'My life now couldn't be any more different' - Former Warwick cafe owner trades hustle and bustle to become a celebrant

Jo Hobbs owned and ran the popular Thomas Oken Tea Rooms in Castle Street for 15 years before deciding to sell the business in May 2024.

The decision was not one Jo made lightly, but after feeling like she was missing out on life due to the time constraints of running a small business, she took the leap to follow a different path.

Having made the difficult decision to hang up her apron, Jo has since been studying to become a celebrant – a person who conducts wedding, naming, funeral and celebration of life ceremonies.

She completed her naming and wedding celebrancy training last year, and this month received her certification as a funeral celebrant.

Jo now heads into the new year fully qualified to conduct all ceremonies – leaving her former career behind her and embracing a new one.

Here is Jo’s story.

On January 6, the day a lot of people went back to work after the Christmas break, a large white envelope dropped through my front door, containing certificates declaring that I’m now a fully fledged naming, wedding and funeral celebrant, certified by the Academy of Modern Celebrancy.

My life now couldn't be any more different.

This time last year I didn’t even know what a celebrant was. In fact I spent the whole of the last festive period working flat out.

As owner/manager of a well-known tearooms in central Warwick (open seven days a week) I was constantly on the go; getting in at 8am every day to make scones/cakes/soups and everything else that needed prepping, then spending the rest of the day running around keeping customers happy – returning home exhausted to do all the other stuff required to run a small business.

I’d been doing it for 15 years and I loved it.

The energy of the place, the hustle and bustle, the daily challenges and the desire to make everyone happy meant life was a whirlwind.

But some discontent was setting in – having to turn down most weekend invitations, for example, since Saturdays and Sundays were our busiest times; not spending enough time with my family and friends, in particular my young grandchildren.

This feeling that I was missing out on life, and that I wasn’t getting any younger (at just over 60!) made me feel that maybe a change was in order.

Exactly what that change might be came to me only a few weeks later.

The previous year I had been to a wedding at a beautiful Warwickshire location – it was an outstanding venue, spectacularly decorated, with no expense spared on flowers or outfits.

There was a real air of expectation as the guests sat down.

Then the registrars arrived in their suits, briefly introduced themselves before giving a few housekeeping notes, and the whole ceremony was over in 15 minutes.

It seemed cold, business-like and disappointingly incongruous with the surroundings.

Fast forward to almost exactly this time last year when I attended a wedding in a country house on the outskirts of Amsterdam, where the ceremony was performed outside in a charming, informal walled garden.

The officiant greeted the guests with warm smiles, after which followed an hour of story-telling and laughter with many interjections from not just the bride and groom but other members of the family and fellow guests.

I couldn’t understand any of it, but I certainly picked up on the feelings and sentiments expressed.

When I found out later that the officiant was a professional and not a family member, I was so impressed that I came home to research whether a similar job existed in the UK and was delighted to discover that it did indeed.

To cut a long story short, I started my training this time last year, sold the tea rooms to a lovely new owner in May in order to be able to study full-time and here I now am, sitting at my kitchen table with a cup of tea in hand, not rushing around madly but reflecting on the months past and those yet to come.

What I love about being an independent celebrant is being a part of people’s special days – be it weddings, namings or funerals – getting to know families in their joy and in their grief, crafting and delivering ceremonies that are truly personal and as unique as the people I work with.

It is without doubt an honour and a privilege to do this type of work.

In all honesty, hanging up my apron for good has been hard, as indeed has all the training, and my daily life is unrecognizable compared to what it was a few short months ago.

But as I launch into this new year I have absolutely no regrets.

I’m looking forward to the year ahead with renewed energy and excitement and a real appreciation of how fulfilled I am in my new role, as well as having the flexibility to do more of the things I enjoy in my life.

So if anyone out there is thinking about making big changes in your life, do it! It may be scary, but it’s worth it.

It really does feel like a new year, new start.

My mantra this year has been, ‘I can do this!’ And if I can, I’m sure you can too.