I met one of my neighbours this morning and he mentioned he was becoming a celebrant soon so he could marry two friends who are getting married soon.
I gave him the spiel I give anyone and everyone becoming a new celebrant, but I thought it’d be something worth putting down in a blog post, and hopefully if you’re a hopefully future celebrant then this can be an encouragement to you too.
Please become a great celebrant
There are enough average celebrants, more than enough below average celebrants, so if you’re going to do the Certificate IV and put all the effort into an application, building your brand and business, and actually becoming a celebrant, please become a great celebrant.
Please become a celebrant who gives a shit about marriage, about your couples’ getting married, about how their marriage ceremony can be and should be the best part of their wedding.
Please become a celebrant that somehow magically is the highlight of the event whilst never actually being the highlight, but making the couple the highlight. Be that magical combo of being the person who makes the ceremony the best ceremony ever, whilst also being kind of invisible, like the puppeteers in a broadway show, anonymous talents wearing black from head to toe, the ones who actually made the show, but you won’t find their names on the poster.
Please become an educated celebrant
The art of celebrancy requires far more than a Certificate IV in Celebrancy, but to become a celebrant you need a Certificate IV. I’d be a fool if I recommended any other RTO over the Celebrant Institute RTO for a Certificate IV in Celebrancy, and not just because its CEO is my co-founder of the Celebrant Institute, but also because I meet students trained at other RTOs and so many are not equipped to be a celebrant. Over 75% of celebrants who have done the Certificate IV responded to a survey saying they felt unprepared after completing their Certificate IV.
The Cert IV in Celebrancy is hard, some would say too hard, but it’s your opportunity to become equipped as a celebrant, so the Celebrant Institute RTO is where I think you should train. As an added bonus, I help Sarah with the more nerdy and techie elements of the RTO so you might even get to see my face on a Zoom call.
Even after the Certificate IV immerse yourself in becoming a better celebrant. That’s the whole goal of this website, the Celebrant Institute, a place where we pursue the greater extents of celebrancy, plus it’s a place for you to ask and learn.
Please become a celebrant
The wedding industry deserves a wide and diverse range of celebrants. Celebrants of different genders; celebrants from different ethnic backgrounds and different cultures; celebrants of different religious, faith, and philosophical traditions; celebrants that have different styles and methods.
Please become a celebrant that makes the industry proud, that makes your couples proud, and make your parents proud.
There’s more than enough room in our ranks for talented, skilled, and diverse celebrants so please come and join us.
How to become a celebrant
Becoming a celebrant is easy:
Step one: you simply study the Certificate IV in Celebrancy … complete it of course … and I’d budget 12 months for that study.
Step two: gather two references and prepare yourself for a police check as you apply to the Attorney-Generals’ office. The application comes at a $600 cost.
Step three: wait for your application to be processed, mine took 12 months but these days it’s more like three months, but you kind of just have to wait. That’s why it’s important to not book weddings until you are registered because there’s no promise as to how long it takes.
During this application process you’re welcome to access the Celebrant Institute aspirational celebrant membership, it’s a special one year membership for aspirational celebrants, one year’s membership at the cost of one month, join here.
Step four: When you’re anointed by the celebrancy gods, the AGD, you’re welcome to start your business, and that’s where we help out, and we’d love to have you as a member.
Great article Josh! I also deliver the Cert IV in Celebrancy for a Melbourne based RTO & I definitely agree with your thoughts above & share the same with my students. The course is hard but it prepares them to be the BEST celebrant.
And face to face delivery is a must! I always recommend this to aspiring celebrants!
Josh i always enjoy reading your blogs and posts, this one is especially resonating with me and where I’m at.
I’m a fresh newbie celebrant and I wanna bring all that you mentioned and more for my lovely couples, I want them both to love every thing from the first meet and greet to the whole journey of getting them officially hitched, but after completing my Cert IV online coarse I do feel I have so much to learn!
That’s why I love this forum and other resources to further our minds and get some handy tips and tricks to pull off a memorable for all the right reasons ceremonies.
Thank Chantell!
Great time to read this. I am a newbie and inspired to be a GREAT celebrant. I want to be fun like Josh, but organised like Sarah. In “real life” I am such an oxymoron of a human. I have wanted this for 28 years (slow starter). I’ve seen the industry change and I’d love to say get better, but…however, now this is here and it is a wonderful blend of well Josh and Sarah!!
I am meeting my second couple tonight, and am in a great place after reading this blog.
My first lovely couple booked and I am so excited planning their ceremony for them.
Thanks Josh and Sarah. I’d love to see either or both of you in action one day when COVID19 allows us to be closer to each other for the experience of seeing pros in action…would that ever be possible, I could TA for you and would travel anywhere?
Donna.
Thanks Donna! We’re always open to mentoring. Get in touch via email to talk more about it 🙂
I know there are plenty of inspirational celebrants but having dealt with Sarah and listened to you Josh in many of your podcasts I find you both amazing and am so happy that I am doing this course via Lifeskills. Also glad am a member of the Celebrant Institute!