Celebrancy has become a popular role with many people. What was once considered (incorrectly) to be a role for those over a certain age, from certain job sectors or with certain abilities personally determined by those teaching students celebrants, is now open to almost anybody who can demonstrate people skills, write creatively and speak with confidence in public. Read on for some facts about celebrants, and what is required to become a celebrant.
Questions About Celebrants
Can anybody be a celebrant?
Can you become a celebrant without any training?
Is it an easy job?
Can you choose how many hours you work
Is becoming a celebrant a good second job/retirement job choice
Is it correct celebrants ‘…earn up to ‘£96k a year’?
What is a Celebrant?
A celebrant is a person who gathers information from people to write and narrate a wedding, funeral, vow renewal or many other life event ceremonies. Celebrants are people from all walks of life, all ages beliefs, are alternative, modern or traditional. There are different kinds of celebrants, each writing and narrating ceremonies of celebration and to say goodbye to those who have died.
Can Anybody be a Celebrant?Anybody who can write creatively, anybody who is ‘a people person’, anybody with an interest is helping others to mark a milestone or acknowledge a point in time, and anybody who can hold space and confidently speak in public can be a celebrant.
Can You Become a Celebrant Without Any Training?
Should you become a celebrant without any training is a more appropriate question to consider. Celebrant training covers more than how to create and narrate ceremonies, it also teaches student celebrants how to support grieving people through the creation of an individualised celebration of life ceremony. Celebrant training should also be directed to the individual business needs of each student celebrant, not on a ‘one size fits all’ basis.
Modern or alternative celebrant training will equip every student celebrant with the knowledge required to create personalised weddings, vow renewals, commitment ceremonies and other ceremonies for all who require them. Where do those who do not train as a celebrant acquire these and other necessary skills which are essential to work as a celebrant of the present and of the future?
Is it an Easy Job?
Is any job role easy? Celebrancy isn’t an easy job, but it is a fulfilling role knowing you have been chosen to help people celebrate, to mark an event or to say goodbye. Celebrancy requires dedication, research and writing skills, compassion, empathy, people skills, business awareness and confidence to speak in public.
Leading a ceremony is one of the many aspects of a ceremony. A celebrant’s role entails:
- Meeting with and talking to those who require a ceremony
- Liaising with other suppliers involved
- Researching ceremony content
- Suggesting ceremony content
- Creating unity ceremonies
- Ordering items required for unity ceremonies
- Making handfasting cords (not all celebrants offer this service)
- Writing each ceremony individually
- Meeting again with those a ceremony is for to ensure all information is correct and relevant
- Venue visits (not all celebrants will do this)
- Travelling to and from ceremonies (some long distance if this is offered by a celebrant)
- Producing a presentation copy of each ceremony (if clients require this)
- Blog writing
- Social media posting
- Keeping up to date with trends and CPD training
- Networking (not all celebrants will do this)
There are other aspects and attributes required for the role of celebrant in addition to the above.
Can You Choose How Many Hours You Work?
Celebrants can choose how many hours they work but this depends on how many hours each celebrant needs to work and how many ceremonies each celebrant wants to receive to make a living.
It is also dependant on each individual’s personal circumstances. Those with family, care giving or pet commitments, those who are employed or have health conditions may not have the luxury of flexible working hours which will prevent them from being busy or from being a recommended funeral celebrant by funeral directors.
Celebrancy can be full on if you are already a busy person who enjoys lots of social time, holidays or personal time.
Celebrancy is more than a job, for many celebrants it is better defined as a role. A job involves working specified hours as given on a rota, with a certain amount of paid holiday days to make plans for socialising, going on holiday or relaxing away from work.
A role requires more flexibility with less time for personal time or holidays. (We aren’t stating celebrants cannot or do not go away on holiday). We do not have a certain amount of annual leave days per year. Celebrants do not have specified working hours as 9-5, Monday-Friday jobs have.
Summer is a busy time for weddings and funerals take place all year round so choosing to book a holiday during busy times can result in loss of bookings or loss of further work with funeral directors who pass ceremonies to other funeral celebrants when a celebrant is unavailable. Many funeral celebrants get’ their foot in the door’ as the saying goes because they are available during a busy time.
Is Becoming a Celebrant a Good Second Job/Retirement Job Choice?
There are many working as celebrants who do so as a second job or a retirement job choice. As above, personal commitments must be considered as if in demand a busy celebrant will have minimum spare time as they will be meeting people to gather information, writing or leading ceremonies.
Celebrants ‘earn up to ‘£96k a year’
In August 2024, an online article was released stating celebrants ‘…earn up to £96k a year’. The article was entitled ‘The best second career for the over 50s’ and celebrancy was mentioned. This bold statement was considered extremely misleading in celebrant groups on social media as it wasn’t clearly defined on what kinds of celebrants earn that amount.
With earnings differing greatly in different geographical areas of the UK and not defining if those reported earnings were earnt by legal marriage celebrants or wedding celebrants who aren’t currently able to perform legal marriage ceremonies, this figure requires clarity. Fees charged vary.
There are some celebrants who have high earnings due to leading many funeral ceremonies each week, there are wedding celebrants who have higher fees than others and specialising celebrants who take a longer time to create ceremonies due to the required content or rituals involved. As celebrants are self-employed, all earn different amounts.
We are all individuals who have individual commitments and circumstances. One of the most important facts about celebrants is we aren’t all the same and our roles are similar, but different.
If you would like further information or more facts about celebrants, or you are interested in chatting about celebrant training, please contact us.
