PROFESSIONAL CELEBRANT TRAINING
THE GOLD STANDARD
The Celebrant Circle Ltd is a fully accredited member of the CPD Certification Service
Membership No. 019246
Apply now and fast track your Professional Celebrant career in 2024/5
The Celebrant Circle is delighted to introduce our 5-Day Professional Celebrant Training course.
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Whether residential or daily attendance, this fully immersive training is for new entrants to the profession who wish to work across all areas of modern Celebrancy. The course syllabus teaches the Four Pillars of Professional Celebrancy: Weddings, Funerals, Baby-naming, and Vow Renewal Ceremonies. Additionally, you will learn to design and deliver a variety of memorial and bespoke celebratory ceremonies to further enhance your Celebrant portfolio, including adoption ceremonies, trans-identity celebrations, and coming-of-age ceremonies.
Our training days are jam-packed with content, and you’ll work individually and in groups, to design, create and deliver a variety of beautiful and original ceremonies. All training materials are provided on the course and our expertise in marketing, social media, and business planning will equip you to launch your business as soon as you complete the training. Our one-to-one follow-up sessions will support you in those vital first months while you launch your Celebrant Business.
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This course is the Gold Standard in Celebrant Training and has a proven record of success. It is delivered by highly experienced Professional Celebrants who are currently working in the U.K. and Europe. Be prepared for a week of hard work which - at times - can be fairly intense. There’s a LOT to learn but we guarantee you’ll meet some wonderful people, make new friends, and have a LOT of fun along the way!
Your Trainers
Jacqueline Cale
Jacqueline is a highly experienced Celebrant and trainer. As an NOCN tutor and assessor, she has trained and mentored over 200 students - helping them to launch their own successful celebrant careers. Dividing her time between the UK and France, Jacqueline's successful business sees her conducting weddings and funerals in both countries. An award-winning writer with a 1st Class Honours degree in English and a Diploma in Creative Writing, Jacqueline brings to her teaching a passion for the written and spoken word!
Jacqueline x
Shelley
Jackson-Woodall
Shelley is an independent wedding and funeral Celebrant, running her successful business across the Midlands area. She has previously worked in education and the charity sectors and is a highly-experienced Celebrant trainer and mentor, having trained over one hundred fledgling Celebrants. Shelley supports the wider Celebrant community by organising regular meet-ups and networking sessions and is actively involved with small business support. Shelley's specialist knowledge of social media and marketing, coupled with a keen interest in Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity issues, brings a wealth and depth of learning to the Celebrant Circle classroom and beyond.
Shelley x
About us
The Celebrant Circle was founded in 2021 by Jacqueline Cale and Nikki Kulin who, between them, have trained and mentored over 200 professional Celebrants. The Circle offers the highest standards in Professional Celebrant Training, with ongoing one-to-one mentorship and support once training is complete.
Automatic membership of our Inner Circle community begins immediately after graduation. Students will be welcomed into a knowledgeable, caring, and fun tribe of experienced celebrants ready to offer advice and support. All of our students and members gain access to the weekly Celebrant Surgery, exclusive ceremonial resources, CPD opportunities, members’ discounts and much, much more. Our combination of in-depth training, supportive community and fantastic resources will get your Celebrant business up and running right from the start.
Requirements
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and walks of life who wish to enter this wonderful profession.
We suggest that in order to fully engage with our training, a good standard of written and spoken English is necessary. Access to a smartphone and a laptop will be required for certain lessons. A basic knowledge of social media will be beneficial to get the most from our business marketing and promotion sessions.
However, we do accept every application on an individual basis and if you are at all worried about any of the requirements, please get in touch with us to discuss your concerns. We offer access to a pre-course preparation workshop and are more than happy to help.
We will contact you within three days of receiving your application to arrange an in-person or Zoom meeting with Jaqueline or Shelley from the teaching faculty. You’ll then have the opportunity to discuss the reality of life as a Professional Wedding & Funeral Celebrant, the course requirements, and any additional training needs you may require.
We look forward to meeting you!
What's Included
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Five days* of classroom-based teaching (including lunch and refreshments)
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Four nights accommodation plus all meals, tea, coffee & snacks
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Pre-course worksheets
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Follow-up 1-2-1 support and mentoring
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One-year membership of the Inner Circle which includes access to the Celebrant Circle’s planning and resource library
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Ongoing mentoring and support
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Fully-immersive learning with industry professionals
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Weekly ‘Celebrant Surgery’ sessions with tutors and colleagues
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Access to the Inner Circle Facebook ‘members only’ group
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Community WhatsApp group
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CPD and further learning and development opportunities
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Invitation to join the Celebrant Circle’s country-wide meetups
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First year Celebrant Insurance with Balens
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Post-course consolidation with set assignment
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On completing the 5-day training, students will be awarded the Certificate of Attendance and full membership of the Celebrant Circle.
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​* The course is taught over six days: five days residential plus 1 additional online teaching session to obtain full accreditation, see below.
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* If you require accommodation on Sunday evening prior to the start of the course, we have negotiated a special rate with the hotel. Please indicate on the booking form if would like to take up this offer.
Note: This is a residential course. Students have the option of choosing not to stay at the training venue - please ask for details.
Questions? Call us 0333 577 8700
A Typical Day
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Meet for breakfast or, for non-residential courses, at 0845 for catch-up coffee and buns (obligatory!)
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We begin our training days with reflection and consolidation of the previous day’s learning, picking up and expanding on any gaps and enhancing understanding. We outline the timetable for the day and set to work on the day's learning.
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All sessions are live and fully interactive, with two trainers present in the room at all times. All of your training materials are provided. We utilise an array of teaching and learning methodologies - from good old-fashioned chalk-and-talk to interactive computer-based learning. We firmly believe that ‘to do is to learn’ and we’ll get you on your feet and actively involved, every step of the way!
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Coffee and snacks are available mid-morning and mid-afternoon, with a delicious lunch included on your course. Breakfast and dinner are also provided on our residential courses.
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Afternoon sessions may involve ceremony creation, service planning and writing, public speaking, or role plays for you to practice how to work with families or wedding clients. We look at the choreography of ceremonies, media and music systems, and consider how you will market yourself as a Professional Wedding, Family, and Funeral Celebrant. We will look at designing unique ceremonies incorporating spiritual or esoteric content.
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At the end of each day, we reflect on our learning, and you are assigned an evening task to complete and submit prior to arriving the following morning. (Nothing too arduous - we recognise you’ll have worked extremely hard during the day).
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Whether the course is fully residential or non-residential, we offer you the opportunity to meet up and socialise with your cohort and trainers in the evening. This is a great way to wind down, relax and ask all of those questions that cropped up after the training day was complete!
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All accommodation and meals are included on our residential courses.
p.s. We recommend that you clear your diary for the evenings during the five days you’re with us. It’s a pretty full-on week and you WILL be tired!
Syllabus
Day One
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Introduction to Celebrancy
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A ‘deep-dive’ into the history and evolving role of the Professional Funeral Celebrant
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The ‘Ceremony Circle’
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Family Meetings & interview techniques
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Service planning, design, and delivery
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Health and safety for Professional Celebrants
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Introduction to branding & marketing
Day Two
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Crematorium visit
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Embracing diversity and equality
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Marketing my Celebrant business
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Media and Music systems at crematoria
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Creative writing for funerals
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Web design, content and social media marketing (part 1)
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Public speaking
Day Three
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Introduction to Weddings
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Interview techniques and practice
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Ceremony checklist
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Working with wedding industry professionals
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Business planning for sole traders
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Creating your unique brand
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Social Media & Wedding Marketing (part 2)
Day Four
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Baby Naming Ceremonies
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Creative writing for wedding ceremonies
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Wedding ceremony checklist
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Music and Readings for weddings
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Rituals, enhancements, and bespoke ceremonies
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Venue visit and ceremony set up
Day Five
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Funeral Service practical exercise
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Bespoke ceremonies and unique rituals
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Vow Renewal Ceremonies
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Wedding Ceremony practical exercise
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Blessing Ceremonies, Micro-Weddings & Elopements
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Terms & Conditions, GDPR, Client Contracts
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Course consolidation
Full Accreditation
Requirements
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1-2-1 Compulsory mentoring session
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Post-Course Ceremony Creation
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90 minutes ‘Obitus Academy’ Training
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2 1/2 hours online classroom teaching session
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By completing the full accreditation above, students will be awarded the Certificate of Accreditation and their Celebrant name badge.
Ongoing Learning
AND SUPPORT
Follow-up assignments
You will be required to write and submit a follow-up assignment for feedback and troubleshooting. This is a stand-alone piece of work and will form part of your one-to-one mentoring sessions.
One-to-one Mentoring
Once you've graduated from the course, you are entitled to 2 x 1 hour mentoring sessions with your trainers. These sessions must be booked within three months of completing your training and can focus on any aspect of your training, marketing, or celebrant journey.
On completion of your course, you will gain automatic access to the ‘Inner Circle’ where you can connect with other Professional Celebrants and benefit from all of the fantastic opportunities and perks available to our members.
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We look forward to opening up ‘The Circle’ for you to come in and join us.
Welcome to our World
