Seasonal Ceremonies

Civil Union, Interfaith Ceremony, Non-religious Ceremony, Single Religion Ceremony

Agnostic, Baha'i Faith, Buddhist, Christian (no denomination), Hindu, Islam, Jainism, Jewish, Muslim, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoist

No

Yes

As required for the ceremony

Yes, it is your ceremony!

Of course

You can have any reading you like

As long as required

No

Yes

Yes, if needed

What is the Celebrant Foundation & Institute?
The Celebrant Foundation & Institute is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to training Celebrant officiants.
Our Certified Life-Cycle CelebrantsTM promote the use of personalized ceremony to mark the moments and milestones in the lives of individuals, families, communities and organizations. Celebrancy began in Australia in the early 1970s. Presently there are more than 3000 Celebrants worldwide, who have presided over one million ceremonies in the last forty years.

What is a Celebrant?
Celebrants are professional life-cycle ceremony officiants who believe in the power and effectiveness of ceremony and ritual to serve basic needs of society and the individual. They collaborate with their clients to create and perform personalized ceremonies that reflect the clients’ beliefs, philosophy of life and personalities; not the Celebrant's.

Celebrants officiate at all types of life-cycle ceremonies and rituals including baby namings and adoption ceremonies, coming of age ceremonies, weddings, civil unions and commitment ceremonies, funerals and memorials. Celebrants also develop ceremonies to enrich daily life and for community, corporate and civic events. The opportunities to use ceremony to create connections among neighbors and families, and for healing and celebration, are as varied as are our Celebrants.

"I am a ritual maker and celebrant who designs, organizes and celebrates contemporary 'rites.'" ~ Mary Hancock, Celebrant, New Zealand

How is a Celebrant Ceremony Unique?
Each ceremony is personal, reflecting who the honorees are either as individuals or as a couple or family. A Celebrant certified by the Celebrant Foundation & Institute will take the time to understand the honorees’ beliefs and values and what makes their ceremony unique.

In a Celebrant ceremony, the honorees are empowered. Nothing is imposed on them. Instead, in a collaborative process, the Celebrant will guide them in choosing rituals, readings, symbols and music to fulfill their ideals and vision for their Ceremony. No two Celebrant ceremonies are the same.

Celebrants are ceremony specialists who have a solid background in the history of ritual and ceremony, and the traditions of many cultures, beliefs and religions. They are experts in composing ceremonies, managing rehearsals and performing life-cycle ceremonies. Celebrants are also experienced in the art of ceremonial public speaking.

Who should choose a Celebrant?
Anyone and everyone! Whether you are secular, religious, spiritual, nondenominational, part of an interfaith or multicultural couple, or if you simply wish to express yourself in a manner of your own choosing, a Celebrant can help you create a ceremony that respects all that is meaningful to you.

What if my partner and I are interfaith?
No problem! I will work with you and your partner to make sure that both faiths are honored as you wish. This also goes for those who wish to have a complete secular ceremony. The wedding is going to be meaningful because it will be about the two of you! No other ceremony will be like yours because there is no other couple out there just like you.