Who is Celebrant Daisy?

Hello, my name is Daisy Marsden and I have been a bridesmaid 14 times. Yep, I am a fully seasoned wedding participant - I started very young, and I have an elephantine memory. Let’s just say, when it comes to weddings, I know my onions. But I have also danced round a stone circle or two (my dad was a bit of a hippy), spent a night in a sweat lodge, spoken poetry at a Beltane festival and generally have an appetite for theatrics. I have a background in theatre and a classically trained voice so I’m highly skilled at addressing a crowd and bringing language to life. As well as experience, I have a passion and a curiosity verging on the obsessive when it comes to ceremonialising our lives. I was raised by atheists but educated in a Church of England School. These childhood experiences taught me the power of religious rites and ceremonies from the safe distance of being an “unbeliever”. My work in theatre combined a sense of magic and storytelling with human connection, which I delighted in. I have always found people endlessly fascinating, and I feel so lucky to help couples and families tell their stories, lean into that sense of ceremonial importance, and mark rites of passage in an elevated way that is unique to them. I am especially proud to say that I have undergone a rigorous training with the UK Society of Celebrants - a great bunch of lads!

My approach is informed by my politics – I am an ally to queer, trans and non-binary folks, I work to actively de-colonise my mind, and I will encourage and support sustainable environmental choices wherever possible.

I am based in North-East Essex but am happy to travel anywhere in East Anglia - further, if you are keen to create something of particular interest!

… and when I’m not being a celebrant?

A woman wearing sunglasses with patriotic ribbons in her hair, smiling at an outdoor event, holding a paper cup. There are other people sitting on the grass in the background.
Three women and a baby standing outdoors on a grassy field, smiling and posing for the camera with a tree and a clear blue sky in the background.
A woman with brown hair smiling at a dinner table with a man with a beard and cap; the table has candles, water bottles, and drinks, with a wooden fence and some outdoor lights in the background.
Two people smiling for a selfie at an outdoor music festival with a crowd and stage in the background. The stage has a sign that reads "End of the Road."
Four women smiling and holding drinks on a balcony with trees and a blue sky in the background.
Woman wearing heart-shaped sunglasses and a green dress with blue vertical stripes, smiling and holding a drink at a party decorated with pink, yellow, and green streamers and flowers.
Woman in a green bikini standing by a swimming pool with arms outstretched, overlooking a mountainous landscape with water and a clear blue sky.

I live in Essex by a river and a wood and I’m raising a young family. I love reading fiction (historical, magic realism, Kate Atkinson), dancing with my friends at our local pub, medieval and tudor history (nerd and proud of it), long walks that go for miles allowing for some seriously deep and meaningful chin-waggery, and eating rich food that insists I go back for seconds… and thirds. I love crafting - I can crochet, embroider and quilt, though it has to be said I am a bit slapdash. I’m boderline obsessed with camping and I love going to music festivals. I lean into each season heavily - when it’s sunny, I’m like a lizard basking on a rock, dreaming of beer gardens, and when it’s misty and wintery, I’m by a fire, reading by candle light in woolly socks. In the week I run a small local youth theatre and at weekends you’ll find me drinking coffee in bed listening to radio 4 ferrying my kids to parties, clubs and play dates and browsing recipes for the next dinner I plan to host. That’s the curated version - when we meet, you can get to know more!