In Conversation with Celebrant Lauren from Hungry Hearts Co.

Lauren from Hungry Hearts Co. is a celebrant whose love for connection, storytelling and good vibes shines through in every ceremony she creates. With a background in writing and performance, she brings warmth, humour and heart to the way she celebrates each couple. For Lauren, it’s all about making people feel seen, understood and completely themselves on one of the biggest days of their lives.

What was the defining moment that made you realise you wanted to become a wedding celebrant?

Honestly, I think every stage and phase of my life has led me here. I’m a writer and entertainer whose main loves are connection and collaboration. I don’t think there’s any other way things could have gone!

Can you share a touching story from one of your first ceremonies that reaffirmed your decision to pursue this path?

My first ever ceremony! I was so excited, I had purchased a brand new, top of the line PA system. The best of the best! I’d been practising with it, in the week leading up to the wedding, taking care of this thing like it was a newborn baby. 

Come wedding day, I arrived at the venue and it wouldn’t turn on. Gasp! Shock! Horror! 

I called the store I purchased it from, the manufacturer, MY DAD! It was deemed faulty on all accounts, and that was that. So, there I was, tears streaming down my face, certain that I had ruined the day. Nonetheless, the world continued to spin, and I had to go and see the couple. 

Walking over to their accommodation, I told myself the day was theirs, not mine, and that I had to find a solution without them ever knowing about it. I promised them vibes, and vibes would be what I delivered.

First, I went in to see the bride. She – was – thrilled. The shine of her smile set me on fire, and immediately, I felt my energy rocket to the MOON. We had a chat, and I wandered out to the ceremony spot. The DJ had just finished setting up, so I went to introduce myself and run through cues. I saw his microphone resting on the deck and explained the situation with my PA. This guy, may I say, did not know me from a bar of soap. Yet, he smiled, with such kind eyes, and handed me the microphone without a second thought. 

The ceremony was mind-blowing. The best thing that had ever happened to me. I couldn’t believe the emotion of the guests, let alone the couple, who were elated the entire time. When I finished, the DJ, Sam from Silent Shout, told me that I had done a great job and that he couldn’t wait to work with me again. 

I felt incredibly lucky to have not only created such a special and important moment for my couple, but was so happy to have made a new friend.

Sam was my introduction to the wedding industry, and I know, instantly, it was a place I wanted to be. He taught me so much that day, about team work, collaboration and how important it is to be kind and generous, always. The couple never found out, Sam went on to become one of my best friends, who still inspires many of my business (and life) choices, and as for the PA, we cut ties immediately. I shipped it off and never saw it again!

How do you go about getting to know a couple before their wedding, and what steps do you take to ensure their personalities shine through in the ceremony?

I really prioritise building a relationship with my couples ahead of their wedding day! It’s impossible to share a story with such a huge emotional range without having a connection to the characters, so connect – we must! I love catching up for a few drinks (where possible) or just chatting over Zoom to get a feel for the way they interact with one another and what role their personalities play in the relationship. This allows me to read through their vows and questionnaires in their tone of voice, rather than trying to guess what they meant or how particular things were supposed to come across. 

Then, I send out a questionnaire, which I encourage my couples to put at the centre of a date night, but mostly just BEG them to do separately. (I’m laughing as I type this, because the urgency is real haha.) Next, I help them with their vows, giving as much or as little advice and assistance as they need, before bringing all their words together, and reading everything in depth. 

Then I start to write! Piecing all their moments and experiences, thoughts and feelings together to create a story is truly ‘them’. Ultimately, I’m narrating a tangle of two different perspectives (with plenty of exaggerations made for entertainment value) overlapping and intertwining seamlessly to describe the life they’ve built together. Whether there are 2 or 200 guests in attendance, I want to ensure everyone in the audience can relate to the story and feel as though they’re a part of it, rather than just watching on. 

How do you handle the emotions and nerves of the couple on their big day?

A lot of this is actually established in the lead up! Having meetings where we discuss priorities and preferences of logistics, making sure I’m fully across their intentions and reassuring them that I can take care of all the ceremony things so they can relax on the day removes a lot of nerves and anxiety about the ‘what if?’. 

I also purposely don’t share ceremony scripts with my couples in the lead up, because I think one of the crucial elements to enjoying the experience is staying present. I build enough trust with my couples for them to believe that I will do the best by them, and I always do! Knowing that I’ll guide them the entire way through, so all they have to do is stand there and look good, makes the ceremony a lot more relaxed. 

That being said, I think it’s less about handling the emotions and more about feeling safe to express them! When you’re hearing the story of your own life, played back to you and your favourite person, for the first time, there’s not much else that can take your attention. You’re fully in the moment, with no idea what’s coming next. You react instinctively and honestly, which shares a sense of vulnerability, encouraging the audience to do the same. It’s a pretty special experience and I feel very honoured to be a part it.

What advice do you give couples to help them write their own vows? 

I’ve written an entire guide on ‘How to Vow’ and I send it to all my couples as inspiration!

Inside, there are 5 modern approaches to vows, plus multiple real-life examples of how to write them and what to include in them. 14 pages of categorised, thoughtful and relatable 1-liners that you can take inspiration from, change and adapt to your relationship or pinch and pretend you wrote on your own. Plus, my vows, which are quite lengthy. No surprise, surely? 

When your words are genuine and they’re shared sincerely, there's no doubt you'll both feel undeniably seen and appreciated - not just for who you are, but the effect you have on the world around you. Specifically, your relationship.

Yes, EVEN WHEN you’re winding each other up! It’s like saying, all these quirks that make you imperfect also make you my best match. My best friend. My Equal. I love every layer, every angle, every version of you that exists and HERE’S WHY.

Vows also provide such an amazing insight into what makes a relationship so wonderful and unique. It gives guests an unfiltered window into the goodness of who two people are when they’re together - making them feel connected to something bigger than themselves. 

‘How to Vow’ is designed to ease any stress around writing the 'right' thing and give you the confidence in saying something meaningful. Whatever that looks like, however it sounds.

The truth is: if you write words you’re proud of, that you know for a fact are going to engage and entertain, you’ll feel good about saying them out loud.

Tell us about your own wedding, and what you did to ensure your wedding day was personalised to you.

Rhys and I have been in the wedding industry for over 7 years. We’ve seen and been a part of so many incredible celebrations – small, romantic rendezvous - intimate elopements containing only the closest of circles and grand events with parties fit for Hollywood films. When it came time for our wedding, we figured, why not try it all? 

We separated our wedding into 3 parts. 

Pigs, I know. 

We completed the legal components of our marriage on the rooftop of our first home. In attendance was immediate family, the first Celebrant I ever met, our media team and abundant champagne, only. 

The next day, we hosted an epic celebration at our favourite venue, Redleaf in Wollombi. It was our own version of wonderland, where all the eras of our lives intertwined. Our Celebrant, Jess, created a pop-up choir mid ceremony – a thoughtful addition from our favourite Rom Com, Love Actually. We spent all of cocktail hour(s) with our guests, which is where we did our first dance, performed live by the best voice on earth – Jerome O’Connor, had the most insane dancefloor during our reception entry, enjoyed the feast of a lifetime while our guests read the personal letters we wrote for each of them and then stayed up partying until 4am, thanks to the King of sounds himself, Sam from Silent Shout (remember him?). 

One month later, we exchanged our vows in Praiano, Italy with 12 of our best friends, during our honeymoon. We stayed at a grand, seaside hotel, had a fancy dinner with all our guests the night before, swam in the ocean that morning and were surprised with a joy ride along the beautiful Amalfi Coast in an Alfa Romeo by our incredible friends Morelife Films that afternoon. We had a thoroughly emotional vow exchange, hosted by Sam and serenaded again by Jerome, who had purchased his guitar days earlier in Sorrento, then wined and dined at a family restaurant, before dancing in our hotel room long into the night. 

It was – the best. 

In terms of ensuring the wedding(s) were personalised to us, that part was easy! We chose all our vendors based on our love of their work, in addition to our respect and adoration of them as people. The only direction we gave them was to do what they do best. We told them how we wanted our day to feel and trusted their creativity completely to do the rest.

Mind you, this all happened pretty quickly. We had our Europe trip planned for a year, and decided we would host the other two events only 3 months before we were due to leave. The date was chosen solely on our vendors availability, and then we (and by we, I mean the Queen and Genius that is Chloe from YDBC) started to plan a 101 person wedding. I distinctly remember giving Chloe a styling brief (note: a moodboard with 9 photos) and her not only sourcing every key component (a miracle in itself), but elevating the concept by lightyears, collaborating with the rest of our team, specifically Stephen from The Abstract Florist, Holly from Moments to Love and Amelia from Designs to Adore, using aesthetics and emotions to create art and ambiance beyond our wildest dreams. Our only request was not to see the timeline, so that we could feel as though every moment happened naturally. (When really, it was all planned and orchestrated to PERFECTION.)  

The culmination of these events was beyond what we ever could have imagined. Our vendors (read: our friends), made our experience so impossibly special. I have tears in my eyes thinking about it. When we received our gallery from House of Lucie, and our film from Morelife Films (a combination of all 3 events), we poured over the memories on repeat for days and days, before deciding to hire a cinema and share the film with all our people, as if it were a private screening of a Hollywood Blockbuster they had all starred in. Because to us, that’s what it was.

Visit hungryheartsco.com

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