Beyond The Ceremony Podcast Episode 15: Shawn Miller Young Hip and Married
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🌎 From Vancouver to Vows: How Young Hip and Married Built a Global Love Movement
Imagine a wedding on a mountaintop, a sunrise elopement on the beach, or a ceremony on paddleboards in the middle of the ocean. For Vancouver-based officiant and coach Shawn Miller, that’s just another day at the office.
As the co-founder of Young Hip & Married, Shawn has spent the past 15 years helping couples celebrate love in all its forms, from wild adventure elopements to deeply personal city ceremonies. What started as a life-coaching business he built with his wife, Erica, has grown into one of North America’s most recognisable wedding brands, with a team of 30+ officiants across Canada and the US.
In this episode of Beyond The Ceremony, host Laura Crockett chats with Shawn about the business of love.
From how he turned a simple idea into an award-winning collective, to what it really takes to create ceremonies that feel better than they look. Expect big inspiration, a few Harry Potter wedding stories (yes, really 🦉), and a fresh perspective on what’s possible when you build a celebrant business with heart.
🎧 Episode Highlights
✨ How Young Hip and Married grew from a coaching idea to a multi-location team
💍 What celebrants can learn from Shawn’s approach to storytelling and delivery
🌲 Behind the scenes of elopements, helicopter weddings, and ceremonies in nature
💡 Why your voice and energy matter more than the script
🌈 Celebrating all forms of love, and what that means in practice
💫 This Episode of Beyond The Ceremony Is For You If…
- You dream of building a celebrant business that feels joyful and expansive
- You love the idea of crafting ceremonies that truly reflect your couples
- You’re curious about international celebrancy and how it differs from the UK
- You want to rediscover the “why” behind the work you do
This conversation is a beautiful reminder that celebrancy isn’t just about words, it’s about connection, presence, and heart. Shawn’s story proves there’s no single way to do this work; what matters is creating ceremonies that feel true to the people at the centre of them. Whether you’re just starting your celebrant journey or dreaming bigger with your business, this one will reignite your love for the craft.
Shawn Miller Photographer Credit: Erica Miller Photography
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💒 Beyond The Ceremony Podcast: Modern Celebrancy. Unfiltered. 💒
Everything you need to know about how to succeed as a modern celebrant. From top tips on how to create unforgettable ceremonies, to success stories from some of the best in the biz, we will give you a behind-the-scenes look into life as a celebrant. Hosted by Laura Crockett, Award-winning Celebrant, radio personality, and celebrant mentor at the Academy of Modern Celebrancy.
Learn more about the Academy of Modern Celebrancy here.
MEET SHAWN MILLER
Shawn Miller, an officiant and founder of Young Hip & Married, is licensed in British Columbia as a religious representative through a registered religious body. As he explains: ‘My licence is a religious licence through a metaphysical ministry, and metaphysical ministers honour and respect all faiths and beliefs. That is why I can serve interfaith couples and couples of every background. My job is to honour the values and belief systems of each couple, and every ceremony carries an element of spirituality.
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MEET YOUR HOST, LAURA CROCKETT
Laura has been an independent celebrant for 5 years and absolutely loves it. It makes her so proud seeing how far she’s come in that time. Laura feels like she’s found her calling and is so excited to keep progressing and growing her Celebrant business! Laura creates all kinds of ceremonies, including Weddings, Funerals, Vow Renewals, and Naming Ceremonies. Before she was a celebrant, Laura was a breakfast radio presenter, so her happy place is either at the front of a ceremony or sitting behind a microphone!
At home, Laura is married to Johnathan (a primary school teacher and her biggest cheerleader) and a mummy to two boys – Woody and Dougie. Laura is also a dog mum to Betty and Barney, the cockapoos! They can often be found curled up by her side when she’s writing scripts or lying by the radiator in the office when she’s on couples calls!
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Team AMC
Our team of writers and contributors at The Academy of Modern Celebrancy are dedicated to educating Celebrants and helping them build thriving Celebrant businesses. Our team is made up of Celebrants and Industry experts dedicated to sharing their expertise with you.
The Academy of Modern Celebrancy also has a thriving community of 5000 celebrants that we are dedicated to helping grow their businesses and taking celebrancy from a hobby to a lifestyle.
AMC host the global celebrant summit, Celebrantopia, each year, where experts from the Celebrant world share their expertise and passion for Celebrancy.
The Academy of Modern Celebrancy has trained over 1000 celebrants, and employs award-winning Celebrant Mentors who know what it takes to make it in the industry. We train the best celebrants out there across the UK, Europe and the USA.
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