Photo by Tom Dunne
Well, this is lovely.!…I'm absolutely delighted to share that Love Lines by Elissa is a finalist in the Sussex Wedding Awards 2027 for Best Newcomer!
And the best bit? I was nominated by a fellow local celebrant, the brilliant Jess May's Special Days.
I don't think I would ever have nominated myself, so to have someone working in the same industry put my name forward genuinely means a lot. Especially when Love Lines only launched in April this year. It's been a whirlwind of a first few months, and this feels like a rather wonderful moment to stop, take a breath and appreciate how far things have come.
You can find out more about the Sussex Wedding Awards, including the judging process and the brilliant people behind it in the link above.
Collaboration over competition
One of the things I've been most intentional about during this first year is building a business around genuine relationships, not just collecting contacts or chasing bookings.
I've also made a concerted effort to connect with other celebrants in my local area. Jess, alongside the lovely Roxy and Gitte, has become part of that little celebrant community. We even have our own WhatsApp group now, which is probably one of the more wholesome developments of my business year.
There is room for all of us. In fact, I think the industry is better when we support one another, share opportunities and celebrate each other's wins. Being self-employed can be a surprisingly lonely business, so finding your people matters. Jess's nomination felt like a lovely reminder of exactly that.
Owning being a Newbie, with pride!
I think at first I felt a smidge of shame in being a newbie. After all, although celebrancy is a new business venture for me, over 20 years of working in events, venues, on weddings themselves and as a performer and creative writer - I felt I had plenty of transferable skills to leverage. However…. I have come to realise there is a real enjoyment in surrendering to being the new kid on the block, and owning it!
I will only have my first year of being a Founder in launch mode once. I will only be elligible for a ‘Best Newcomer’ award once, so this is it!
Of course, all this is happening alongside a toddler in part-time nursery and my existing fractional growth strategy contracts as other new mums out there will know, the juggle is REAL. Fitting everything into nursery hours, nap windows and evenings has required some creative scheduling, and quite a lot of coffee.
My music has taken a bit of a back seat this year, too, although there are some lovely things to look forward to. Next year I'll be singing at weddings again, including leading a guest flash-mob choir during a ceremony, and I've been booked to play piano and sing during cocktail hour at a wedding in Tuscany. Not a bad place to make a musical comeback!
It's been challenging, occasionally chaotic and utterly exhausting. But here's the unexpected bit: I've never enjoyed hard work this much.
Building a business is a full-time job. Who knew?
One thing I hadn't quite appreciated before launching Love Lines is just how many different jobs come with being your own boss.
Apparently, being a wedding celebrant also means being your own marketing director, SEO specialist, accountant, administrator, content strategist, social media manager, graphic designer, brand manager, salesperson, networking coordinator and CRM administrator. YIKES!
There are websites to update, blogs to write, reels to film, emails to send, leads to follow up, venues to research and relationships to nurture. And somewhere in amongst all of that, you're supposed to actually write and deliver the ceremonies. Humbling is the word!
I've also made a real effort to get out from behind the laptop and build genuine relationships with wedding teams across Sussex, Surrey and London. That means visiting venues, meeting their teams, attending events and finding ways to build reciprocal partnerships. It's been one of the most rewarding parts of launching Love Lines, and I'm gradually building a lovely network of venues and suppliers who understand what I do and are excited to work together.
You can follow some of those visits in my Wedding Venue Tours journal.
Learning to be patient with this period of laying the foundations, is something I’m trying to be gentle with myself on. A classic Virgo, wants it all to happen now, but there is a season for everything, and it’s okay that I am in my harvesting season, planting many a seed!
A night for Mum & Dad to celebrate (& let our hair down!)
The Sussex Wedding Awards are independently judged by an expert panel of wedding industry professionals, with entries assessed against published criteria. There's no public vote or popularity contest. The work is judged on its merits, which makes being shortlisted feel particularly meaningful.
The finalists will come together on Friday 29 January 2027 at Pier Court in Brighton, and I'm really looking forward to it. Even better, my partner and I are going together. It will be one of our first proper date nights out since becoming parents, so I'm taking that as an excellent excuse to wear lots of sparkle, have a lovely evening and perhaps remember what it's like to get dressed up without a small person trying to eat my shoes. (She’s into wellies atm)
Win or lose, I'm genuinely excited to meet more of my peers, cheer on every category and celebrate the brilliant wedding businesses doing such lovely work across Sussex.
Most of all, I'm proud of what Love Lines has achieved in such a short space of time. From launching in April, to building relationships with venues, creating ceremonies for some wonderful couples and now finding myself a finalist in these awards. It's a lot to take in.
And to Jess, thank you. Your nomination means more than you probably realise. A little reminder that collaboration really does matter, and that sometimes the nicest recognition comes from the people alongside you.
Here's to celebrating the wins, supporting one another and seeing what the next chapter brings.
Love, Elissa x
