How do customers choose celebrants?

We all love writing and delivering ceremonies, but first of all we need bookings. When working as a celebrant, a key priority is attracting new customers and booking in our ceremonies. To do this well and consistently, you need to know who you are looking to reach and what they are looking for in Celebrants when making their selection. This way you can tailor your business approach to ensure you are meeting those customer expectations. Here are a few aspects to consider:

Experience and Expertise: 

Customers often seek celebrants with a proven track record and expertise in writing and delivering ceremonies, ensuring a seamless and well-managed event. Getting some experience under your belt will help reassure customers that you know what you are doing. If you are only just starting out, this doesn’t need to be previous paid work - it could be ceremonies you have offered to write and deliver for friends and family. Try to get as much experience as you can, especially if you are new to the profession. Beyond that, try to gain expertise in niche areas so that you also feel confident in less common ceremonies. If you have not yet completed any formal celebrancy training, this is also an invaluable asset to have. View our training page for more information. 

Personalisation

A potential customer will look for a celebrant who can tailor the ceremony to reflect their unique personalities, values, and preferences, creating a more meaningful and memorable experience. Ensure that your listening skills are advanced and active, so that you can truly understand what your customers are asking for, and refrain from making assumptions. Summarising what you have heard to check reliability is a good step in the right direction for this.

Communication Skills

Effective communication is crucial. A celebrant who can articulate the ceremony eloquently, engage the audience, and clearly convey the ‘love story’ or ‘life story’ is likely to be highly valued. Communication is also important before and after the ceremony. Your listening, reflecting and writing skills should be shown to customers from the very first point of contact. Ensure you respond to emails in a timely manner, acknowledge and respond to online reviews, keep your social media up to date and make / return phone calls when promised. 

Inclusivity and Openness

Customers appreciate celebrants who can adapt to different styles, themes, and cultural aspects, accommodating the diverse needs of couples and creating a ceremony that feels inclusive. You can read more about cultural fusion ceremonies here, or join our CPD to learn even more skills and ceremonial styles.  

Reviews and Recommendations

Positive reviews and recommendations from previous clients can significantly influence a customer’s decision. Testimonials provide insights into the celebrant’s professionalism, reliability, and overall performance. Always respond to reviews positively, and show that you are active and available for bookings. 

You can also attend trade shows, meet other celebrants and wedding/funeral professionals and network with allied professionals.

We always like to help our celebrants enhance and develop their business. If you are not yet an ICPC member, you can join our membership here and benefit from a range of services including access to CPD and business support sessions. We have two membership offerings to choose from, and you don’t have to have trained with us to join. Click here to learn more.