Celebrating life in all its forms is my passion.
Why I do Life Celebrant work
I have experienced a lot of grief and loss in my life. I’ve lost three grandparents, two aunts, my mentor from high school, and then in the span of a year, when I was 26, I lost three friends, all suddenly and tragically. That was hardly the beginning of my journey with grief though. That started much earlier when I was 9 years old with the unexpected loss of my brother Jamie.
He was fishing for king salmon at the Tail Race in Sault Ste Marie in July 1989, when he slipped in. He was missing for about 20 hours before he was found, with a smile on his face, by a rescue diver. He died doing what he loved.
As a child I was lost amongst the grief of the adults around me; I just wanted to help everyone feel better. I have since come to understand that grief is not something that you get over, it is an experience that adds something to your character. Good or bad, everything we go through makes us who we are.
My mother embraced the grief and while she still works through it every single day, she let the pain fuel her desire to help others. For 25 years, she has run a group for bereaved parents. I am inspired by this beautiful woman and feel so blessed that she is my mom.
Celebrating life is my passion. I approach each service with an open mind and draw on my own life experiences to help families create a service that personally honours their loved ones in a way that suits their needs.
In 2016, with a little push from friends who were getting married, I also began to work as a wedding officiant. Being part of each couple’s magical day is a great blessing and brings me much joy.
How did I get here?
In high school, I was passionate about 2 things; writing and tv production. In college, I barely completed the first semester of a Broadcasting program before I realized that the cutthroat nature of the industry was not a place for me.
Having had my fair share of experiences with death, I started to explore what was required to become a funeral director, but as is so often the case, life happened and I became a mother to a child with more needs than most. My plan to study to achieve my Funeral Director’s license was put on hold.
One day, about 10 years later, I decided to make a change and go after that dream. The universe shifted as I declared my intent and I found a job posting for an “Events Co-ordinator” for 3 local funeral homes. I put every bit of positive energy I could muster up into my resume and as I emailed it, I put my hands on my computer and said a little prayer. “Please let this document find its way to the person who needs to see it for my life to change. Please let this be the first step to a meaningful career that will sustain me and my family.”
Unfortunately, the position was given to another woman with many years of experience in catering, but I was told they had a different position they thought I would be a good fit for.
I was hired as a Funeral Director’s Assistant! Although not a long-term position, I knew that this would lead me exactly where I needed to be. I embraced this industry. I could feel it like it flowed through my veins – getting into the trenches with someone in grief is what I was born to do.
Then one day, as I listened to a minister speak, I thought, “I could do that – I could do that, but better.” I researched what it would take to lead a funeral service and discovered the In-Sight Institute. As it turned out, the company I worked for had just entered into a collaboration with them to bring Celebrants into the Canadian market.
To fill this role, I needed;
to be a good public speaker
to be a good writer
to have a passion for helping those in grief
to be a good listener and strong communicator
to be creative
to be open and able to step out of your comfort zone
I was thrilled that my boss believed in me enough to send me to spend a week in beautiful British Columbia to learn as much as I could from the great Glenda Stansbury and Doug Manning.
Then it was time to put what I had learned into practice. Being a Celebrant, I discovered, was a job that would require my whole heart and soul, and this pleased me no end. I’ve always been an emotional person, an empath as we are now better known… being present in the moment, around so much grief, was going to be a challenge, but it was a challenge I happily embraced.
I remember the first time I became emotional during a service; I was so concerned that the family would be upset or embarrassed, but in response, I heard how comforting it was for them to feel that I was human; in this with them.
Having found my true calling I feel a great sense of pride each and every time I am blessed to work with a family.
I hope that I am able to provide peace, comfort and celebration to you and yours in your time of need.
“I called upon Brianne as a friend and celebrant to prepare a eulogy for both my Father and brother who both passed away within a four-month span. Brianne could not have been more attentive and sensitive to the needs of my family and I. Brianne took the time to speak to several family members and, drawing on their stories and memories, composed a double eulogy that was both heart-warming and poignant.
Brianne has a remarkable talent and is truly a gifted and positive celebrant!”
— L. Groulx
My daughter Kenadie
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A true Northern girl, I was raised in Sault Ste Marie and migrated to Southern Ontario for college where I studied broadcasting.
I am fascinated by the art of storytelling.
I am an overwhelmed mom to two wonderful humans; an 18-year-old young woman named Kenadie who has prevailed through the challenges of primordial dwarfism, autism and epilepsy and a sixteen-year-old young man who brightens my days with his heart of gold and his enthusiasm for hockey. My devilishly handsome son, Ty.
I adore my 2 cats, a Ragdoll named Gracie and a Scottish Fold we call Mortimer.
Playing ‘Chopped’ in my own kitchen is my idea of an amazing Saturday night.
Give me a glass of wine, a good meal and a crime show and I’m a very happy girl.
Murderino at heart.
Sunday Dinners complete me.
Hallmark movie sucker.
I’ve travelled this spectacular world. I have eaten the best food; smelled the salt of the air and sailed seas across the globe. I have been blessed with a beautiful life and to have experienced so much of the greatness that this world has to offer in balance to the challenges, grief and pain I mentioned before. I am grateful to have been raised in a home where I saw true love and commitment every day. May we all be so lucky to be loved unconditionally.
