Julie Wilson explains what a Celebrant is:

It’s true to say that a funeral celebrant is an anchor, a host, a master of ceremonies.

It’s true to say that a funeral celebrant is a writer, an orator, a facilitator.

It’s true to say that a funeral celebrant is a performer.

But, oh - a funeral celebrant is so, so much more than those things.

A celebrant does exactly what the word suggests - helps you to ‘celebrate’... be that a life, a coming together of two people in marriage, the arrival of a new baby, even a divorce. By far, the most commonly-occurring of those events is the funeral, and the majority of celebrants are funeral celebrants. As independents, they come with no agenda, other than that which the grieving family wants for their loved one. And so, aside of all those identities listed above, a funeral celebrant is a ‘rock’ - an underpinning force whose responsibility it is to make sure that this one shot we have at getting this funeral absolutely right, is on target.

And so … a funeral celebrant is a listener, a counsellor, a coach, a gentle force, an immediate friend, a comforter. And to do the job properly, he/she will: listen not just to what is being said, but what isn’t; gain rapport so that words of comfort are well-chosen and intuited, and that all-important trust is established; nudge softly where necessary - decisions have to be made and they need to be the right ones; encourage.

So yes - a host, an orator, a performer … a celebrant with the skills on that first list has a great advantage. But without the qualities on the second list, he/she will not flourish. It’s a simple conundrum - a good funeral celebrant is someone who cares about every individual family, story and set of experiences, and reflects this in the service.

A service that celebrates a loved one in the way a family wants it to will give huge comfort and be a precious memory. That’s what being a celebrant is all about.