Your Checklist For Starting A Career in Celebrancy

A career change is a frightening and exciting proposition and one that requires thought, planning and consideration. Many people decide that after spending decades in the same career, they want to venture into a new and interesting territory - Some are not ready for retirement and have accrued many transferable skills over the years that they may wish to use in - Civil Celebrancy! 

A Civil Celebrant is someone who writes and delivers ceremonies such as funerals, baby namings and weddings. They are different to a minister or registrar, as they focus just on the clients themselves. Their role is to reflect the values, beliefs and personalities of their clients and ensure that the ceremony contains this, rather than any legal aspects of registering deaths or marriages. The job is exciting, eventful, emotional and full of energy - and we would love to help you skill up to launch your career on the best possible footing. 

So where to begin? A helpful tool to get going as a civil celebrant is a checklist. Here is one we have put together for you. 

Your Civil Celebrancy Startup Checklist

Money For Your Startup

Let’s start with the most obvious and important factor in starting any business - you need some funds. Thankfully, it doesn’t need to be too much - you have very little to pay for in terms of overheads as you don’t require premises or any staff. You will however need money for training, a website and marketing materials. You can learn more about the cost specifics by clicking here. 

The Right Training

There are many civil celebrancy training providers out there, all with their own approach. And actually, you don’t technically need training to do the job - but it helps immeasurably. In fact, we can almost guarantee that without training, you’ll sink in the market almost instantly. At The International College of Professional Celebrants we offer comprehensive training with a number of Diplomas and Certificates, to suit all prospective celebrants. 

Appropriate Clothing / Attire 

It’s not at the top of the list, but it helps to look the part even if you aren’t yet up and running. Most celebrants have a few signature outfits they wear for weddings and funerals, which can be customised with certain accessories to match the theme of the event. We have a great blog post on what to buy for your celebrancy wardrobe here. 

A Laptop / Computer / Tablet

Aside from having a phone, which is a given, you will need some sort of tech to help you book appointments, maintain your website, do research, keep your social media up to date, email clients and write your eulogies / ceremony scripts. If you have insufficient tech or no internet connection you will find it very hard to work as a celebrant. So, time for an upgrade!

Connections

Celebrancy needn’t be lonely. You can find other celebrants to learn from and gain support from before you even set out. You can join a Facebook Group just for celebrants and prospective celebrants, and learn more about the trade from those already doing it. To join the Celebrant Training Facebook group click here.  If you become a member with ICPC, you can also stay in touch with other celebrants, attend Celebrant Connect meetings and be part of a family. 

Would you like to learn more? Take our quiz and determine if celebrancy is the right career path for you.