The moment I decided I wanted to be a celebrant is imprinted on my memory - it was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the BBC news before heading off to another day at school. I read an article about someone who, after a career in teaching, had swapped the classroom for celebrancy and was loving it. I was intrigued and set out to find out more and the more I found out, the more convinced I became that this was the right calling for me.
I started teaching aged just 23 and thoroughly enjoyed the years spent encouraging youngsters to think about all things deep and meaningful. Until my last day in a classroom (July '24) I genuinely relished the moment when a student saw an alternative point of view or mastered a tricky philosophical concept. After twenty years of teaching, I added the challenge of leadership, becoming Deputy Head in a small Independent School. I tried to be governed by integrity and humility although whether I succeeded is for others to judge. This job provided me with twelve magnificent years of challenge including the extraordinary demands of the Covid years, lots of fun, plenty of reward and a huge sense of achievement. However, the demands were significant and I reached the point when I wanted a different rhythm to life. This was when I read that fateful BBC article and began my journey to become a celebrant.
What qualities do I feel I have to make me a good celebrant? I would say I am a people person; I passionately enjoy meeting people, am fascinated by their stories and seek to be open to each and every new person I come across. I consider myself empathetic and have sought to be a support for others in times of difficulty. This involves putting aside one’s own ego and doing one’s best to stand alongside another, listening to their needs and putting those above one’s own. This can sometimes be easier said than done! My teaching career had allowed me to develop a range of skills that were to prove invaluable - speaking in front of people, organising events, listening to people and even taking notes at the same time. For more detail, take a look at my website (About me)
I was surprised to find there is no requirement for celebrants to be formally trained. Despite encountering people at times of significant change in people’s lives, times when they are inevitably vulnerable, literally anyone can set themselves up as a celebrant. It was clear to me, however, that I needed to prepare carefully for this role and investigation into training led me to Veronika & Paul Robinson of Heart-led Celebrant Training. Veronika and Paul offer the most comprehensive training I have come across. It starts with a week of 1:1 in person training at their home in Cumbria and is followed by three months of written module work. The modules involve knowledge of ceremonies, creative writing and building connections within your community. I am exceptionally proud of the distinction I received for my portfolio and remain eternally grateful to both Veronika and Paul for the outstanding grounding they have given me.
I have been lucky enough to spend a whole year preparing to launch my celebrant career and am happy to have the first ceremonies successfully under my belt - see my testimonials. As a celebrant I enjoy the privilege of witnessing the most significant of human moments - birth, marriage, death and many in between. It is an opportunity to connect with others in the most fundamental of human ways, be that the joy of love or the heartache of loss and sometimes a mixture of both. Celebrancy grounds me in the human condition and that is what I love about my new role.
Like teaching before it, celebrancy gives me the chance to genuinely connect with people and to make a difference in the lives of others. It is a joy and honour to share in people’s significant life moments - to ensure their union reflects their true selves, to share in the hope and expectation of a new addition to the family or to play a part in supporting someone through the challenge of grief.
I embark on this new career with excitement and am committed to achieving the highest possible standards in my celebrancy work which I aim always to be governed by creativity, integrity and empathy. For more details about my personal ethos see my website (ethos)
By Catrina Young, Leicestershire Heart-led celebrant, Marking Life’s Moments.
© Hardingstone Ceremonies, September 2024
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