In our latest Faces of the Foundation feature, we meet Susan. A celebrant, devoted mum and lifelong adventurer whose journey has taken her from Malaysia and Melbourne to cruise ships, Humanism and family life in Bishopton. Susan shares how a romantic first date in Costa Rica, her own Humanist wedding on the banks of Loch Lomond and a love of people’s stories led her to become part of The Fuze Foundation.
Faces of the Foundation: Meet Susan
Hello everyone! I’m Susan, and I live in Bishopton with my husband, Calvin, our three-year-old son, Myles, and my other baby, our furbaby, Archie! We’re also very excited that Myles is going to become a big brother in August, so life is certainly busy in our house at the moment.
I was born in Malaysia, where I lived until I was four. My family then moved to Melbourne, Australia, where we stayed until I was 12, before eventually relocating to sunny Glasgow! To hear me speak, you would probably think I was born and bred in Glasgow, although some people can still detect a wee Antipodean twang here and there.
Having travelled so much from a young age, I think adventure has always been in my blood. I spent much of my adult life travelling and was fortunate enough to build a career that allowed me to see some incredible parts of the world.
After leaving school, I studied musical theatre for a couple of years before beginning my career in the travel industry with TUI, which only strengthened my love of travel. When TUI sadly closed its offices, I used the opportunity, and my redundancy, to return to my roots and backpack around Australia in 2007.
While I was there, I spotted an advert for a job working aboard cruise ships. I applied, was interviewed and soon found myself flying to Barbados to begin training as part of the Entertainment team for Princess Cruises.
It was an amazing experience. I visited wonderful places, met people from all walks of life and even had a role known as “swanning”, which involved swanning around the ship in the evenings, chatting to passengers and generally schmoozing. The dream job!
It was also during my time onboard that I met my husband. I was introduced to Calvin by one of the dancers at a Valentine’s disco, and we had our first date a few days later, drinking fresh coconut water in a beach bar in Costa Rica. How romantic!
Working aboard the ships was also where my love of weddings first began. There was an onboard chapel where the captain could conduct marriage ceremonies, and I loved chatting to the couples who were getting married and sharing in the excitement of their experience.
Calvin and I enjoyed our first holiday together in New York while we were both on leave between contracts. After completing another contract apart and struggling to make our schedules match, we decided to make a go of life together on dry land! Calvin moved from Canada to Scotland in 2010, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Back in Scotland, I continued working in travel, specialising in product and purchasing. This allowed me to keep exploring Australia and New Zealand, as well as Dubai and Asia. It was during a trip to Dubai that Calvin proposed beside the fountains at the Burj Khalifa.
We were married at The Cruin on the banks of Loch Lomond and chose to have a Humanist ceremony. During the planning process, I developed a real interest in Humanism. I felt such a strong affinity with its values and loved how warm and personal our ceremony was. I remember thinking, “I would love to do this for other people.”
I applied to Fuze, and several wonderful years later, here I am!
The coronavirus pandemic brought my career in travel to an end, but when one door closes, another opens. Before long, I began my greatest adventure yet: becoming a mummy. Myles Luca arrived in March 2023 and is now a lively, inquisitive three-year-old and a proper wee chatterbox who keeps us constantly entertained and firmly on our toes!
Becoming a celebrant has given me the flexibility to balance family life with doing something I genuinely love. Every ceremony allows me to meet wonderful people, hear their stories and help them celebrate some of life’s most meaningful moments. I also get to experience the excitement of the wedding journey all over again, just a little vicariously!
I’m very proud to be part of The Fuze Foundation and a team that shares my belief in creating ceremonies which are personal, inclusive and centred entirely around the people involved. Helping couples and families mark life’s milestones in a way that feels authentic to them is a real privilege, and one I never take for granted.
