Celebrancy: Frequently asked questions

A celebrant is a person who plans, oversees and guides ceremonies, whether they be weddings, funerals etc.  A celebrant is not linked to any religious institution and cannot currently legally marry anybody, but is in charge of writing and delivering the ceremony itself.

A celebrant does not need any formal qualifications but it does help enormously to take part in celebrant training. Celebrant training in the UK, such as that offered by ICPC, equips you with the tools and knowledge to be a celebrant and maintain a successful celebrancy business into the future.

You can find out more about 

Different training organizations charge different amounts.

At ICPC we charge £2725 for residential training and £2098 for online training. We offer monthly instalment payment plans. Some other training academies are cheaper, but they also tend to only cover certain areas of celebrancy, whereas we offer a much more comprehensive combined course.

The price is inclusive of accommodation, food, training, resources, 12 months ICPC membership, 12 month public liability and professional indemnity insurance and the NOCN Level 3 Certificate. It’s important you think carefully about which path will be best for you.

Training with ICPC takes 5 days. You arrive at High Trenhouse on a Sunday evening and get settled into your room and meet the other trainees. You then begin training at 9am Monday morning. Training completes at 3.30pm on Friday.  At the end of the 5 days you will receive a Training Certificate, your ICPC badge, Membership and insurance to start work. Other training courses may be shorter.

The amount of time and effort you put into your celebrancy business will help to determine how much money you make. Some people work part time, others full time.

When conducting a wedding you can expect to charge a minimum of £650. The number of weddings you then book and complete within a year will tell you your annual salary. So, 2 weddings a month would give you an annual income of £15,600 if you charge the minimum.

The average funeral is charged at £220 and you can choose how many you would like to do per week.

You can find out more about how much wedding celebrants earn on our blog.

The ICPC training takes place at High Trenhouse in Settle, Yorkshire. You can see more about High Trenhouse here. You will get your own bedroom with an ensuite bathroom. You will also be given three meals per day including a three course dinner. You gain access to a sauna and the expansive grounds, as well as two bars.

No.  A celebrant cannot officially marry a couple, whereas a registrar can. A celebrant is there to conduct and guide the ceremony only. The registrar has fixed words that they must say by law and a fixed time limit. The civil celebrant can help you write and deliver the ceremony and your personalised vows and has no time restrictions.

A celebrant can perform any ceremony. Some of these include weddings, renewal of vows, baby naming ceremonies and funerals. More modern rites of passage include adoption ceremonies, gender affirmation ceremonies and even divorce ceremonies.

We explore this subject more here on our blog...

Yes. There are many institutions that offer online training in Celebrancy. ICPC recommends you attend the in-person training but understands that this is not always possible. We have adapted our in-person programme into an online course, complete with group work and eulogy assessment. You can find out more about our online course here.

Once you have secured your place on the ICPC training course, you will need to make your way to High Trenhouse in Settle (if you are attending in person). You will get your own room and full board catering, as well as access to a sauna, a bar and expansive beautiful grounds. The training itself is delivered in a comfortable training room via a projector and live talks and interactive tasks. You will be given refreshments throughout the day. You will be given a workbook, a notepad and pen and all the relevant course materials. As part of your training course you’ll get one year's ICPC membership with Professional Indemnity and Public Liability insurance included.

Yes, many people choose to work as a celebrant part time around other commitments. Many people have full time jobs and then book ceremonies for the weekend.

While technically anyone can become a celebrant, not everybody should. We like to encourage people with certain personality traits and experiences to come forward for ICPC training. We don’t like seeing anyone waste money so if we think celebrancy isn’t for you, we will tell you. You can take our quiz to find out if celebrancy is for you.

Booking a funeral is normally done through a funeral director, so you will need to build good relationships with funeral directors to secure these bookings.

Booking a wedding is entirely up to you to do. You’ll need to market yourself appropriately and work hard to build your reputation.We train you with building your business on the course. We also have an add on course - Digital Marketing For Celebrants - that you can book onto for help.

Anyone can become a celebrant no matter what stage of life you are in. Many celebrants are more mature in years and often this life experience is extremely valuable. As long as you are willing to learn and work hard, your age is no factor.

ICPC training is comprehensive and covers both weddings and funerals, whereas other courses tend to focus on one or the other. We find that many of our trainees start the course with a fixed idea of becoming either a wedding celebrant or a funeral celebrant, but then find themselves switching later in the course.

Therefore we think it’s beneficial to learn both types of celebrancy to keep your options open and let you explore various areas. ICPC training is also hosted in beautiful, welcoming surroundings. Some other courses have their training in basic hotels and offer bare minimum resources whereas ICPC gives you a truly bespoke, comfortable and wholesome experience.

Included in the cost of the course is one year's ICPC membership with Professional Indemnity and Public Liability insurance included.

When you train with ICPC you will be in a group of around 15. You will get to know each other and are bound to form friendships and colleagues for life. You will also have 2-3 trainers there with you, and the staff of High Trenhouse including chefs, housekeepers and administrators.

The ICPC training is a group activity, and this an important feature of the training as it means you can practise public speaking and learn from those around you. If you want some 1:1 support, we do offer mentorship.

Yes!

On completion of the training course you will receive your training certificate and ICPC badge. After you have finished your week’s training you have 12 months to complete your NOCN Certificate in Civil Celebrancy. When this is completed you will also receive your NOCN Certificate. You do not need this part to work but it is advantageous to your own learning and possibly be a big help when the Law commission allows celebrants to carry out legal ceremonies.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer government funded spaces. Some other institutions do, and if this is something you require, we recommend you look for an organisation that can provide this. We do not want to create financial hardship for anybody, so recommend you are in a good financial position to pay for this course and invest in starting a new business.

We have rooms that are accessible to those with disabilities. Please make a direct inquiry to discuss your needs.

Anyone can become a celebrant. We welcome delegates from all walks of life and from various backgrounds. We do like our trainees to possess certain traits and interests, which you can learn more about by taking our quiz.

A lot of our delegates come from care or teaching backgrounds, which we believe allows them to transfer many skills, but this is not a prerequisite. As long as you have the right attitude, we can help.

We have various trainers at ICPC, all of whom are fully trained celebrants. This makes us different to some other training academies, where the trainers are not experienced celebrants. You can meet our team here...

You arrive at High Trenhouse on a Sunday evening and get settled into your room. You will be fed a 3 course dinner and get to know the other delegates and the trainers. If you want, you can make use of the sauna or bar.

Or, you can have a hot shower, cozy up in a bath robe and get to know your ICPC course materials in your room. Whatever you choose to do!

On Monday morning at 9am, you begin your training. You are given 2 refreshment breaks and a lunch break (all food provided) throughout the day.

Your course is structured to begin with funerals and move onto weddings towards the second half of the week. It also covers marketing, finding clients and managing your emotional health. You will be given a partner to work with, and will be asked to write eulogies about someone else’s life, which will be delivered to the group on Friday.

If you have booked for a course and then find you cannot make that date, then you will be offered another date to suit you. If you have ill health and need to cancel we will offer a refund minus an admin fee. If you have attended the course and decide that celebrancy isn’t for you then there can be no refund.

ICPC has a range of add-on courses available. By clicking on Celebrant Development, you can see the latest workshops and courses. These can change, so keep an eye out for new ones being added. Some of the core add-ons include 1:1 business mentorship with Maxine, and a Digital Marketing course.

You will need to bring a bag for 5 nights away from home. Some items are included in your room, including soaps, shower gel and shampoo, as well as a bathrobe. We provide hair dryers. You should bring your own laptop to use in the training room. Wifi is free and available throughout the premises. Please be aware that phone signal is poor in the area, so we encourage using the wifi for wifi-enabled calling on your smart device. You do not need to bring your own food and drink as this is provided. 

Some outdoor clothing is also advised - if the weather is favourable, we make use of the grounds at High Trenhouse and we encourage you take time to explore the beautiful surroundings.

In some circumstances we are able to accommodate pets. However, we are surrounded by farmland which includes sheep and cows, so we ask that any pets are kept closeby on a lead. Please talk to us directly if you want to bring a pet. The pet will not be allowed in the training room and will not be looked after by any staff, so will need to be comfortable and safe in your room. Needless to say, any mess created by a pet must be the responsibility of the owner to clear up.

Residential training courses run most months. We update our dates regularly and they can be found here. You can book onto any course in the future.

To book onto a training course with ICPC, click here, enter your details and chose your training date and make your payment. If you want to pay in instalments, click here. 

Your ICPC training certificates may be used when contacting Funeral Directors to show that you are professionally trained. It is important for them to know that you understand the structure and protocols of a funeral.

Your certificate can also be shown to a couple who may need to be reassured. If not needed - proudly frame and display it in your workspace.