Celebrants
A brief description of a celebrant’s roles
What do celebrants do?
You are most likely to have come accross a celebrant while attending a wedding or a funeral. They are the person who officiates at these life events, guiding and performing the ceremony. But a celebrant can conduct many other family celebrations too. Ceremonies such as vow renewals, baby naming ceremonies, interments, and memorial services.
Unlike clergymen or humanists, celebrants are not bound by any religion, statute or doctrine. This means that a celebrant is free to construct bespoke personalised ceremonies for every client. And unlike registrars, who must stick to statutory guidelines meaning that ceremonies cannot contain religious or spiritual connotations, celebrants can preside at services tailored exactly to clients' requirements. Celebrations performed by celebrants may contain religious, spiritual or personal content that match the client's beliefs. And while the celebrant may have his or her own personal beliefs, they will not form part of the celebration.
Celebrant roles
The three distinct functions a celebrant performs
The funeral celebrant
A funeral celebrant will plan and oversee a personalised ceremony based on the life of the deceased.Based on information gathered from the family and friends the celebrant will construct a life-centered service tailored to the needs of the family and the wishes of the deceased. These can include religious or spiritual wording, and even prayers and hymns can be included. But equally the service may be entirely non-religious.
At Crystalline Celebrations we aim for the funeral service to be a 'celebration of life' that honours the person's memory. We place emphasis on how the person lived their life, their personality traits and the memories of the family, friends and mourners, creating ceremonies of substance and meaning.
The wedding celebrant
Weddings officiated by celebrants are completely personalised and based on the choices and requirements of each couple. There are no scripts, no formulae, no templates. Each celebration is tailor-made and as unique as the couple getting married.
Celebrant-led ceremonies may contain readings, music, and singing. They allow the happy couple to pick and choose elements to make their wedding perfect.
A celebrant wedding is not legally binding. Couples wishing to be legally married will need to register their marriage at a registry office and have a "stautory ceremony". This can take place before or after the celebrant-led marriage ceremony, and can be an informal "administrative" affair. If the couple wishes to confirm their commitment to each other without legal ties, it's not a problem. One advantage of this is that a celebrant wedding does not need to take place at a licensed wedding venue. Couples may marry wherever they want.
The family celebrant
As with the wedding celebrant, services are all about the client. Unique and personalised celebrations across the spectrum of family events are written and performed in conjunction with the client's preferences. Celebrations can include: baby naming and child blessing ceremonies; adoption celebrations; engagements; family blending services; and even divorces!
Each family milestone is a time of joy to be shared. Crystalline Celebrations offer complete flexibility for all occasions. Our role is to help you create and choreograph your perfect celebration.
Contact me
Chrissie is an award-winning ex-BBC Radio Bristol presenter, TV presenter and journalist, who is experienced in interviewing people of all walks of life and finding out and writing up their story. She has spoken at the House of Lords and other prestigious events, and will bring all this invaluable expertise to the table when preparing and delivering your service
Please do get in touch to see how Chrissie can help you create something magical!
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