seen him cry twice!
Itwas perfect, better than we ever could have imagined, and when Laura conducted it on our wedding day it was even more special. She made us feel calm on the wedding morning and engaged each one of our guests with the ceremony. We had so many comments about how real, honest and joyful our ceremony was - all down to Laura. We were so so pleased we decided to have Laura conduct our ceremony and we wouldn't change a thing. Thank you Laura!!!
Vicky
Vicky R. Sent on 26/06/2022
5 out of 5 rating

That best part of our day!

Laura was so great and easy to work with. From the initial meetings to the day itself, she captured our story and the vibe of the day perfectly. We were able to have the personalised ceremony we wanted and everyone loved it, with many commenting that it was the best ceremony they've ever been too! Can't recommend Laura, and a celebrant led ceremony for that matter, enough!
J
James G. Sent on 06/10/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful!

Laura was honestly the best decision we made for our wedding. The service she wrote for us was beautiful, so well thought through and delivered in such an effortless way. She is a true master of her profession.
Most of our guest had never seen a humanist wedding before and everyone we spoke to said it was such a personal and professional service from a truly lovely lady.
In the preparation Laura was very responsive and great at making us feel at ease too. We can’t recommend her enough!
A
Ali B. Sent on 07/09/2024
5 out of 5 rating

The absolute best

I cannot tell you how brilliant Laura is. She worked with us to create the most amazing ceremony, listened to all the ideas we had and put it all together better than I could have imagined. Everyone said afterwards they’d never been to a wedding where they’d really enjoyed the ceremony as much before. This is what we wanted, to make the ceremony something wonderful. She incorporated all of our non traditional ideas, organised our readers and made sure everything flowed beautifully. She was also really helpful getting everyone organised the morning of the wedding! Could not recommend her enough, she will make your wedding so memorable not just for you but for all your guests too.
P
Phil M. Sent on 06/03/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Phil & Karen, Sept 2023

Our wedding was an outdoor, festival style party (that happened to have a wedding too) - a little different to the usual. Laura took everything in her stride and made the ceremony feel like an intensely personal, unique part of a wonderful day.

Laura's preparation was meticulous, and it really showed - she'd taken the time to get to know us and our story, and the tone she helped to set with the reading was perfect for us, our guests and our setting. All the small details were tended to, but with a healthy degree of flexibility - our wish for the weekend was a relaxed, informal, fun style and the ceremony itself fitted in seamlessly thanks to Laura.

If we could give more than 5* as a recommendation we would, Laura was the perfect celebrant to make the ceremony such a lovely part of a fabulous weekend.
J
Jordan J. Sent on 09/09/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Incredible

We are so pleased we asked Laura to be the celebrant at our wedding. From the moment we started the process, Laura was incredibly accommodative and professional. We had a unique ceremony, and Laura was very open to working alongside family members who all played an important role in our ceremony as well. Laura is a really lovely person, and she put a lot of effort into making sure our ceremony was unique and special for us. Not only was Laura great at creating the structure and script for the ceremony, but she also sounded amazing and executed perfectly! We have received so many compliments regarding how enjoyable and beautiful the ceremony was, and we can't thank Laura enough for making it happen!
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4 Clapham Terrace CV31 1HY Leamington Spa (Warwickshire)

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