How much can you really earn as a celebrant? Are you charging enough? And what do celebrants typically make per year? 2025 update includes our new interactive Income Calculator.
Whether you’re just getting started or already in the thick of it, it’s completely natural to want a clearer picture of how much celebrants can earn.
Some celebrants want to build a full-time career that replaces their 9–5. Others are looking for a flexible part-time role or a meaningful and profitable side hustle that fits around their family or other commitments.
And the truth is — how much you earn as a celebrant depends on three key things:
- How many ceremonies you conduct
- How much you charge for those ceremonies
- What kind of ceremonies you offer (weddings, funerals, naming, or alternative)
Because you’re your own boss, the earning potential is in your hands. And while that freedom is incredibly exciting, it can also make it tricky to know what’s “normal” when you’re starting out. That’s why we’ve created this guide — packed with realistic examples and earning scenarios and an interactive income calculator — to help you see what’s possible and plan your own celebrant business with confidence.
Ceremony Type: What Pays the Most?
Not all ceremonies pay the same – here’s how they typically rank in terms of income per ceremony:
- Weddings & Vow Renewals – Highest-paying; often highly personalised, longer ceremonies.
- Alternative Ceremonies – Such as commitment, gender affirmation, and adult naming – often specialist, bespoke, and mid- to high-ticket.
- Naming Ceremonies – Often family-friendly and shorter, usually priced lower.
- Funerals – Lower pay per ceremony, but typically much higher volume than other types.
Many full-time funeral celebrants conduct 3–5 ceremonies a week, while wedding celebrants often average 20–50 ceremonies per year, mostly concentrated in spring and summer.
How Much Can You Earn as a Celebrant?
How much you earn as a celebrant is based on how many ceremonies you conduct, how much you charge for those ceremonies, and what type of ceremonies you focus on – whether that’s weddings, funerals, naming days or other milestone moments. And because you’re your own boss, the sky really is the limit. That said, because there are numerous variables, celebrant earnings vary significantly across the industry.
To give you a clearer picture, we’ve pulled together example annual earnings based on ceremonies per year, types of ceremonies and average rates.
How much does a wedding celebrant earn?
Weddings are one of the most common ceremonies officiated by celebrants. Wedding celebrant fees typically range from £500 to £1,500 or more per ceremony (some charge up to £2500), depending on factors such as location, experience, customisation, and duration. Additionally, celebrants may charge extra for rehearsal time, travel expenses, and other services.
Celebrants conducting 10 wedding ceremonies a year could average anywhere between £700 and £1000 a month. A full-time wedding celebrant conducting 50 ceremonies a year could earn between £3500 and £5200 a month – but since you can set your own fees, the sky is the limit.
Average Wedding Celebrant Earnings (Annual Ceremonies)
| Ceremonies/Year | £850/Ceremony | £1000/Ceremony | £1250/Ceremony |
| 10 | £8,500 | £10,000 | £12,500 |
| 20 | £17,000 | £20,000 | £25,000 |
| 30 | £25,500 | £30,000 | £37,500 |
| 40 | £34,000 | £40,000 | £50,000 |
| 50 | £42,500 | £50,000 | £62,500 |
How much does a funeral celebrant earn?
Funeral celebrants help families create meaningful and personalised services to honour their loved ones. Funeral celebrant fees can range from £200 to £600, depending on factors such as location, duration and additional services provided, such as eulogy writing.
It’s worth noting that Funeral Directors often dictate fees for their recommended Funeral Celebrants and Celebrants who rely on Funeral Directors for referrals often earn less than those who get booked direct by bereaved families, so it’s worth building your own referral network and marketing channels, especially with the increased popularity of direct cremations in the industry.
Average Funeral Celebrant Earnings (Weekly Ceremonies)
| Funerals per Week | £250/Funeral (46 wks) | £350/Funeral (46 wks) |
| 1 | £11,500 | £16,100 |
| 2 | £23,000 | £32,200 |
| 3 | £34,500 | £48,300 |
| 4 | £46,000 | £67,200 |
| 5 | £57,500 | £80,500 |
Funeral work tends to be more consistent year-round, and can pair well for Wedding Celebrants seeking to boost their income outside of peak wedding season months.
How much does a naming celebrant earn:
Naming ceremonies and other rites of passage events are gaining popularity. Celebrants who specialise in these ceremonies can charge fees ranging from £200 to £750, depending on the complexity, customisation, and location.
It’s rare to find a full-time naming celebrant – most naming celebrants offer naming ceremonies as an add-on service to their wedding or funeral services, or as a fun part-time job.
Combining Wedding, Funeral and Naming Celebrancy to maximise earnings
Most full-time celebrants will opt to offer a mix of weddings, funerals and naming ceremonies. This diversification of offerings means there’s less pressure to book specific types of ceremonies and makes it easier to find work outside of peak seasons.
We’ve created a simplified table of earnings based on average earnings to give you a realistic picture of what Celebrants might be earning based on the number of ceremonies per year/week:
- Wedding ceremonies charged at £1,000 each
- Funeral Ceremonies at £250 per ceremony (based on 46 working weeks – factoring in 6 weeks holiday per year)
- Naming ceremonies capped at 5 per year, at £300 each
| Weddings/ Yr (£1000) | Funerals/ Wk (£250) | Naming Ceremonies/ Yr (£300) | Total Annual Earnings |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | £16,500 |
| 5 | 1 | 5 | £18,000 |
| 5 | 2 | 0 | £28,000 |
| 5 | 2 | 5 | £29,500 |
| 5 | 3 | 0 | £39,500 |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | £21,500 |
| 10 | 1 | 5 | £23,000 |
| 10 | 2 | 0 | £33,000 |
| 10 | 2 | 5 | £34,500 |
| 10 | 3 | 0 | £44,500 |
| 10 | 3 | 5 | £46,000 |
| 10 | 4 | 0 | £56,000 |
| 10 | 4 | 5 | £57,500 |
| 20 | 2 | 0 | £43,000 |
| 20 | 2 | 5 | £44,500 |
| 30 | 3 | 0 | £64,500 |
| 30 | 3 | 5 | £66,000 |
| 40 | 3 | 5 | £76,000 |
| 50 | 3 | 5 | £86,000 |
Extra Income Opportunities from Alternative Ceremonies
Celebrants offering alternative or specialist ceremonies alongside their core services can create a lucrative additional income stream. Examples include:
- Pet Funerals & Memorials
- Commitment Ceremonies
- Anniversary Ceremonies
- Gender Affirmation Ceremonies
- Adult Renaming Ceremonies
- Divorce or Rebirth Ceremonies
What Can You Charge for an Alternative Ceremony?
Based on celebrant income research carried out by The Academy of Modern Celebrancy
- 50% of celebrants charge between £250–£500 for an alternative ceremony (average £375)
- 25% charge between £500–£750 (average £625)
- Top-tier celebrants charge between £750–£1500+ (average £1125)
Example additional earnings: 10 Alternative Ceremonies/Year
| Ceremony Fee Range | Additional Annual Income (10 Ceremonies) |
| £250–£500 (£375 avg) | £3,750 |
| £500–£750 (£625 avg) | £6,250 |
| £750–£1500 (£1125 avg) | £11,250 |
Celebrant Earnings Calculator: Plan Your Potential Income
Ever wondered what you could earn as a celebrant? Or how adjusting your prices, or adding different ceremony types, might impact your annual income?
We’ve created the Celebrant Earnings Calculator to help you answer exactly that.
This interactive tool, created by The Academy of Modern Celebrancy, is designed to help both new and experienced celebrants:
- Understand how much you could earn based on their pricing and workload.
- Explore different earning scenarios for weddings, funerals, naming and alternative ceremonies
- See how offering a wider variety of ceremony types (like alternative or specialist ceremonies) can boost income.
- Make informed decisions about your pricing, service offering, and overall business goals
Whether you’re dreaming of a full-time celebrant career or aiming for a flexible side hustle, this calculator puts you in the driver’s seat. Think of it as your very own income planning tool — created to help you map out your ideal celebrant life.
Use the calculator below to explore your potential:
Train to be a Master Celebrant
At AMC, we understand that every celebrant has different goals. That’s why our Master Celebrant Training Course is designed to support a variety of lifestyles — whether you’re aiming for a full-time career, a flexible part-time role, or a meaningful, profitable side hustle.
What makes this course stand out?
You’ll graduate fully qualified in Wedding, Funeral, and Naming Celebrancy, giving you the skills and confidence to offer a wide range of ceremony types — and adapt your business to suit your life.
You’ll gain:
- A complete celebrant toolkit – from ceremony writing to client consultations, pricing to performance
- Marketing and business know-how – so you can attract your ideal clients and charge what you’re worth
- The flexibility to mix and match the types of ceremonies you offer depending on your availability, income goals, or personal preferences
Whether you want to focus on wedding season, take on consistent funeral work throughout the year, or weave in beautiful naming ceremonies and alternative rituals — you’ll be fully equipped to shape your celebrant business, your way.
Team AMC
Our team of writers and contributors at The Academy of Modern Celebrancy are dedicated to educating Celebrants and helping them build thriving Celebrant businesses. Our team is made up of Celebrants and Industry experts dedicated to sharing their expertise with you.
The Academy of Modern Celebrancy also has a thriving community of 2.8k celebrants that we are dedicated to helping grow their businesses and taking celebrancy from a hobby to a lifestyle.
AMC host the global celebrant summit, Celebrantopia, each year, where experts from the Celebrant world share their expertise and passion for Celebrancy.
The Academy of Modern Celebrancy has trained over 600 celebrants, and employs award-winning Celebrant Mentors who know what it takes to make it in the industry. We train the best celebrants out there across the UK, Europe and the USA.
Take the Quiz to find out if you have what it takes!
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