PRIVACY POLICY

Human Stories by Joëlle
Last updated: 13 October 2026

At Human Stories by Joëlle, I understand that sharing your personal story is an act of trust. Whether you’re making an initial enquiry or working with me to create your wedding ceremony, I am committed to treating your personal information with care, discretion and respect.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information I collect, why I collect it, how I use and store it, and your rights under UK data protection law.

1. Who I am

Human Stories by Joëlle is the celebrant service of Joëlle Edwards, trading as Joëlle Marie Events.

As a sole trader, Joëlle Edwards is the data controller responsible for personal information collected and processed in connection with these celebrant services.

Website: https://humanstoriesbyjoelle.com
Email: hello@humanstoriesbyjoelle.com

If you have any questions about this policy or how I handle your information, please contact me using the email address above.

2. What information I collect

When you contact me or engage my services, I may collect:

  • Your name and contact details, including email address, telephone number and postal address where necessary.
  • Details of your proposed ceremony, including dates, venues and other arrangements.
  • Personal stories and information about your relationship, family, friends and significant life experiences.
  • Information provided through questionnaires, emails, conversations and ceremony-planning documents.
  • Photographs, video recordings and testimonials that you choose to share.
  • Information necessary for bookings, contracts, invoices and payments.

My website and hosting provider may also process technical information, such as IP addresses and website access logs, for security and operational purposes.

3. Where I obtain your information

Most personal information comes directly from you, through my website contact form, email correspondence, telephone conversations, meetings or ceremony questionnaires.

I may also receive relevant information from your partner or other people involved in planning your ceremony.

Where you share personal information about other people, I ask that you consider their privacy and only provide information that is relevant and appropriate for the ceremony.

4. How and why I use your information

I collect and use personal information to:

  • Respond to enquiries about my celebrant services.
  • Discuss potential bookings and ceremony arrangements.
  • Prepare contracts and manage bookings.
  • Get to know you and understand the stories, personalities and values you wish to celebrate.
  • Write, personalise and deliver your ceremony.
  • Communicate with you throughout the planning process.
  • Maintain appropriate business and financial records.
  • Protect the security and functionality of my website.

I do not automatically add people who contact me through my website to a marketing mailing list.

5. My lawful bases for processing information

Under UK data protection law, I must have an appropriate lawful basis for using personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, I rely on:

Contractual necessity: To respond to requests about my services, take steps towards a booking and fulfil my obligations when you engage me as your celebrant.

Legitimate interests: To manage appropriate business correspondence, maintain necessary operational records and protect my website and business, where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Legal obligations: To comply with applicable legal requirements, including tax and accounting obligations.

Consent: Where I ask for and rely on your consent for a particular activity, such as certain promotional uses of photographs, testimonials or personal stories.

Where consent is the lawful basis, you may withdraw it at any time.

6. Personal stories and sensitive information

Creating a personal ceremony often involves sharing meaningful details about relationships, families, beliefs, experiences and significant moments in your lives.

I understand that some of this information may be private or sensitive.

I use the information you share to prepare and deliver your ceremony and treat it with care and discretion.

Some information may fall within the special categories of personal data protected by UK GDPR, including information about religious or philosophical beliefs, health or sexual orientation.

Where processing such information is necessary, I will identify an appropriate lawful basis and additional special-category processing condition. Where explicit consent is required, I will seek it separately.

You are not expected to share more personal information than is necessary or that you feel comfortable providing. We can discuss how to handle particularly sensitive details when planning your ceremony.

7. How I store and protect your information

Information relating to enquiries and ceremonies may be stored in:

  • Business email correspondence, using Google Workspace.
  • Microsoft Word documents, including questionnaires and ceremony scripts.
  • Google Drive, for storing and organising ceremony-related documents.
  • Business records required for administration, contracts and accounting.

My website is hosted by Krystal.

I take reasonable steps to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure, including using appropriate account security and limiting access to information.

Information submitted through my website contact form is sent to my business email address. The form is not currently configured to save a separate WordPress form-entry record.

8. Sharing information with others

I do not sell your personal information.

I may share information with trusted service providers where necessary for my business, including website hosting, email, document storage and other administrative services.

I may also disclose information where required by law or where necessary to obtain professional advice.

I do not routinely share couples’ private questionnaires or personal stories with venues, suppliers or other third parties.

If sharing particular information is necessary for your ceremony, I will discuss this with you as appropriate.

9. International data transfers

Some technology providers used by my business may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, I will ensure that an appropriate transfer mechanism or other lawful safeguard applies, where required under UK data protection law.

You can contact me for further information about relevant international transfers.

10. Photographs, testimonials and shared stories

From time to time, I may invite clients to share photographs, testimonials or aspects of their ceremony for use on the Human Stories by Joëlle website or social media channels.

I will seek appropriate permission before publishing material that identifies you and explain how and where I intend to use it.

Participation is entirely optional and has no bearing on the services I provide.

Where photographs or stories include other identifiable individuals, I will also consider their privacy rights and any additional permissions required.

You may contact me if you wish to withdraw permission. Where consent is the basis for publication, I will stop further use and remove material under my control where required. Content already shared or retained by third parties may not always be fully retrievable.

11. How long I keep your information

I retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, subject to applicable legal obligations.

Enquiries that do not result in bookings: Normally retained for no longer than 12 months after our last correspondence.

Ceremony questionnaires, personal stories and scripts: Normally retained for no longer than 18 months after the ceremony, unless there is a legitimate or legal reason to retain particular information for longer.

Contracts, invoices and financial records: Retained separately for the applicable legal retention period. For UK self-employed tax records, this is generally at least five years after the relevant 31 January tax return submission deadline.

When personal information is no longer needed, I will securely delete or dispose of it, subject to any necessary backup retention arrangements.

12. Your data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights relating to your personal information, subject to applicable conditions and exemptions.

These include:

  • Access: To request a copy of the personal information I hold about you.
  • Rectification: To request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Erasure: To request deletion of personal information in certain circumstances.
  • Restriction: To request that I limit how your information is processed.
  • Objection: To object to certain types of processing.
  • Data portability: To request transfer of eligible information to you or another organisation.
  • Withdrawal of consent: To withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on consent.

You also have the right not to be subject to certain solely automated decisions, where applicable. I do not use automated decision-making to determine whether to provide celebrant services.

To exercise your rights, please email hello@humanstoriesbyjoelle.com.

I will respond without undue delay and normally within one month, subject to the applicable legal rules.

13. Cookies and website technology

This website may use cookies or similar technologies necessary for its operation, security and functionality.

I have not intentionally installed Google Analytics or other visitor-tracking services.

Information about cookies used by this website, their purposes and any choices available to visitors will be provided in the separate Cookie Policy.

14. Links to other websites

This website may contain links to third-party websites, including social media platforms and other organisations.

I am not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and recommend reviewing their individual privacy policies.

15. Google Fonts

This website uses Google Fonts to display certain typefaces. When you visit the website, your browser may connect to Google’s servers to download these fonts. This may involve sharing technical information, including your IP address, with Google.

For more information about how Google processes personal information, please see Google’s Privacy Policy.

16. How to make a complaint

If you have concerns about how I handle your personal information, please contact me first so that I have an opportunity to address them.

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

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

16. Changes to this Privacy Policy

I may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in my business, website, services or legal obligations.

The latest version will be available on this page, together with the date of the most recent update.

Contact

Joëlle Edwards
Trading as Joëlle Marie Events
Human Stories by Joëlle
hello@humanstoriesbyjoelle.com