This is absolutely untrue. Currently in the UK there is no ‘official’ certificate, diploma or exam that you must study (often over many months) and pass in order to work as a Professional Celebrant. Be aware of any organisation ‘selling’ you this qualification that they attest ‘might’ be necessary to work as a Celebrant in the future. Every Celebrant training organisation is responsible for setting its own standards, accreditation, and Code of Conduct which trainees and members must adhere to. Here at the Celebrant Circle we set the bar high for our students to achieve accreditation and on completion of the course you will automatically become a member of the Inner Circle. What you will definitely need is insurance to work at a variety of venues around the country and as an accredited training provider, your first year’s insurance is complimentary on condition of you completing our training.

If you’re seriously thinking of training to be a Professional Celebrant then there are some very important questions you should be asking. These could range from how experienced in Celebrancy their training team are, all the way to the support offered post-training. Here are a few questions we think are very important: How many Celebrants have you trained and how successful have they been in getting work? What is your mentoring and follow-up policy? Do you offer one-to-one support after training? Are your students offered Celebrant insurance as part of their training package? Do students get the experience of visiting a crematorium or meeting a Funeral Director? Do you train across all ‘Four Pillars’ of Celebrancy? What CPD do you offer students after they graduate? What is your student to trainer ratio for courses? Do you offer shadowing opportunities for graduate students? How many students remain with you as paying members after their first year?

A Registrar is employed by a local authority and are responsible for registering births, deaths and legal marriages. By law, a ceremony conducted by a registrar must take place in a register office or licensed premises. There are to be no bespoke vows as registrars are not permitted to deviate from the official script. No ‘live’ music is allowed and religious or spiritual content and references are prohibited. Celebrants are not employed by any authority (most are self-employed) and the ceremonies they officiate are not legally binding. However, the joy of working with an independent celebrant means couples have free reign do design and deliver completely bespoke ceremonies, at an unlimited variety of locations, and at any time of day or night that couple may wish. Celebrants can help couples to write bespoke vows and offer a mixture of cultural or religious content or symbolism to enhance the ceremony - making it truly meaningful to the couples and their families. Most couples who engage a Celebrant arrange to have a small, legal ceremony in a register office and have their wedding celebration written and officiated at the place and time of their choosing by a Professional Celebrant.

The beauty of being a Celebrant is the infinite variety of venues and locations where we can work. Be it on a hillside in Scotland, the beautiful coastline of Cornwall, or an ancient Cotswold barn. Professional Celebrants deliver ceremonies in some of the most beautiful – and unusual – locations in the country and beyond.

Yes, you most definitely can. Many Celebrants work on a part-time basis or run their Celebrant work alongside another job or business. It can be a very flexible option if you are someone who doesn’t mind working irregular hours and a mixture of weekdays and/or weekends.

In our opinion you should seriously consider training to deliver both weddings and funerals. (And everything in between!) With certain areas of celebrant work being somewhat seasonal (the majority of weddings tend to take place in the summer months) training across all areas will maximise the earning potential for your new business and equip you to work with a wider variety of clients. We’ve had many students sign up for our course with the idea of working solely in the wedding market, only to discover the joy and fulfilment in supporting families as they say goodbye to a loved-one or celebrate the arrival of a new baby. If you’re still unsure, book a discovery call with us and we can talk through the options with you..

Family celebrancy – as opposed to funeral celebrancy - is a ‘catch all’ title that covers your ability to write and deliver a wide variety of ceremonies and rituals. Weddings, vow renewal ceremonies, baby-naming celebrations, adoption ceremonies, and coming-of-age ceremonies are just a few of the myriad ceremonies that Professional Celebrants are called upon to design and deliver for clients. No two days are ever the same! During our training, we give you ample opportunity to flex your creative skills, designing and writing very unique and special ceremonies and rituals

Not necessarily – but it helps! Social media is a fantastic marketing tool for your Celebrant business and one that you can be utilised as much (or as little) as it suits you. During your training we will introduce you to a variety of marketing strategies – social media being one of them – as one size does not fit all businesses. We encourage our students to engage and leanr with us the many options for marketing your business. However if you really do have an allergy to social media, that’s not a problem! We will encourage and help you with alternative methods of advertising and marketing.

An independent Celebrant cannot officiate or authorise legal marriage ceremonies. This is undertaken by the Registration Service (and certain religious institutions) in the region or county throughout the UK. In order to legally marry, couples must register with their local office and fill out the necessary paperwork. Marriage ceremonies can differ in price and content, depending on the time of day, the number of people you wish to be present, and if you wish to have the ceremony enhanced in any way. (Perhaps a short reading or pre-recorded music) There can be no religious or spiritual content included in the ceremony and the premises for legal marriages must be registered and sanctioned around strict rules. Most couples who choose to have their wedding written and officiated by an independent Celebrant will book a short legal ceremony at their local Register Office - which then frees them up to work with their chosen Celebrant to create a completely bespoke and unique wedding ceremony at a time and place of their choosing.