Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2026

Chris Ellis Ceremonies respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information carefully, securely and transparently.

This privacy notice explains what information I collect, why I collect it, how it is used and stored, who it may be shared with, how long it is retained and your rights in relation to that information.

Who I am

Chris Ellis Ceremonies is operated by Chris Ellis, trading as Chris Ellis Ceremonies.

Website: chrisellisceremonies.co.uk

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Chris Ellis is the data controller for personal information processed in connection with Chris Ellis Ceremonies.

If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how your personal information is used, please contact me using the details on this website.

Information I collect

The information I collect depends on the nature of your enquiry and the ceremony or service you ask me to provide.

It may include:

  • your name and contact details, including email address and telephone number;
  • the names and contact details of other people involved in a ceremony;
  • ceremony dates, times, venues and other practical arrangements;
  • correspondence by email, telephone, WhatsApp Business, SMS or social-media direct message;
  • information provided during planning meetings and other conversations;
  • notes, questionnaires and transcripts used in preparing a ceremony;
  • biographical information, memories, family relationships, stories and personal details supplied for inclusion in a ceremony;
  • draft and final ceremony scripts;
  • readings, vows, tributes and other material provided by you or other participants;
  • photographs or other material provided for ceremony or promotional purposes;
  • contract, booking and payment information;
  • invoice and accounting records; and
  • records relating to the services I have provided.

For funeral and memorial ceremonies in particular, families may provide substantial personal and biographical information about the person who has died and about surviving family members and friends.

I only collect and retain information that is reasonably relevant to preparing, delivering or administering my services.

Information about other people

Ceremony planning frequently involves information about people other than the person who originally contacted me.

For example, couples may provide information about family members and friends, and families arranging a funeral may provide information about relatives, friends and other people connected with the person who has died.

Where practical, please avoid supplying unnecessary private or sensitive information about another living person.

Information about other people will only be used where it is relevant to preparing or delivering the ceremony.

Sensitive personal information

During the preparation of a ceremony, you may choose to provide information which UK data protection law describes as special category data.

This may include information about:

  • religious or philosophical beliefs;
  • health or medical circumstances;
  • racial or ethnic background; or
  • sexual orientation.

I do not routinely ask for such information unless it is relevant to the ceremony.

Where you deliberately provide sensitive personal information because it is relevant to the ceremony, I will use it only for that purpose and treat it with particular care.

Where required by data protection law, I will rely on an appropriate legal condition for processing such information, which may include your explicit consent.

Why I use personal information

I use personal information to:

  • respond to enquiries;
  • discuss and agree the services required;
  • prepare contracts and arrangements;
  • organise and conduct planning meetings;
  • research, write, edit and revise ceremony scripts;
  • communicate with clients and other ceremony participants;
  • coordinate arrangements with funeral directors, venues and other relevant parties;
  • conduct the ceremony;
  • manage appointments and ceremony dates;
  • administer payments and invoices;
  • maintain appropriate business, accounting and tax records;
  • respond to questions arising after a ceremony;
  • maintain limited professional records of ceremonies I have conducted; and
  • operate, secure and improve my website and marketing activity.

Lawful basis for processing

Depending on the circumstances, I process personal information because:

  • it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract;
  • it is necessary to perform a contract between us;
  • it is necessary for my legitimate interests in operating and administering Chris Ellis Ceremonies, provided those interests do not override your rights and interests;
  • it is necessary to comply with legal, tax or accounting obligations; or
  • you have given consent where consent is the appropriate basis.

Where special category information is processed, an additional condition under data protection law will also apply.

Planning meetings and audio recordings

Formal client planning meetings may be audio-recorded to help me prepare an accurate record of our discussion and create the ceremony.

Initial discovery calls are not routinely recorded.

Where a planning meeting is recorded:

  • the recording device will be clearly visible;
  • I will explain that I would like to record the meeting and ask whether you are happy for me to do so;
  • the recording will be used only for the preparation of the ceremony;
  • the recording may be processed using a transcription service;
  • the resulting transcript may be stored with the other ceremony documents; and
  • the original audio recording will be deleted after the ceremony has been completed.

Use of transcription and AI-assisted tools

I may use digital and AI-assisted tools to support certain parts of my work.

These may be used for purposes such as:

  • producing transcripts from planning meetings;
  • checking ceremony timings;
  • reviewing clarity and structure;
  • editing or refining wording; and
  • administrative or organisational support.

These tools assist my work; they do not replace the personal process of creating a ceremony.

Every ceremony is individually prepared, reviewed and delivered by me.

Where personal or identifiable client information is processed using digital or AI-assisted services, I use services with appropriate privacy and data-protection controls.

I do not knowingly use client material in services that routinely make that information publicly available.

How ceremonies are written and reused

Every ceremony is individually prepared for the client concerned.

Generic ceremonial wording, structural phrases and non-identifying language may sometimes be reused where appropriate.

Personal stories, names and identifying details from one client’s ceremony are never repurposed for another client’s ceremony.

I may occasionally use fully anonymised examples for professional, educational or promotional purposes where the material cannot reasonably be used to identify the people involved.

Where information is stored

Depending on the purpose, client information may be held using services including:

  • email services;
  • secure cloud document storage;
  • customer relationship management and task-management systems;
  • calendar services;
  • accounting software;
  • messaging services;
  • transcription services; and
  • AI-assisted productivity services.

At present these may include services such as Outlook and IONOS email, Google Workspace and Google Drive, Trello, Clear Books, WhatsApp Business and other professional software used to support the delivery and administration of my services.

I take reasonable steps to protect information against loss, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

Calendar information

I use an electronic calendar to manage appointments and ceremonies.

Calendar entries are normally limited to basic practical information such as:

  • client names;
  • the type of appointment;
  • time and date; and
  • meeting or ceremony location.

Funeral directors

For funeral services, I may receive information from a funeral director rather than directly from the family.

This may include a formal letter of instruction together with separate emails containing family contact details, service arrangements and other information required to prepare the ceremony.

I use this information only for the purpose of preparing, coordinating and conducting the funeral or memorial service and related administration.

Who I share information with

I do not sell or trade personal information.

Information may be shared where reasonably necessary to deliver my services.

This may include:

  • a funeral director involved in arranging a service;
  • a venue or other organisation where limited coordination is necessary;
  • a substitute celebrant in exceptional circumstances where I am unable to conduct a ceremony myself;
  • professional service providers that process information on my behalf, such as email, cloud storage, transcription, accounting and IT providers; and
  • legal, tax or regulatory authorities where disclosure is required by law.

If a substitute celebrant were required, I would only provide the information reasonably necessary for them to deliver the ceremony, which might include the script, relevant contact details and practical arrangements.

I may communicate with photographers, musicians, venues and other suppliers to coordinate a ceremony, but I do not routinely disclose client personal information to them.

Payments and accounting

Payments are normally made by bank transfer or cheque.

I do not collect or store payment-card details.

Accounting and invoice information is managed using Clear Books and relevant banking records.

Financial and accounting records may be retained for the period required by tax, accounting or other legal obligations.

Paper copies

Ceremony scripts are normally printed for use when conducting the ceremony.

My working copy is destroyed after the ceremony.

A clean presentation copy may also be printed and given to the client.

I do not routinely retain a separate paper archive of client ceremony records.

Photographs, testimonials and promotional material

Photographs may be supplied by clients or photographers, or taken by me.

Photographs, testimonials, reviews or other identifiable client material will only be used for promotional purposes with written permission.

Written permission may be given by email, WhatsApp, social-media direct message or another written communication.

Promotional use may include:

  • this website;
  • social media;
  • printed promotional material;
  • advertising; and
  • other marketing activity for Chris Ellis Ceremonies.

If you later ask me to stop using such material, I will stop using it in future promotional activity where reasonably practicable.

Social media

I use social-media platforms for organic and paid promotion of Chris Ellis Ceremonies.

Prospective clients may occasionally contact me using direct messaging on those platforms. Where practical, detailed client communication is normally moved to email.

I do not publish client personal information on social media without permission.

Social-media platforms process information in accordance with their own privacy policies.

Website analytics and advertising

This website uses Google Analytics to help me understand how visitors use the site.

I may also use advertising and conversion-measurement tools associated with services such as Google Ads, Meta or relevant business directories.

These services may use cookies, pixels or similar technologies.

Where consent is legally required, non-essential analytics and advertising technologies should only be activated after the visitor has provided the appropriate consent.

Visitors should be able to accept or reject non-essential tracking through the website’s cookie controls.

Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small files stored on your device when you visit a website.

This website may use:

  • essential cookies required for the website to function;
  • analytics cookies that help me understand website usage; and
  • advertising or conversion-tracking technologies where applicable.

Essential cookies may operate without consent where they are necessary for the website to function.

Non-essential cookies and similar tracking technologies are subject to the applicable consent requirements.

Further details may be provided through the website’s cookie-consent system or cookie information page.

Embedded content and third-party websites

Pages on this website may contain links to or embedded content from other websites or platforms, such as maps, social-media content, videos or other services.

Those services may collect information about you, use cookies or monitor your interaction with their content.

Their processing of information is governed by their own privacy policies.

How long I retain information

I do not retain personal information for longer than reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

My general retention approach is:

Unsuccessful enquiries
Information relating to an enquiry that does not result in a booking will normally be retained for up to 12 months after the last meaningful contact, after which it will be deleted where there is no reason to retain it.

Audio recordings of planning meetings
Original audio recordings will be deleted after the ceremony has been completed.

Transcripts, detailed planning notes and questionnaires
These will normally be retained for up to 12 months after the ceremony, after which they will be deleted where no longer required.

Printed working scripts
These are destroyed after the ceremony.

Final ceremony scripts
A final electronic copy may be retained as part of my professional client archive for long-term reference.

I periodically review archived material and will delete it where there is no longer a reasonable need to retain it.

Clients may also ask me to delete archived personal information, subject to any lawful or legitimate reason for retaining it.

Contracts, invoices and financial records
These may be retained for the period required for legal, accounting and tax purposes.

Security

I take reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal information.

These include using appropriate password protection, professional cloud services and access controls.

No method of electronic storage or transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure, so clients should avoid sending unnecessary highly sensitive information.

Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you the right to:

  • ask what personal information I hold about you;
  • request a copy of your personal information;
  • ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;
  • ask for personal information to be deleted;
  • request restriction of processing;
  • object to certain types of processing;
  • request transfer of your information in certain circumstances; and
  • withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

These rights are subject to certain legal limitations and exemptions.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact me using the details provided on this website.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how I handle your personal information, please contact me first so that I have the opportunity to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data-protection regulator.

Further information is available at ico.org.uk.

Changes to this privacy notice

I may update this privacy notice occasionally to reflect changes in my services, technology, working practices or legal requirements.

The latest version will always be published on this website.