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Back in 2007 when YouTube was in its infancy then-groom Derek Powell created a video of his ‘Perfect Day’ starring himself, bride Mhairi O’Brien, the wedding party and guests.
Derek played the melody to the classic Lou Reid hit over snippets of his wedding footage and clips of his friends and family mouthing the words to the popular tune, which was then watched tens of thousands of times online, even attracting the attention of The Lorraine Kelly Show.
Fast forward 18 years and Derek, also a musician, is now establishing himself as a master of ceremonies for all occasions, having started out in weddings five years ago.
It is a dream come true for the 48-year-old who has switched from playing at weddings to making the magic happen as a humanist celebrant.
Derek, who lives in Manor Crescent, said: “I think the seeds were planted at my own wedding. Myself and Mhairi are not religious, but we wanted a wedding to remember. At that time the choice was limited.
“We created this video, ‘Perfect Day’, it was great fun.
“Everyone wanted involved, they wanted a part on the day. It took a bit of organising.
“It ended up with 42,000 views and we even ended up on the Lorraine Kelly Show. YouTube was just taking off at that point.
“Our wedding was such a special day. I think since then I harboured the idea of being a celebrant.
“It has followed me through my life.”
Derek and Mhairi, now 47, from Renfrewshire, met when they both worked at Corseford School for children with disabilities in Renfrewshire.
They married on November 24, 2007, in a dream wedding at the Ross Priory, University of Strathclyde in Loch Lomond, where they celebrated their ‘Perfect Day’.
For most of his life, accomplished musician Derek has been a member of bands, singing and playing guitar as part of Beat Roote and Solo Surf.
But that has now taken a back seat now after Derek made the decision to become a celebrant.
He qualified with the Humanist Society Scotland five years ago and since then has conducted more than 200 weddings.
Derek added: “It is the best decision I ever made, I love being a celebrant.
“It is my passion. I want the big moments in peoples’ lives to be a celebration for them.
“I bring my own style, I do a wedding selfie, everyone is involved. I used to sing at wedding and I loved that. But now I am a celebrant instead.
“It is very important to me to have that connection with families. I want to be the person who a family calls on for their wedding, their children’s naming ceremonies and when someone close to them dies.”
Since starting out as a wedding celebrant he has married people in castles, plush venues, a field, and even officiated a ceremony where the power went off.
He added: “Every wedding is special and individual, that is so important. I have been at wedding with 250 people and then five.
“I think what makes me different is I bring my personality to it, I like to have a laugh.”
Following the passing of close family members Derek has now made the commitment to be a celebrant at funerals, an immense responsibility, but one he feels like he can bring his own personal touch to.
He added: “My dad passed away and Mhairi’s as well and I thought I really want to do the training for funerals.
“It is about celebrating peoples’ lives. But it was challenging to learn how to write the eulogy, learning what to say and how to say it.”
Derek grew up in Binnie Street, a former pupil of Gourock Primary and then Gourock High.
He was a committed member of the 3rd Gourock Boys’ Brigade, something that gave him a strong urge to help other people and a love of performing.
Derek added: “For many years I played the bugle at Remembrance Sunday.”
It was while volunteering for his Boys’ Brigade Queen’s Badge that he started to use his musical talents to help others by running music workshops for people with disabilities.
Derek studied for an HNC in learning support needs, and now works as a disability advisor for students at the Royal Conservatoire Scotland.
After living in Renfrewshire for a spell he moved back to Gourock with wife Mhairi, a lecturer and employability officer at West College Scotland, son Finlay, 15, and daughter Elise, eight.
Derek said: “I think having children made me think about being a celebrant even more. My daughter is adopted and her naming ceremony was very significant for us.
“I love naming ceremonies, they are so special, but we don’t do as many because there is not a legal requirement for them.
“We actually had the TV presenter Carol Smillie as the celebrant, she was incredible. That is when I thought I want to do this.”
Derek officially qualified as a celebrant just before the pandemic hit, which meant his start in the role was delayed until lockdowns were lifted.
But since then he has more than made up for the lost time.
Now he is busy conducting weddings, funerals and naming ceremonies and hopes that being a celebrant is something he can continue to build on in the future.
