Today I talk to Mair Garland who after 10 years shifted from the corporate world into leading non-religious baby naming ceremonies, weddings and funerals ceremonies as a humanist celebrant.

Mair shares how she grew up in Wales speaking both English and Welsh. After studying French and Linguistics at the University of Oxford, which included a year abroad in France, she found work at an international organisation where her languages set her apart. What started as a part-time side project, her work as a celebrant has become a business she loves which brings many referrals through word-of-mouth.

1. Growing up bilingual in Welsh and English shaped Mair’s linguistic identity and her instinctive use of language in emotional moments.
2. A year abroad in France transformed her French from academic to natural and immersive, influencing her confidence and cultural adaptation.
3. Her decade-long corporate career allowed her to integrate language skills in unexpected ways, especially within a multinational company.
4. As a humanist celebrant, Mair now blends languages and cultural traditions to create deeply personalised ceremonies for weddings, funerals, and baby naming ceremonies.
5. Her work is highly collaborative and creative: she co-creates scripts with couples or families, crafting personalised stories, vows, and symbolism.
6. There is growing demand for multicultural and multilingual ceremonies, even outside Wales and France, especially among mixed-background couples and families.

Originally from Wales, Mair is a proud native speaker of Cymraeg (Welsh) and works as a humanist celebrant in London, offering non-religious baby naming ceremonies, weddings and funerals. Mair specialises in bilingual ceremonies in both Welsh and French.

1. Website: www.garlandceremonies.com
2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garlandceremonies

Sonia is an experienced, multilingual digital marketing consultant focusing on Google Ads and advertising on social media. She works with small and medium-sized companies, agencies and charities across ecommerce and lead generation accounts, supporting them from strategy and planning all the way through optimisation and management.

Languages are integral to her identity and career, so much so that in September 2025 she created and hosts this podcast, telling stories of people who merge their language skills with the work they do - and inspiring many more to learn languages and build a career on these valuable soft skills.

1. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workingwithlanguages
2. LinkedIn: