About me

I’m Kim Murray and I have the great good fortune to live and work in the beautiful county of Devon in South West England.

This is what I love about working as an Independent Celebrant:

The freedom to spend as much time together as we need to get to know one another and to design a ceremony that will be at the centre of your celebrations
Hearing you both re-tell together the story of how you met and how your love grew. Hearing about your adventures and misadventures that led up to your decision to make your life-long commitment to one another
Collaborating with you to craft a ceremony that is all about you, reflects the magic of your love for one another and reminds everyone that it is love they have come to celebrate.
If you want them, including elements which visually represent your union; and often include guest participation
Involving children, especially your own and certainly when you’d like to affirm their place in your newly formed family
Feeling the love: you for each other; your family and friends for you.

And how did I get to be a celebrant?

Erm, well actually… a bit by accident.
I came unhappily close to getting burnt out in my work within the criminal justice system and with people in trouble with substance use and while looking for other work, took a temporary, casual post with the registration service.

I learned to be a deputy registrar (doing the writing-in-the-book-bit) and then deputy superintendent registrar, (doing the speaking/conducting-the-ceremony-bit)
I loved the sheer privilege of being part of the magic of a couple making a long-term commitment to each other.

It is awesome every time and makes me catch my breath.
So I stayed for five years.
However, there were also the unavoidable legal restrictions, limited time spent with each couple and worries about getting away from one ceremony in time for the next one. There is also the weight of tradition that not every couple wants.

So I broke away from the statutory service because

- I believe it is possible for couples to have a ceremony that celebrates them, their values and all the people they love.

- I believe people can and should have more freedom to choose the way they celebrate this important milestone in their lives.

- I believe people should be able to celebrate where they want, indoors or outdoors, including looking at beautiful environment-conscious and budget friendly choices.

- And I believe I can craft ceremonies with couples that are truly about themselves and for whom

love always beats bling.

And this is how I try to be (in and out of work) as a human being:

I am inspired by the Movement for Compassionate Living and for me this means being compassionate towards:

the earth: treading gently, minimising my harm to our precious planet; having an insect and bee-friendly garden;

reducing waste; reusing and re-purposing as much as I'm able.

animals: by being vegan; respecting animals; supporting the charity Animal Free Research
people: by striving to be inclusive; to treat each person as an individual and value their unique back story that shapes their values and opinions. [#youdontneedtoaskhere: and looking forward to the day when no-one even needs to ask]

I welcome diversity; in my previous work I have taken many opportunities to attend courses to update my knowledge. I have recently completed a "Diversity in Business" course designed by the inestimable Nova Reid

For more on how I strive to be earth-friendly, see Eco-efforts

I am based in Teignmouth:

I conduct ceremonies in Devon and offer a small discount for ceremonies held within 30 miles of Teignmouth.