How to Choose the Right Celebrant

Main image by Sophie Lavender Photos, Celebrant Katy Baggott

Celebrancy has become an appealing job to many, and currently there aren’t any qualifications required to start working as a wedding or funeral celebrant.

As a celebrant training and celebrant support company, this is a concern to us as there is so much more to being a celebrant than speaking in public.

Why do You Require a Celebrant?

Celebrants create then narrate in public many ceremonies. The most associated ceremonies are weddings, renewal of vows, funerals, and baby naming, but we create many other ceremonies too.

Whenever there is a new beginning, an ending or a celebration, there can be a call for ceremony. Our Choice Celebrant Community Celebrants are ceremonialists. All have been trained how to design, construct, and deliver ceremonies.

What Kind of Ceremony is it for?

Whatever kind of ceremony you require a celebrant for, it is worth contacting them first to enquire if they create this kind of ceremony.

Do you require a local celebrant or one who travels to a different area?

Do you require anything religious, spiritual or a representation of lifestyle?

If your ceremony has a dress code or theme, is it important to you your celebrant will join in or fits your aesthetic?

Finding Your Celebrant

When you require the services of a celebrant, an online search, social media search, wedding fair or event, asking others who have used a particular celebrant and seeing an advert are the usual ways to find a celebrant.

Not all Celebrants Can Create Your Ceremony

Wedding and funeral celebrants have a personal style, specialise in certain ceremonies, and are knowledgeable about specific information and practices. This is important to know when searching for your celebrant.

If you require a celebrant for your wedding, you are asking a stranger to create and deliver the most important ceremony of your relationship; you must be confident they can do this.

If you require a celebrant for a funeral, those saying goodbye to the person who has died must be confident this is done in a unique way as no two people are the same so no two funerals should be either.

If you require a specific theme or spiritual ceremony, ask prospective celebrants for their knowledge of what you require.

If you need a bi-lingual celebrant, one who signs, or one who has who is a member of a community of people, you can contact other celebrants who should be able to direct you to a celebrant who fits your needs and requirements.

Ask for a Meeting

The finished product: your ceremony, is unique to you (it should always be, never copied and pasted from a previous or an online ceremony).  You can’t see what it will look like nor sound like until it is finished.

Cake and what you are serving to guests can be tasted, music can be heard, cars, some dresses, jewellery, flowers, decor, and accessories can be seen.

A good celebrant has yet to create your ceremony, but they should be knowledgeable and confident to meet whatever requirements you have. Asking to meet with a celebrant on a video call or in person is important to make sure they are right for you.

Celebrants and Social Media

Either before or after a meeting with a prospective celebrant, check out their social media and websites (if this isn’t how you found them). Look at their feeds and posts. Does this content match what you are looking for? Have they posted about any wedding fairs or events they are attending where you could attend and speak to them in person.

If you require a certain kind of celebrant from what you see on their socials, are they what you are looking for? This can be very useful to check them out on social media.

The all Important Matter of Price

With the cost of living high, price can be a deciding issue when searching for your celebrant. If you must adhere to a strict budget, it is important to ask about fees, and what you will receive for this fee.

It is worth knowing why a celebrant charges what they charge, and why are some charging more than others. A tailor made ceremony can take around 20 hours to design and create as there is a lot of research, writing and information gathering to be completed.

Sometimes a cheaper price can be reflective of the limited amounts of hours spent in the creation of each ceremony. Those of us who understand and demonstrate the importance of ceremony will spend a lengthy amount of time writing each individual ceremony.

Copy and pasted or templated name change ceremonies aren’t acceptable for genuine celebrants. At Choice Celebrant Training we say: ‘you only say ‘I do’ to each other once, and ‘there is only one chance to say goodbye’. These thoughts are important to us and that is why ceremony construction takes the amount of time it takes.

True and unconditional love takes time, and ceremonies which portray this also take time.

Good celebrants create every ceremony from the information they gather when speaking to their clients and receiving answers to questions they ask their clients. They will also make suggestions if asked to and include specifically created unity ceremonies rather than expect you to choose from a list of the same few other celebrants offer.

The Right Celebrant Will Make Your Day Unique

A celebrant works for you, not the other way round. ‘My bride and groom’ isn’t how you should be addressed or referred too. They are your celebrant, and it is an honour and a privilege to be chosen as the right celebrant for people.

Your celebrant should guide you and help you include everyone you would like to include. They will converse with your venue, photographer and videographer enabling all to make your day unique, special, and memorable. Some celebrants are also wedding planners, some will offer Toast Master/Mistress duties too. You may want a celebrant who acts in all these roles, or one who concentrates purely on the ceremony.

Whatever reason you require the services of a celebrant, the celebrant must be right for you as it is all about you not the celebrant. You may be lucky and find the right celebrant straightaway, or it could take time. There are many celebrants, the choice is yours.