Why I became a Celebrant
Why I became a Celebrant
Why I became a Celebrant is a question I would LOVE to have a romantic answer to, or a big life-changing event to point to. However, essentially there wasn’t one big reason. Instead, there WERE 3 different things that influenced my decision to make a career left turn.
Reason 1
The very first thing that happened was that one of my sister-in-law’s best friend’s sadly passed away after a short illness. We arrived at the ceremony and it started a bit weird. Someone seated us on a really high, visible bench on the front row, which was uncomfortable as we didn’t know her too well really. We only went to the funeral to support my sister-in-law.
The service was the very first funeral I had been to that wasn’t in a church. It was more a celebration of life. It was lead by a Humanist Celebrant and it meant that, one by one, readings, songs and personal memories were shared. An entire room full of people remembered Lyndsey for who she was and what she meant to people. I walked out of the service and said to my husband “you can do that for me.” It was the first time I saw something in real life that felt closer to something I would want. This added to why I became a Celebrant. Traditional religion-based funerals always seem too sad and formal. These are something I am definitely NOT!
Reason 2
The second thing was a life-changing trip, contributing to why I became a Celebrant. It wasn’t life-changing because I hiked up a mountain or visited one of the wonders of the world. But it was life-changing because it was such a freeing experience.
I went to Paris in 2024 for the Olympics and it was SUCH an adventure for many reasons. Firstly, I spent a year beforehand reviving my high school French on Duolingo. Then I had enough language skills to ask and answer basic questions and hold gentle conversations.
We also had a couple of other 1sts on that trip as we went on the EuroStar for the 1st time. We also visited Roland Garros, and 2 other stadiums to watch Football, Tennis & Athletics in their Olympic format! Not to mention two tired 50-year-olds visiting the Eiffel Tower so their families would recognise that they had actually been to Paris!
Being on this trip changed my brain chemistry and I can’t really explain why. At the time I had just turned 50 and I had to cancel my 50th birthday party a couple of months earlier as I caught COVID 🦠 3 days beforehand. So this trip WAS my 50th celebrations. I just loved the whole thing from start to finish. I am not really an adventurous person when it comes to travel for various reasons, but this felt like a massive “out of my comfort zone” adventure and I loved it all! The second we came home, I declared… my life should be more than that. That is how I want to spend my time… .not necessarily in Paris… but doing more fun stuff. This leads me very nicely to Reason 3 and further consolidates why I became a Celebrant.
Reason 3
The final reason was when all the dormant and some of the recent thoughts started to swirl. I started to think that perhaps I needed a life and career change. I had already started to make some changes earlier in 2024, after a pretty challenging period in my life as a part-time carer for my dad. I decided to join Rock Choir in Warrington! I have always loved singing. Honestly, joining Rock Choir has been a total JOY from the second I walked into rehearsal – HIGHLY recommend if you were ever thinking about it.
But as my dad’s health continued to be up and down in 2024, my dad job was very challenging at the time and I was firmly peri-menopausal. Going to Paris seemed like the final signal that a change was needed.
In January 2025 I saw an advert on Social Media for The Academy of Modern Celebrancy. Because I paused on it, it was shown to me several times through the first couple of months of 2025. Each time I saw it, I sometimes watched it and sometimes not. Eventually, I looked at their website properly and it started to speak to me. I remembered Lyndsey’s funeral and thought about joining Rock Choir and travelling to Paris.
I have worked in adult education in either the NHS or for various charities for over 25 years in Learning & Development teams. I am very used to standing in front of groups of people, speaking confidently and conveying various messages. I am also something of a “shy show off,” which I think is called an Ambivert these days. This is, I would argue, a perfect fit for a celebrant 🤩
It took me another couple of months to think about signing up for the celebrant training, but once I did… I haven’t looked back! I have LOVED every single second of it and to date (November 25) I have qualified as a Naming and a Wedding Celebrant. It’s been brilliant!
My plan is to try and move away from full time working for someone else. I have been doing that for 35 years. I want to spend the last years of my working life having more agency over my time.
But mostly, I already love being a celebrant and it brings me such JOY. I feel so grateful that I appear to have found something to do with my time. It combines all my professional skills with my personal passions and something, that above anything else, is fun.
Lucky me xxx
