Photo credit - Trent House Studios
Photo credit @ Gemma Sandell
Photo credit - Trent House Studios
LET'S TELL YOUR STORY
Every story is different, there's no template to life
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I’m Leni Robson, an independent wedding, funeral and naming ceremony celebrant based in Derby, working across Derbyshire and the East Midlands and beyond.
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Have you ever sat in a wedding and thought – 'Heard that – boring'. Or gone to a funeral and listened and thought ' that’s not the person I knew'. Do you want a ceremony that tells your story, and isn't full of cliches but includes just the right amount of tradition? Or throws tradition out of the door and says 'Hello world- here I am!' Well you've come to the right place!
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Whether you want a wedding ceremony that wows, a naming ceremony that is talked about for years or a funeral service that actually focuses on the life of the person you loved, I can help tell you tell your story your way. With over 20 years' experience working in events, I bring a black book of tricks, 'a wicked sense of humour' and imagination to help your dream ceremony become a reality. According to one of my testimonies 'spending time with Leni is like being wrapped in a hug'
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Based right in the middle of the country in Derby, with a second base in the wolds of Lincolnshire, I travel the East Midlands and beyond to deliver my ceremonies in some of the most beautiful places in the country.
weddings, civil partnerships and renewal of vows
Planning a wedding and wondering why so many ceremonies sound the same?
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As a wedding celebrant in Derbyshire, I create ceremonies that are personal, warm, and occasionally funny in all the right places. Whether you’re marrying at a stately home, in a barn, in your garden, or somewhere gloriously unexpected, your ceremony should feel like the best version of you as a couple.
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You can include:
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Personal vows
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Symbolic rituals (or none at all)
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Music that actually means something
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Stories your guests will recognise and love
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You won’t get:
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“Dearly beloved…”
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A script that could belong to anyone else
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A ceremony that feels like the bit to “get through”
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This is the bit everyone remembers.
naming ceremonies
If a christening isn’t for you, a naming ceremony is a joyful, flexible alternative.
Held anywhere at anytime, there are no limitations.
In gardens, pubs, village halls, front rooms — you name it.
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We can include promises, guideparents, symbolic moments, or simply gather everyone you love and formally welcome a child
funerals and memorial services
When someone dies, the last thing you need is a ceremony that feels generic or disconnected from who they were.
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As with all my ceremonies I write every ceremony from scratch. I spend time with families, I listen carefully, and I build something that reflects the person you are remembering in a way that feels honest and recognisable.
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We talk about the real details. The small habits. The daft stories. The sharp wit. The quiet loyalty. Whatever made them themselves. I am not interested in smoothing someone into a polite version of their life just because it sounds tidier.
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A funeral can be simple and calm, or warm and full of stories. Often it is both. My role is to guide you through it steadily, to write with care, and to deliver the ceremony with the right balance of dignity and humanity.
Why Choose a Celebrant Instead of a Registrar?
If you’re planning a wedding in the UK, here’s the practical bit.
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A registrar conducts the legal marriage. They work to a set script and within specific venues that are licensed.
An independent celebrant, like me, creates and delivers a completely bespoke ceremony, but we do not conduct the legal paperwork. Most couples choose to complete the legal registration at a register office either before or after their celebrant-led ceremony.
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So yes, you need a registrar for the legal part*.
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But if what you really care about is how the ceremony feels, sounds and reflects you, that’s where a celebrant makes the difference.
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With a celebrant ceremony you can:
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Hold it anywhere
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Include anything meaningful to you
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Write personal vows without restriction
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Involve family and friends in ways that feel natural
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The legal bit takes around fifteen minutes.
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The ceremony is the part everyone remembers.
"If you want a celebrant it has to be Leni. She's such an awesome person to be around, putting everyone at ease, and wickedly funny. She is quite simply the best.
She didn't just perform our ceremony, she made the whole experience extra special.
Constantly keeping in touch throughout the months, reassuring, kind, thoughtful, and so helpful. Leni is fantastic".
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Becs & Craig
"At this moment in time Celebrant Led Ceremonies are not legally recognised. For a marriage to be recognised in law in England and Wales, a legally-binding ceremony, known as a 'registration of marriage', MUST take place, normally at a Register Office. This also applies to civil partnership registration). This service can be very short, and does not have to involve the exchange of rings or the vows if you don't want it to. As long as you do this, your free to have the choice of where, how and when you want to exchange your vows and rings and enjoy your celebrations.
Kind words
