Privacy and Cookie Policy

Introduction

At Moments That Matter by Michèle, every ceremony begins with getting to know the people and stories behind it. I understand that planning a personal and meaningful ceremony may involve sharing information about your relationships, family, experiences and the people who matter most to you.

I am committed to respecting your privacy, treating your personal information with care and protecting the trust you place in me.

This Privacy and Cookie Policy explains how I collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit my website, make an enquiry, book my services or work with me to plan and deliver a ceremony.

I handle personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who I Am

Moments That Matter by Michèle is an independent celebrancy business operated by Michèle Martin-Taylor, trading as Moments That Matter by Michèle.

I am the data controller responsible for personal information collected and used in connection with my business.

You can contact me at:

Michèle Martin-Taylor
Moments That Matter by Michèle
Email: hello@momentsthatmatterbymichele.co.uk
Website: https://momentsthatmatterbymichele.co.uk
Telephone: 07877 745456

What Personal Information I Collect

 Depending on your enquiry or ceremony, I may collect:

  • Contact details: Your name, email address, telephone number and postal address.
  • Ceremony information: The type of ceremony, proposed date, venue, location and arrangements.
  • Booking information: Contracts, invoices, payments and related correspondence.
  • Personal stories: Information about your relationships, family, experiences, memories, wishes, readings and vows.
  • Information about other people: Details of family members, children, friends and others involved in your ceremony.
  • Photographs and recordings: Images you choose to share and recordings of planning meetings where agreed.
  • Feedback and testimonials: Comments you choose to provide about my services.
  • Website information: Technical and usage information collected through website security systems and Google Analytics.

I only collect information that is relevant to responding to your enquiry, managing your booking or preparing and delivering your ceremony.

How I Collect and Use Your Information

 I collect information when you contact me, complete an enquiry or booking form, arrange a discovery call, attend a planning meeting or share information for your ceremony.

I use your information to:

  • Respond to enquiries and arrange consultations.
  • Manage bookings, contracts and payments.
  • Plan, write and deliver personalised ceremonies.
  • Communicate with you and relevant ceremony participants.
  • Maintain business and financial records.
  • Protect my website and business systems.
  • Understand website performance and improve my services.

Under UK data protection law, I rely on the following lawful bases, depending on the circumstances:

  • Contract: To take steps towards a booking and provide agreed services.
  • Legal obligation: To meet applicable legal, tax and accounting requirements.
  • Legitimate interests: To manage my business, respond to general enquiries and maintain security, where appropriate.
  • Consent: Where your permission is required, including certain uses of sensitive information, meeting recordings, promotional material and optional website tracking.

Where I rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Personal and Sensitive Information

Creating a meaningful ceremony may involve sharing sensitive or deeply personal information, including details about health, religious or philosophical beliefs, family circumstances or personal experiences.

Some information may be classed as special-category personal data under UK data protection law.

I will only collect and use this information where relevant to your ceremony and where I have an appropriate legal basis and any additional legal condition required. This may include obtaining your explicit consent.

You are welcome to discuss sensitive matters directly with me rather than include them in an online questionnaire.

I take particular care with information relating to children and other family members.

Dubsado – Enquiries and Client Management

I use Dubsado, a separate client management platform, to manage enquiries, consultations, bookings, questionnaires, contracts and client communications.

Information you provide through Dubsado is used to manage your enquiry or ceremony arrangements.

Dubsado is a third-party service and may process information outside the United Kingdom. Further information is available at https://www.dubsado.com.

Online Meetings and Recordings

I may use Microsoft Teams for discovery calls and ceremony planning meetings.

With your agreement, I may record a planning meeting to help accurately capture the stories and details you share.

Recording is optional. I will explain its purpose and ask for permission from participants before recording begins.

Recordings are used only for ceremony planning, stored securely and normally deleted within 30 days after the ceremony. You may decline recording without affecting the service I provide.

Sharing and Protecting Your Information

I do not sell your personal information.

Where necessary, I may share limited information with:

  • Venues and suppliers involved in your ceremony.
  • Technology providers supporting my website, email, documents, bookings, payments and online meetings.
  • Professional advisers, where appropriate.
  • Public authorities where required or permitted by law.

I use reasonable security measures to protect personal information, including password-protected accounts and devices, restricted access and secure document storage.

My website uses HTTPS to help protect information transmitted between your browser and the website.

How Long I Keep Your Information

I keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary.

My normal retention periods are:

 

Information Retention period
Enquiries that do not result in a booking Up to 12 months after the last meaningful contact
Booking forms, contracts and essential correspondence Up to 6 years after completion of the service
Ceremony questionnaires, personal stories and working drafts Normally deleted within 6 months after the ceremony
Microsoft Teams recordings and transcripts Normally deleted within 30 days after the ceremony
Financial and tax records For the period required by applicable law
Photographs and testimonials used with permission Until no longer required or consent is withdrawn, subject to applicable exceptions

Information may be retained longer where necessary to meet legal obligations or deal with a dispute or legal claim.

Photographs, Testimonials and Marketing

I will not assume that booking my services gives me permission to use your photographs, personal stories or testimonials for marketing. Where I wish to use identifiable photographs, testimonials or ceremony details on my website, social media or promotional materials, I will seek appropriate separate permission. You may decline without affecting your booking.

I will not automatically add you to a marketing mailing list because you have made an enquiry or booked a ceremony.

Cookies and Website Analytics

What are cookies?

Cookies are small files that websites may store on your device. They can help websites function, remember preferences or collect information about how visitors use a website.

Cookies used on my website

My website is built using WordPress and uses HTTPS for secure connections. The website uses locally hosted fonts and does not use Facebook/Meta advertising pixels. The website uses cookie preference technologies to remember visitors' choices.

Google Analytics

I use Google Analytics 4, connected through Google Site Kit, to understand how visitors use my website and to improve its content and performance. This involves collecting information such as pages visited, traffic sources, approximate location, browser and device types, and website interactions through cookies or similar technologies.

Further information about Google's privacy practices is available at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Managing cookies

My website uses the GDPR Cookie Compliance plugin to display information about cookies and provide cookie preference settings.

You can access the cookie settings through the website's cookie banner and manage or delete cookies through your browser settings.

Some cookies are necessary for website functionality or remembering preferences.

Non-essential cookies, including those used for Google Analytics, are subject to applicable consent requirements.

International Data Transfers

Some technology providers I use, including Dubsado, Google and Microsoft, may process or store information outside the United Kingdom.

Where international transfers are subject to UK data protection requirements, appropriate safeguards are required, such as recognised adequacy arrangements or contractual protections.

You can contact me if you would like further information about international transfers relating to your personal information.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK data protection law, you may have the right to:

  • Access personal information I hold about you.
  • Ask for inaccurate information to be corrected.
  • Request deletion of your information in certain circumstances.
  • Object to or restrict certain processing.
  • Request transfer of your information where applicable.
  • Withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.

To exercise your rights, please contact hello@momentsthatmatterbymichele.co.uk.

I will respond in accordance with applicable data protection requirements, normally within one month.

If you are unhappy with how your information has been handled, you may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at https://ico.org.uk.

Changes to This Policy

I may update this policy to reflect changes to my services, website technology or legal requirements. The latest version will be published on my website, together with its most recent update date.

Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy and Cookie Policy or how your information is handled, please contact:

Michèle Martin-Taylor
Moments That Matter by Michèle
Email: hello@momentsthatmatterbymichele.co.uk
Telephone: 07877 745456
Website: https://momentsthatmatterbymichele.co.uk