Beyond The Ceremony Podcast Ep 4: What Is A Wedding Celebrant?
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Have you ever felt a quiet nudge, like your heart is trying to tell you there’s something more meaningful out there for you?
Something that uses your natural empathy, your deep listening skills, your love for people and stories?
In this week’s soul-stirring episode of Beyond the Ceremony, host Laura Crockett sits down with the incredible Penny Boycott, whose transformation from registrar to celebrant will leave you inspired—and possibly questioning if you’ve been quietly called to do the same.
This isn’t just a career shift story.
It’s a deeper invitation to reflect on how your whole self—your life experience, your intuition, your desire to connect—might be leading you somewhere truly impactful.
Highlights
👰 The differences between registrars, humanist celebrants, and independent celebrants
👰 How the path of celebrancy can unexpectedly become a journey of healing and purpose
👰 Why your most human traits—empathy, presence, storytelling—are your most valuable tools
👰 What it feels like to be trusted with the most intimate, joyful, and vulnerable life moments
👰 How your existing experience (even from unrelated careers!) may have prepared you more than you think
When you create a ceremony that truly reflects someone’s essence, you’re giving them the gift of being seen, perhaps more deeply than they’ve ever been seen before.
Whether you’ve just discovered celebrancy or have been quietly curious for a while, this conversation pulls back the curtain on what this work really looks and feels like, beyond the ceremony.
🎧 Tune in to this eye-opening episode and let it sit with you. Because sometimes, that quiet voice inside? It knows exactly where you’re meant to go next.
TAKE OUR QUIZ and discover if celebrancy could be your soul-aligned career path!
MEET PENNY
Meet Penelope Jayne—known to friends and clients alike as Penny. She is a Yorkshire-based independent celebrant who brings over two decades of experience supporting couples and families in celebrating and acknowledging their most significant life moments.
With a warm smile and genuine approach, Penny embodies the belief that every day deserves celebration, whether that’s savoring a freshly brewed latte, treasuring time with family, or enjoying a proper chocolate bar. Her passion shines through in her dedication to creating ceremonies that are truly individual, meaningful, and authentic, reflecting the real essence of the people she serves.
As our head of learning here at the AMC, as well as an independent celebrant, Penny brings both extensive experience and heartfelt enthusiasm to guiding aspiring celebrants on their journey.
Website | Instagram | Facebook
MEET YOUR HOST, LAURA
Laura has been an independent celebrant for 5 years and absolutely loves it. It makes her so proud seeing how far she’s come in that time. Laura feels like she’s found her calling and is so excited to keep progressing and growing her Celebrant business! Laura creates all kinds of ceremonies, including Weddings, Funerals, Vow Renewals, and Naming Ceremonies. Before she was a celebrant, Laura was a breakfast radio presenter, so her happy place is either at the front of a ceremony or sitting behind a microphone!
At home, Laura is married to Johnathan (a primary school teacher and her biggest cheerleader) and a mummy to two boys – Woody and Dougie. Laura is also a dog mum to Betty and Barney the cockapoos! They can often be found curled up by her side when she’s writing scripts or lying by the radiator in the office when she’s on couples calls!
Website | Instagram | Facebook
💒 Beyond The Ceremony Podcast: Modern Celebrancy. Unfiltered. 💒
Everything you need to know about how to succeed as a modern celebrant. From top tips on how to create unforgettable ceremonies, to success stories from some of the best in the biz, we will give you a behind-the-scenes look into life as a celebrant. Hosted by Laura Crockett, Award-winning Celebrant, radio personality, and celebrant mentor at the Academy of Modern Celebrancy.
Learn more about the Academy of Modern Celebrancy here.
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Not sure where to begin? Start here:
Are you a Celebrant in the making?
Find out if you have what it takes to be a celebrant and if now is the time for you to start this new chapter.
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!
Download the Ultimate Guide to becoming a Celebrant & find out how you can make this happen!
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