How it started: Julie’s Celebrant Journey

We’re back with our second installment of our “How It Started, How It’s Going” series, where we revisit conversations with Academy of Modern Celebrancy graduates at the start of their celebrancy journey and catch up with them to see how their businesses have evolved. In this second instalment, we’re turning back the clock to early 2023, when recent AMC graduate Julie Kemp sat down with AMC founder Jennifer Constant to discuss her transition into celebrancy. This candid conversation captures the excitement and anticipation of beginning a new chapter – the start of what would become a remarkable journey.

From Business Development to Celebrancy: Finding a New Path

With approximately 35 years of experience in business development and event management roles, Julie Kemp had built a career focused on organisation, coordination, and making special occasions come to life. However, like many professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, Julie’s career path took an unexpected turn when she was placed on furlough in March 2021 and subsequently made redundant at the end of May.

What might have been a devastating professional setback instead became the catalyst for a profound career transformation. Julie recalls the moment that sparked her interest in celebrancy: “I was at my uncle’s funeral, and I just had this light bulb moment when I heard the celebrant, and just thought I could do this job.”

This spark of inspiration led to immediate action. Julie explains, “I did a lot of research. Rang funeral directors, rang wedding venues, looked into different training organisations, and once I was made redundant, that was it. I got in touch with you, and then that was it. My journey to become a celebrant started from there.”

A Perfect Fit for Family Life

For Julie, becoming a celebrant wasn’t just about finding a new career path—it was about creating a lifestyle that complemented her family responsibilities. With her son starting school in September of that year, flexibility was crucial.

“This was one of the deciding factors for being a celebrant,” Julie shares, “because it was important for me to be able to take my son to school, to be able to pick him up.”

The flexible nature of celebrancy allows Julie to structure her work around her son’s school hours. “I’ve taken him to school, I come back, and then I start work on my celebrancy, and then I will go pick him up from school. Once he’s asleep at night, I will do a bit of work then, and if I need to, I will do it on a weekend.”

This adaptability creates what Julie describes as “a totally flexible” career that works perfectly around her family commitments—something many parents dream of but struggle to find.

Related: How it started: Martin Fox-Roberts

The Joy of Celebration

When asked what elements of celebrancy excited her most, Julie’s passion becomes immediately apparent: “I just love all things celebration.”

Drawing on her background in event management, she explains, “The event management roles that I did, working with families and couples for weddings and parties and so on, it just gave me a real buzz.”

This enthusiasm extends to all aspects of her celebrant work. For weddings, Julie loves “helping couples on the ceremonies for their wedding day,” noting how it “just gives me a real buzz.”

Even in more solemn circumstances, she finds meaning: “As sad as it is for the funerals, you know the person’s died, it is a celebration of their life. So to help a family through that grieving process and deliver a good ceremony for their loved one, just gives me a sense of satisfaction.”

Comprehensive Training for a Multi-Faceted Career

Julie chose to pursue certification in all elements of celebrancy through the Academy of Modern Celebrancy: weddings, funerals, baby naming and vow renewals. This comprehensive approach was deliberate, preparing her for the diverse nature of celebrancy work.

The AMC’s training structure proved ideal for her situation. “For me, it was just brilliant. Again, it was the flexibility,” Julie explains. During her furlough period, Julie would complete her training courses while her son was at nursery. “While he was at nursery, I would do all of my training courses. Again, on a nighttime I would do the training courses, so that flexibility, just to dip in and out when it suited me. It just worked perfectly.”

Beyond the flexibility, Julie found tremendous value in the supportive community: “The support from yourself, the support from all of the other celebrants that are training, the trainers, it’s like a community. It’s just like a little hope. And if you need any questions, or if you’re unsure about anything, you just join the hub, and there’s somebody there within the community that can help. It’s been amazing.”

Learning Through Practical Experience

The Academy of Modern Celebrancy’s approach to training—combining video tutorials, practical assignments, one-to-one mentoring, and group sessions—resonated strongly with Julie.

“I found it all very informative,” she shares. “Whether it was for the weddings or for the funerals, I felt as if every aspect was covered, and the videos were just, again, informative. Just really, really good.”

Julie particularly appreciated the practical, scenario-based assignments that challenged her to think creatively: “I love the assignments, because the assignments put you in a scenario position. So you had to think on your feet.”

She recalls one assignment that required researching a Sri Lankan wedding ceremony: “I didn’t know what a Sri Lankan wedding did, but now I do. And so it just makes you think, and it makes you think out the box as well.”

The emphasis on real-life application was particularly valuable. Julie highlights the opportunity to observe and participate in actual consultations: “For the funeral, there was that couple there that lost their mom, so actually sitting and watching that and being able to then write a ceremony based on that… is invaluable. It’s not just learning theoretically. You’re also putting it into practice in a practical way.”

Similarly, for weddings, “there was a real life couple there for the wedding. So it made you feel, it made you realize, right? This is what I will be doing once I’m out there as a celebrant. So it just gave me good grounding and a great step into celebrancy.”

Building a Sustainable Career

Looking to the future, Julie’s ambitions are clear: “I want to make this a full-time career.”

Although still in the early stages, she sees celebrancy as a long-term profession with significant potential: “I feel like I’m on the first rung. I feel like I’m on the first step of the ladder. It’s still early days, but I know as time goes on, more opportunities will open.”

Julie finds particular appeal in the sustainability of celebrancy as a career path: “I feel as if this could be my retirement job. I feel as if all the skills that I’ve gained from other job roles I bring to the role of a celebrant, and yeah, the flexibility, but also the fact that it can take me through to retirement.”

Her progress has been impressive—at the time of the interview, just after graduating, Julie had already conducted three funeral ceremonies. With Jennifer’s guidance on marketing strategy, Julie was preparing to visit wedding venues and funeral directors, armed with carefully crafted marketing materials to grow her business.

A Supportive Community

Throughout the interview, Julie repeatedly emphasized the importance of the supportive network at AMC. Despite working independently, she explains, “I feel like I’m part of a team, because all of the other celebrants are there, just to help and support. And it’s been amazing.”

This sense of community was a key factor in her choice of training provider: “I researched other training organizations out there, but my gut feeling was to come with you… and my guts were right.”

Julie’s appreciation for the ongoing support is palpable: “I feel well equipped, and I feel well prepared, and I know that, yes, even though I’m just at the start of my journey, I know that the training and the support and the guidance is going to be there for however long.”

Starting Your Own Celebrant Journey

Julie’s story demonstrates how the right training and support can help transform a career setback into an exciting new beginning. Like Julie, you might be seeking a flexible career that allows you to balance professional fulfilment with family life, or simply looking for work that brings genuine joy and satisfaction.

The Academy of Modern Celebrancy offers more than just training—we provide a supportive community, business guidance, and ongoing mentorship to help you succeed. Whether you’re looking to complement your existing career or embark on a completely new path, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

Ready to begin your own celebrant journey? Get in touch with us today:

• Take our Celebrant Quiz and see if you’d make a good Celebrant
• Learn more about our comprehensive training programs
• Join our vibrant community of modern celebrants

Your story could be the next one we feature in our “How It Started, How It’s Going” series. Take that first step today.