A Day in the Life of a Celebrant

Ever wondered what life as a celebrant is really like? If you’re considering stepping into this beautifully rewarding career, you’re probably curious about what your days might look like. Unlike the conventional 9-to-5, life as a celebrant is filled with variety, flexibility, and deeply meaningful connections.

Inspired by the podcast episode A Day in the Life of a Celebrant with Laura Crockett, one of our AMC mentors, we’re taking you behind the scenes of this unique career path. Laura beautifully captures the essence of celebrant life: “Every day is very different—and it’s really up to you.” Let’s explore what that really means.

Life as a Celebrant: The Beauty of Flexibility

One of the greatest benefits of being a celebrant is the flexibility it offers. Whether you’re a Wedding Celebrant, Funeral Celebrant, or Naming Celebrant, your working days are often shaped by your clients’ needs and your own schedule. Laura describes her life as a celebrant as being “full-time but not your typical Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.” With two young children, she balances her business around her family, proving that celebrancy can fit beautifully around other commitments.

What does a Celebrant do…A Variety of Roles

Celebrant life isn’t just about the ceremony itself. In fact, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If you ask 100 celebrants, you’ll quickly discover that no two days are the same – that’s the beauty of this varied and hugely rewarding role.

Since there’s no “typical day” as a celebrant, we’ll break down the six core types of working days you’ll have as a celebrant to give you a flavour of what to expect:

1. Networking Days

Building relationships is key, and networking is essential to building a thriving business as a celebrant. Laura shares how important it is to “do one thing every day to work on your business.” This might mean attending wedding fairs, popping into funeral directors to introduce yourself, or joining networking events. It’s about making connections and keeping your name top of mind for venues, families, and couples.

2. Site Visit Days

These days are all about preparation. Whether it’s a wedding venue or a crematorium, site visits allow celebrants to walk through the space, visualise the ceremony, and make adjustments where needed. Laura explains that it’s the perfect time to “bring the ceremony to life” and prepare for the big day, ensuring everything runs smoothly.

Site visits are also a great way to stay top of mind with Wedding event managers and crematorium staff; they show professionalism and care for the role.

3. Website & Admin Days

Every business needs a bit of behind-the-scenes magic. For celebrants, that means catching up on emails, scheduling social media and marketing activities, updating websites, writing blogs, and managing spreadsheets. It’s a day for clearing out the inbox and making sure all clients are up to date.

4. Couple & Family Meetings

The heart of celebrancy lies in understanding the stories and wishes of those you serve. These meetings are where you gather the personal details that make each ceremony unique. If you’re a wedding celebrant, these might be Zoom calls, although Laura prefers to meet in person where possible, saying it’s much easier to ask those important questions and really connect in person. You might meet your couples or families in a local tea room, or meet at their chosen venue.

Funeral celebrants will often meet families in their homes or at the home of the deceased to get a sense of who they were.

5. Script Writing Days

This is where the magic happens. Crafting the perfect ceremony script is a labour of love, requiring time, creativity, and a deep understanding of each couple or family. Laura mentions that some days it flows easily, while other days are more challenging—but every script is a work of art.

6. Ceremony Days

The big day itself. Whether it’s a wedding, a funeral, or a naming ceremony, these are the moments where everything comes together. Laura’s passion shines through as she shares how special each ceremony feels: “It never gets old—I love it every single time.”

Ceremony days will involve travel to and from the venue, ceremony set up and prep time (including time to network with other vendors if you’re a Wedding Celebrant), the ceremony itself, and time after the ceremony to interact with guests and your clients. Some couples and families will invite you to the reception (weddings and naming ceremonies) or the wake or funeral reception.

Wedding, Funeral & Naming Celebrants: What’s the Difference?

Different types of celebrancy require different skill sets and ceremony prep. Some Celebrants choose to become master celebrants and will conduct all types of celebrant led ceremonies: each type of ceremony brings its own rhythm and flow

• Wedding Celebrants: Traditionally, weddings were weekend events, but the rise of mid-week weddings—particularly among Gen Z couples—means that wedding celebrants, who traditionally would have exclusively worked Saturdays and bank holidays, may find themselves working mid-week. This shift offers even more flexibility for celebrants looking to balance work and personal life. Travel can sometimes be further afield, especially if you promote your services for destination weddings or specific wedding venues.
• Funeral Celebrants: Most Funerals and celebrations of life tend to happen mid-week, and they often require celebrants to be available at short notice. Travel is usually local.
• Family or Naming Celebrants: These are usually more relaxed and can happen on weekends or weekdays, depending on family schedules. They often involve beautiful, intimate gatherings in family homes or outdoor spaces, most family celebrants will keep it local, but you might travel further afield on occasion.

The Freedom to Choose

One of the most beautiful aspects of being a celebrant is the freedom to design your working week. Depending on your lifestyle, you might decide to take on more weddings during the summer, focus on funerals in the winter, or mix things up.

You also get to choose how many ceremonies you do each year – and when. Whilst you’re not walking into a role with guaranteed hours, our graduates have shown that celebrancy can be a full-time business, a part-time role or a fun side hustle.

Could Celebrancy Be Your Calling?

If this life of flexibility, variety, and deep human connection resonates with you, why not explore it further? Take our Celebrant Quiz to discover if you’ve got what it takes to thrive in this unique role.

Explore our Celebrant Training Programmes to start your journey today.