Welcome to Kent Creative Ceremonies

“I love this job. But it doesn’t feel like a job. And I like that feeling…” Lou Fowkes (every day!)

Lou Fowkes at The Oak Barn Frame Farm 19 December 2023. Photo courtesy of Drew Linford.

Hi! My name is Lou and I am a Marriage, Family & Funeral Celebrant, offering creative storytelling with love, joy, care and compassion, that captivates and evokes the true meaning of life’s milestone moments. With a background in arts and entertainment, both on and off stage, I always wondered if a career as a celebrant would work for me. Friends and family had, over the years, said I’d be perfect. Working on stage as an actress and singer and off stage as a director, producer and writer, it turned out to be the perfect fit – putting together a ceremony is a bit like putting on a theatre production – it’s all in the storytelling…

So whether you’re organising your wedding and would like something that truly reflects you as a couple, celebrating your lasting love by renewing your vows, welcoming your beautiful new baby into the family or giving your loved one a warm and uplifting farewell, I am passionate about creating bespoke, authentic and heartfelt ceremonies that offer the freedom and flexibility to give unique and treasured memories for you and your family.

“…a delight from start to finish.”

“Honestly, cannot recommend her enough.”

“Lou’s delivery is perfect with the right amount of seriousness peppered with humour.”

“I don’t think I just found a celebrant in Lou, I think I’ve found a friend!”

“Lou was warm, kind and professional.”

Having trained with and now a Member of The Fellowship of Professional Celebrants, I cover Kent, Essex, London, Sussex and Surrey and am happy to officiate at ceremonies that respect all beliefs, and none, as well as being LGBTQ+ inclusive. I am fully insured with Public Liability Insurance and Professional Indemnity Insurance. I am originally from Surrey but, together with my husband Rodger and son Sam, we upped sticks and moved to Whitstable (or ‘The Bubble’ as us locals like to call it!) in 2011 and have never looked back. I now adore walking my West Highland Terrier Bobbi along the seafront and then winding up at one of the many restaurants consuming the local delicacy of oysters – washed down with a good, cold Kent beer!

“The moment I first talked to Lou on the telephone, I had a good feeling.”

“…she spoke with such passion and elegance.”

“Our ceremony was wonderful, a true reflection of ‘us’, and we have Lou to thank for this.” 

“Lou was the addition to our big day that we didn’t know we needed!” 

“The ceremony itself was just perfect.”

When I’m not standing in front of guests delivering a ceremony, I am standing in front of music lovers, as I am a singer with a blues/rock band called Stormy Sundays, as well as touring my own show around the country, celebrating sassy female singers. I also work part-time in the Box Office at my local arts centre The Gulbenkian in Canterbury. I volunteer a few hours each week helping the organisation Love4Life, which is a friendship and dating network for people with learning disabilities and autism. Every Thursday night from 7-9pm, I present my own radio show; ‘Lou’s Rhythm & Blues Show’ on 94.6 Cabin FM; online, on your smart speaker, on the app and on the airwaves, interspersed with a bit of chit-chat! And when I am not doing that, I am cleaning the house…

This is a job you hope to only need to call upon once, so if you do, Lou at Kent Creative Ceremonies is a fantastic call and literally made our wedding.”

So that’s me in a nutshell (sort of) – now I want to hear all about you…

Lou x

NEWS

As we gear up for the festive season, I always take time to reflect on the past year; what I’ve learnt, what life has thrown at me and what I’m hugely grateful for. In this job, I spend time sharing in couples excitement about their big wedding day or perhaps their renewal of vows. I meet parents as they celebrate their new baby with a naming ceremony, or I am being warmly welcomed into the home of a family who have just lost a loved one. And I never fail to be utterly humbled, privileged and honoured to be in every single space with them. Life is precious. Love is everlasting and family is everything. You may know already that I live on the Kent coast, in wonderful Whitstable, and try to swim in the sea as much as I can. So these words, that I found recently, really resonated with me:- “For me, life is swimming in the ocean of gratitude, love, joy, humour, wonder, curiosity, passion, hope and creativity, and never finding the shore.” Hunter ‘Patch’ Adams Posted: Wednesday 20 November 2024

Well, as we reach the end of the Summer (what Summer I hear you cry?) I always start to reflect on the wonderful wedding season – although to be honest, I still have ceremonies to conduct right up until New Year! However, it’s been a busy time over the last 4 or 5 months for celebrants like myself as we walked couples through the planning process of perfecting their special day and then happily watching them as they walked down the aisle. I never get more excited as I (and their family and friends) hear the opening bars of music they have chosen to kick off their ceremony. Anything goes! And I love that. In fact I love everything about this job. This job that I don’t call a job. It’s just an absolute joy. Posted: Tuesday 27 August 2024

I was delighted to attend the National Funeral Exhibition 2024 on Friday 14th June, assisting with the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants stand. I trained with Terri Negus , who founded and runs the fellowship and I continually receive ongoing guidance and support from this fabulous organisation, which has truly helped me develop into the confident and compassionate celebrant I am today. The exhibition was attended by those working in the funeral industry; celebrants, funeral directors, crematoriums, suppliers of cremation and burial equipment, mementoes, gifts and keepsakes, memorial jewellery, coffins (and some fabulously artistic ones on display – things have really moved on from just plain wood!) music providers, hearses…etc etc. For those of us working in this unique industry, it was a brilliant exhibition to be at, and I learnt so much – not just from my fellow celebrants (we were sharing stories and ideas all day long!) but also from those visiting our stand. The exhibition takes place every two years, so I’ve already pencilled the 2026 week in my diary! Posted: Saturday 15 June 2024

For up-to-date news, please kindly like and follow my pages on:-

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kentcreativeceremonies

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kentcreativeceremonies

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FEATURED & WORKING WITH THE FOLLOWING:-

The Fellowship of Professional Celebrants – www.professionalcelebrants.org.uk (Trained & Supported)

The Celebrant Directory – www.thecelebrantdirectory.com (Featured & Listing)

Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine 2025 – www.weddingsandhoneymoonsmagazine.com (Featured and Listing)

Bridebook – www.bridebook.co.uk (Listing)

Your Kent Wedding – www.yourkent.wedding (Featured & Listing)

The Celebrant Magazine – www.thecelebrantmagazine.co.uk (Interview)

Whitstable Website – www.whitstable.co.uk (Interview & Listing)

A Kentish Wedding – www.akentish-wedding.co.uk (Wedding Fairs)

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THE FELLOWSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL CELEBRANTS

All of our celebrants are trained to write bespoke and personalised ceremonies for every person, couple or family whom we serve. We never train or encourage any celebrant to use pre-written templates for services and our ethos is very much that every person is unique and therefore every ceremony should be unique. Any member of the public or professional who engages with us, such as Funeral Directors and Wedding Planners, can be assured that in choosing an FPC Celebrant, they are choosing someone who has been professionally trained to an exceptionally high standard. They are choosing someone who is fully certified and has no criminal convictions; providing total piece of mind in an un-regulated profession. All of our celebrant members have completed one or more of our own acclaimed training courses, and have proved that they have met the required standards of competence in both writing and delivering ceremonies. Our celebrants adhere to a strict Code of Ethics, and Standards of Service. We are also the only celebrant organisation in the UK to have a Criminal Records Disclosure policy for public safeguarding, which was set up under the guidance of Sussex Police.

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WHITSTABLE

Based on the North Kent Coast, pretty Whitstable is a traditional fishing harbour town hugely popular with visitors throughout the year for its quirky independent shops, colourful beach huts and tasty fresh seafood. Just over an hour from London and accessible from motorway and mainline stations, it is perfectly situated to place your wedding by the sea. It offers you and your guests a multitude of options in terms of hotels, wedding venues and those all important photographic opportunities, as it is celebrated for its truly beautiful sunsets. For more information on the town and all the wonderful things Whitstable has to offer, please visit www.whitstable.co.uk

Please Note: Header photo courtesy of Matt James Photography.