‘Over the moon’: Former Hartlepool English teacher crowned wedding Celebrant of the North

Joanne McLaughlin, 44, has been crowned Celebrant of the North by leading wedding planning platform Hitched.

Celebrants have been “gradually growing in popularity” in recent years because of how they create and perform personalised wedding ceremonies.

More than 28,000 wedding professionals were in the running for the award, which recognises those who are highly rated by couples online.

Joanne, who used to be an English teacher at English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College from 2007 to 2009, said: “It’s such an honour to know that the bespoke ceremonies I create, filled with love, laughter, and personal touches, have meant so much to the couples I’ve worked with.

“These awards are based solely on client feedback, which makes this recognition even more special.

"Knowing that my couples and their guests have taken the time to share their experiences and recommend me means the world to me.”

After working as a secondary school teacher for 15 years in the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Abu Dhabi, Joanne decided to hang up her whiteboard pen and change careers.

In 2022, she set up her own one-woman celebrant business after officiating the wedding of her two friends in Canada.

She said: “I absolutely love going to weddings and when my friends got engaged we joked that I could be like Joey Tribbiani from Friends and marry them.

"I got ordained online and conducted their ceremony and loved it. I then looked into it and how I could make it into a job.”

Joanne, who does this as a “passion project” alongside her role as an out-of-town secondary school librarian, offers “something very different and memorable” to her clients, making each ceremony personal to the couple.

She said: “Couples hire me for however long they want, sometimes it can be the whole day. They are not tied to a date or a time. There are no restrictions.

"It’s really relaxing and informal and I have a lot of fun with them.”