Lyme Regis celebrant Juliette Williams has been nominated for a prestigious industry award – and public voting ends this Friday.
Juliette, who moved to Lyme after living in Axminster and Axmouth for 10 years, retrained as a celebrant in 2019, concentrating on weddings and funerals.
She explained: “However the pandemic hit, so the wedding industry took a knock. I used the time in lockdown to concentrate on learning as much as I could about celebrancy, marketing and the wedding industry (funeral celebrancy operates slightly differently, as you get work, on the whole, from the funeral directors).
“I am concentrating on the concept of ‘keeping love local’ building a connected community of wedding suppliers around East Devon. This leads to local work, sustainability and a valuable and viable network for local couples.
“I am also working with new wedding venues in Honiton – Higher Holcombe, a beautiful site with glamping facilities – and Furley, in the Blackdown Hills and have just done a styled shoot at the most amazing Furley Cottages and Furley Celebrations with local models, photographers, stationers and of course the venue. I hope to do more as and when I can contact venues to work with them!”
Juliette has been nominated for an award in the Rising Star category in The Celebrant Industry Awards 2021.
Founder of TCIA and The Celebrant Directory, Jennifer Claire Constant, said: “I am so excited to finally launch these awards to shout loudly about our fantastic celebrant community and really recognise the talent we have.”
She added: “The past year has shown how integral celebrants are within the funeral and weddings industry, working and supporting families through life-changing events. I’m really proud of how our members have come together and have made a difference in times of such hardship in 2020-21.”
The winners will be announced and notified on Monday, May 31.
Juliette lives in Lyme with her partner, has four grown-up stepchildren, a pug dog and a cat.
She first came to Devon because her cousin lived in Axminster. Her cousin’s father, a very well known local musician and international session player – had moved to East Devon before that.