Specialised wedding and funeral celebrant training is celebrant training focusing on a specific style, belief, theme, genre, lifestyle or subculture. Choice Celebrant Training are the founders of individualised and specialised wedding and funeral celebrant training, and of alternative celebrant training. Does learning from the same course materials in a group setting online or in person teach the information required to release the potential of a celebrant who wants to specialise in a specific style of ceremonies?
Traditional Weddings and Funerals
Gone are the days when what we perceive as traditional wedding and funerals were the only ceremony options. What makes a wedding traditional is following customs and suggestions laid out by the church and families, passed down from generation to generation. Traditional funerals are mainly religion based with prayers, hymns and mourners.
Traditional weddings and funerals aren’t inclusive to every set of people or families. Traditional is Christian, and no longer is Britain just a Christian society. To state a wedding or a funeral is traditional is incorrect as what is traditional to Christians isn’t traditional to other religions or those without any religious beliefs. Traditional is outdated, non-inclusive and non-applicable to many people outside of Christianity. Using the term ‘traditional Christian wedding or funeral’ categorises the tradition and customs for that certain ceremony only.
A Hindu wedding or a Jewish funeral are religious and traditional ceremonies, yet they aren’t what springs to mind when the term ‘traditional wedding’ or ‘traditional funeral’ are referred to.
Funeral ceremonies led by funeral celebrants are now the most requested type of funeral over religious funerals. We prefer to use the term ‘Celebration of Life’ as we celebrate the life lived as we say goodbye to a person. Celebrants can and will include religion or spiritual beliefs if requested.
Wedding celebrants will also include religion or spiritual beliefs if mentioned, and this is where specialised wedding and funeral celebrant training is useful. Wedding celebrants are trained to offer unity ceremonies within their ceremonies, of which most started out as religious rituals.
- Handfasting is a Pagan marriage ritual
- Jumping a broom is Pagan
- Signing a wedding certificate is Jewish
- Breaking a glass is Jewish
- Exchanging wedding rings is Jewish
- Sharing food or drinks is in many religious wedding ceremonies
- Candle lighting has its roots in Paganism
Researching the above and other unity ceremonies will result in differing origins as many copy what others have stated rather than research further into origins. All these unity ceremonies are used in celebrant created ceremonies with many celebrants unaware or unconcerned where they came from or why they are doing them except they believe they are nice. Should religious and cultural appropriation be a consideration?
Specialised Wedding and Funeral Celebrant Training
Specialised wedding and funeral celebrant training directs trainee celebrants and informs trainee celebrants of the importance and understanding of every word said and its relevance or purpose to each ceremony. Unity ceremonies shouldn’t be offered because they are ‘nice’ or through habitual selling by a celebrant as they were trained to do, unity ceremonies must have a purpose and be respectful to religious and cultural appropriation.
There are many celebrants (including the writer of this blog) who are specialist celebrants, meaning we specialise in certain styles of ceremonies. ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ is a phrase referring to the ability to state many things are on offer, but the result may not be demonstrative of the statement. A reference to a person who has dabbled in many areas without any expertise in one. Pagan weddings and lifestyle weddings are two of the many ceremony requests celebrants claim to offer without much knowledge or understanding outside of their uniformed training.
Pagan Wedding and Funeral Celebrant Training
Many celebrants now offer Pagan weddings. Social media is plentiful with the hash tag of Pagan weddings, but what makes it a Pagan wedding? Is it because of a handfasting or a broom jumping? Perhaps a poem/reading/blessing or mention of Paganism? These small inclusions do not make a ceremony Pagan any more than a white wedding dress makes a wedding a Christian wedding. What makes a wedding, or a funeral ceremony Pagan is the entire content carried out respectfully and with expertise and knowledge of the celebrant leading it.
Religious appropriation is important as is cultural appropriation. Would a celebrant with little knowledge offer their services to create and lead a Buddhist wedding or a Muslim funeral, (hopefully not), so why offer a Pagan wedding or funeral? Potentially because it is on trend, or the celebrant wants to appeal to Pagan clients. You do not need to be a Pagan to offer Pagan weddings and funerals, but you do need to know what you are doing as Paganism is a vast and varied religion, spiritual belief and a way of life.

Alternative Celebrant Training
Alternative celebrant training is specialised wedding and funeral celebrant training and if you are interested in becoming an alternative celebrant you should extensively research any prospective celebrant training companies who state they offer this training. Choice Celebrant Training is currently the only celebrant training company or organisation to offer authentic and knowledgeable alternative celebrant training. Founded by the original alternative celebrant Ellie Farrell who has over 10 year’s experience in the creation of many different lifestyle and themed ceremony styles.
Our alternative celebrant and specialised wedding and funeral celebrant training individualised to each trainee celebrant’s requirements. We are skilled to do this and have the expertise from being alternative celebrants and specialised celebrants.
Choice Celebrant Training, Alternative and Specialised Celebrant Training
We understand and demonstrate diversity. Choice Celebrant Training is a team of skilled and current wedding and funeral celebrants who are creative and alternative celebrants. Some of us are members of the LGBTQ+ community, one is a practising Pagan, one has a respectful knowledge of Paganism, one is theatrically creative, one has extensive personal knowledge of lifestyle ceremonies, one is also a funeral director, all demonstrate diversity, all are in demand professional celebrants, and all are Celebrant Trainers. Between us we have created over 4,000 wedding and funeral ceremonies, all individualised.
Your Personalised Celebrant Training
Research all celebrant training companies who appeal to you. Prices vary and the cheapest isn’t the best. If you want to be an alternative or a specialist celebrant, traditional or modern celebrant training offered by the majority will give you the basics, leaving you to seek further guidance and information which could incur additional financial and time costs. Knowing you have a choice and specialised wedding and funeral celebrant training exists, will save you money and time which you can spend on your business instead of having to spend it on additional training.
Are we the right celebrant training company for you? Why not give us a call (unlike others we will endeavour to answer the phone to you if we aren’t teaching or leading ceremonies. If we can’t, we will call you at the first opportunity), to see if we can help you to start your individual celebrant training.
You are the future of the celebrant industry; do you want to offer traditional ceremonies of the past or individualised ceremonies of the present and future? Your personal celebrant journey starts with your personalised celebrant training.