Kelly Townsend

Kelly has always been curious about our life journey and rites of passage, and first became interested in the role of a celebrant when her grandmother died in 2005. In 2007 she completed her Certificate of Celebrant Studies and has been designing ceremonies since then. She has since upgraded this qualification to a Diploma.

All of her ceremonies, whilst following ceremonial best practice, are designed to be unique to the person/couple involved. She provides a range of ceremonies from small registry-office-like weddings to fully customised. 

Kelly is also passionate about family history and writing. As well as always having family research projects on the go, she became a life review writer for Hibiscus Coast Hospice in 2012. She has a background in Human Resources, facilitation and training. She is interested in a range of spiritual realms and believes in everyone’s freedom to choose their own path. Loving everything retro, Kelly lives in a small 1950’s bach on the Hibiscus Coast, and enjoys connecting with family and friends, walking, line dancing, travelling and continuous learning and development. Originally from the north, and with strong ties still there, she is also willing to do ceremonies in that area.

Relevant Professional Training:
– Diploma in Celebrant Studies
– Diploma in Facilitation & Coaching
– Holding Space Leaders Programme – Heather Plett
– Certification in Grief Recovery Method

Kelly is a tutor at The Celebrant School and gives 10% of her celebrant income to local charities.

References and Feedback:

“Thank you so much for being part of our special day and for all that you did for us – your help and support. We think you are a star.” Nigel & Elizabeth Ryan,

“Thank you for all your love and care in organizing Michelle and Jack’s wedding. It was a beautiful day for all of us.” Jacqui Farago, sister of the bride

“I’ll give you 9 out of 10 and I can’t say what the 1 is for, but nobody’s perfect!” Dale Hunter, stepdaughter

“Thank you – that was a real gift” Christopher Moran, Nephew of the Deceased

“I want to thank you very much for being such an important part of Nicholas’ Naming Day. The ceremony definitely filled all my expectations and more. I thought you did a wonderful job of presenting the ceremony in exactly the way we had discussed. I have even read over the ceremony many times since that weekend and am filled with emotion every time. My Dad also commented on how pleased he was with it. I thank you also for donating 10% to Plunket as they have been very helpful to me and I guess many other mothers around New Zealand” Julie H, Mum