About Funeral Celebrants
A Funeral Celebrant is a person who can help plan, write and lead a Funeral service. People from all walks of life choose to become a celebrant but all are motivated by a strong desire to help people give the person who has died a good send-off, one that honours, gives thanks for, and, even, celebrates a life.
Some Celebrants are introduced by a Funeral Director, others are approached directly. Either way, all will work closely with the people arranging the funeral and the Funeral Director to ensure everything goes to plan.
Celebrant organisations
About 37% of the celebrants listed on this site are fully independent. The rest belong to one or more of the organisations that provide training and support for celebrants. Memberships shown on listings are declared by the celebrants themselves and are not checked by us. The organisations include (in alphabetical order):
The primary objective of the Academy of Professional Celebrants is to offer exceptional celebrant training in the UK and Europe that is both inventive and affordable. With a track record of training and guiding over 2000 professional celebrants, our institution is committed to upholding the utmost standards in celebrant training. We provide continuous mentorship and assistance even after the training is finished.
Upon graduation, students automatically become members of our membership and UK Network of Celebrants. This community is made up of knowledgeable, caring, and professional celebrants who are ready to offer advice and support. As a member, you will have access to exclusive benefits such as monthly professional development catch-ups and bi-monthly specialised workshops, providing a platform for continuous learning and development. You will also have access to a wide range of ceremonial resources and opportunities. Our comprehensive training, supportive community, and excellent resources will ensure that your celebrant business is set up for success from the very beginning.
Although other training organisations may make bold claims of being the best, the Academy of Professional Celebrants has the history and the compelling evidence to definitively prove that our training is unmatched. We offer not merely assertions, but a legacy of excellence that speaks for itself.
The AOIC (Association of Independent Celebrants) is the leading trade association for independent celebrants. The organisation was founded in 2007 to provide a network of professional, highly trained and reliable celebrants. It gives its members the chance to join together and support one other, receive recognition from other professions and provides a "group voice" to lobby in political campaigns. Above all, the AOIC encourages its members to operate under their own right and with their own individuality while providing each member with mentoring, career development, a code of conduct and a unique insurance package which we have recently negotiated.
Each of our members is carefully selected and will only be admitted for membership if they meet all selection requirements and will maintain the high standards already set by the AOIC. Our members come from a variety of professional backgrounds, and many come with bereavement counselling experience. All are encouraged to use bespoke ceremony scripts which are tailored to each individual and can, where requested by the family, include religious, spiritual or non-religious content, including hymns and readings.
As a bereaved family or a funeral director, you have the comfort and reassurance of knowing that your AOIC celebrant follows a prescribed code of conduct, and is highly trained, mentored and supported by a leading and highly regarded professional organisation providing each member with generous, valid and comprehensive personal and public insurance.
The County Celebrant Network is based on the belief that our customers' needs are of the utmost importance. Our Celebrants are committed to meeting those needs. We create each Funeral Ceremony to be completely unique to the deceased and a written copy of the whole text is provided so that the ceremony can be followed easily. The Civil Funeral Ceremony provides a comprehensive framework to make a range of choices about the content and style of the final Ceremony. In short, a Ceremony unique to the deceased is created: a tribute to and a celebration of their life. Choices are made from the wide selection of poems and readings available. Additional pieces that hold special meaning and significance for the deceased can be included. We offer help and advice on all the options available and in deciding how the selections should be arranged and presented. Family members and friends may also be included in the ceremony as well as any music that is appropriate. The Ceremony is designed and conducted in such a way as to reflect the express wishes of the deceased and that of the family. As experts in a range of ceremonies our members can help find the right words for your service. We aim to give clients the highest standard of service over a range of ceremonial needs, and attention to detail is a hallmark of our profession.
We are a progressive group of Celebrants in one of the leading funeral training organisations. All FOIC celebrants are trained to an exceptionally high standard. We follow the NOCN syllabus to Certificate and Diploma Level 3. Celebrants affiliated to FOIC have £5 Million Public Liability Insurance and £1 Million Professional Indemnity Insurance. Most of all, our celebrants know how to create a truly heartfelt and bespoke funeral service, that will be remembered by the bereaved family and loved ones - for all the right reasons. FOIC - a trusted name in the world of funerals.
The Fellowship of Professional Celebrants (FPC) is a self-regulated professional body which sets flagship standards for best-practice in training and fosters professionalism within celebrancy. All of our members are professionally trained to the highest standards and hold either our Foundation Certificate in Funeral Celebrancy or The Diploma in Funeral Celebrancy (awarded by our Associated Educational body, The International College of Celebrancy, Australia). Members are encouraged to continually update their skills through ongoing professional development, and are encouraged to work together to achieve more for the profession in which they work and for the families they serve. The FPC supports and fosters diversity within celebrancy, treating all celebrants, families & professional colleagues equally. We ensure all of our celebrants work to the very highest standards, and each celebrant members signs up to work to a set standard of service and professional ethics, which is laid down by the Fellowship, always listening to the needs & wishes of those they are working with. All of our members are Independent Celebrants which means that they can either conduct a funeral ceremony which is totally non-religious, or a more personalised service which still includes a small element of religion ie, a hymn, prayer or blessing to reflect the beliefs of the person who has died, or the wishes of family and loved ones left behind.
Green Fuse run their own National Level 3 Diploma for Funeral Celebrants, accredited by OCN London, which takes over 6 months to complete. Green Fuse trained independent funeral celebrants see the funeral ceremony as weaving together the colourful threads of a life, putting the person who has died centre stage for the last time, to be honoured, remembered and mourned by their community of family and friends. Because every one is different, Green Fuse celebrants are extensively trained to listen to families' wishes and provide a distinctive funeral, whether spiritual, agnostic, non-religious, individual, contemporary or traditional. They emphasise the healing power of ritual and beauty in their ceremonies and gently encourage participation by family and friends if they wish. They take an imaginative approach to creating a personal ceremony which is full of meaning.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity.
Founded in 1896, the BHA is trusted by over 55,000 members and supporters and over 70 local and special interest affiliates to promote Humanism. Our policies are informed with the support of over 150 of the UK's most prominent philosophers, scientists, and other thinkers and experts and we seek to advance them with the help of over 100 parliamentarians in membership of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group.
Our trained and accredited celebrants conduct funerals and other non-religious ceremonies attended by over one million people each year. Our funeral celebrants are sensitive people, empathetic to the experience of bereavement but focused on providing a funeral ceremony that will be most fitting for the circumstances. They are familiar with cremation and burial procedures and will guide you through the whole process of arranging a funeral ceremony. For any non-religious funeral ceremonies, a humanist celebrant, professionally trained and accredited with the British Humanist Association, gives the assurance of quality and trust.
The IOCF was founded with three main aims: to uphold quality and high standards in every funeral service delivered by its members; to provide support and professional development for those members and to promote civil funeral ceremonies throughout the funeral profession and with the public. The Institute represents Civil Celebrants who offer a funeral that is driven by the wishes, beliefs and values of the deceased and their family, not by the belief or ideology of the person conducting the funeral. There can be a religious or spiritual dimension in the funeral service, if it would be appropriate, and it can be held at most appropriate locations. IoCF members are professional, dedicated and reliable; have achieved an accredited qualification in funeral celebrancy and undergo continual monitoring and assessment to ensure that funeral arrangers and families can be guaranteed a ceremony of the highest quality.
The Institute of Professional Celebrants is a membership organisation that trains, supports and represents celebrants. We are NOCN accredited and we train our celebrants to offer the highest standard of ceremonies, with care, empathy and practical guidance for bereaved families. IPC recognises the social and spiritual importance of rites of passage, and the need for families to celebrate their loved ones lives in ways that are uniquely personal. We are working closely with Living Funeral Services to provide families and celebrants an even more diverse opportunity for families to record the lives of their loved ones. This includes the option for people to write down the stories of their lives that they want remembered, and for them to create their own funeral service with their chosen celebrant whilst they are still living. All our celebrants are covered by Public Liability Insurance (£5m) and Personal Indemnity insurance (£1m).
We offer residential celebrant training with NOCN Certificate and Platinum Double Diploma accreditation.
We train, develop and support extraordinary celebrants to deliver unforgettable ceremonies for every occasion.
As the role of the professional celebrant becomes more relevant in modern society, join the professional association that trains, supports and represents celebrants. The International College of Professional Celebrants recognises the social and spiritual importance of the rites of passage of human birth, marriage, and death and seeks to help professional celebrants build a rewarding career that supports their work/life balance as they follow their vocation.
The Irish Institute of Celebrants offers professional training to people who want to become Celebrants, to become trained in the craft of ceremony to mark the milestones and transitions in the lives of individuals, families and communities. We offer knowledge, practical skills and an accredited qualification with ongoing training, mentorship and networking. We are dedicated to promoting the use of ceremony to help the client create a ceremony that reflects the couple's beliefs, philosophy of life, personal stories and personality.
OneSpirit interfaith ministers act as celebrants in thousands of funerals every year throughout the UK and Ireland. We often preside at the funerals of people who have been 'spiritual, not religious', or whose families and friends come from differing religious or secular backgrounds, and want a celebrant who is not only comfortable with diversity, but celebrates it.
All the 180 ministers on our Public Register have undergone a demanding two-year training which prepares us to offer skilful service as celebrants and counsellors. As well as being a training in practical matters, this involves exploring the essential truths and contributions of different faith traditions to the world's wisdom, and reaching our own deepest sense of what it means to live a full human life.
Thus we have a profoundly inclusive sense of spirituality and a reverence for life in all its beauty and pain. As funeral celebrants, this enables us to work in an empathic way with people in the shock of recent bereavement, to appreciate the particular qualities of the deceased person, and to encompass all the emotions that may arise, whatever the circumstances of the death.
SICA (Scottish Independent Celebrants' Association) is a forward thinking association of professional, independent Scottish Celebrants. Our Celebrants design and conduct personalised and individual ceremonies, centred around the wishes and values of the family, for Funerals, Weddings, Renewal of Vows, Baby Namings or any event significant to you and your family. With an independent celebrant the content of the Ceremony is led by the wishes of the client, there may or may not be religious or spiritual content, there may be all sort of music or words included. The essential point is that with an independent celebrant there is no system of belief dicatating anything about the ceremony, the choice is entirely yours.
SBP is an independent membership organisation founded in London in 2005 with the principal aim of recognising professional and personal commitment and achievement in any area of bereavement care and support.
We fulfil this aim through the diversity of our membership's expertise, and in the recipients of the Society's Award of Merit, which recognises consistently outstanding bereavement care and support. Our membership is drawn from a wide range of professions. Some are directly involved in bereavement care, and other less obviously so. Current members include funeral directors, nurses, carers, council staff, educators, counsellors, clergy and celebrants.
We are a forward thinking professional body that actively promotes and supports our Members in their service provision and are at the forefront of developing and implementing professional standards and the provision of quality Celebrant Training. Our Civil Celebrants provide a truly bespoke service to their clients, by working with them, their families, friends and others our celebrants will write and deliver the ceremony their clients want, where and when they want it. Say NO to standard ceremonies at churches and registry offices where they just substitute names in a pre-set service. Say YES to bespoke, memorable, meaningful, personal and inclusive ceremonies at a location of your choice.
Charters and causes
Some celebrants also support or have signed up to these:
Dying Matters is a coalition of 32,000 members across England and Wales which aims to help people talk more openly about dying, death and bereavement, and to make plans for the end of life. The Coalition's Mission is to help people talk more openly about dying, death and bereavement, and to make plans for the end of life. This will involve a fundamental change in society in which dying, death and bereavement will be seen and accepted as the natural part of everybody's life cycle. Changes in the way society views dying and death have impacted on the experience of people who are dying and bereaved. Our lack of openness has affected the quality and range of support and care services available to patients and families. It has also affected our ability to die where or how we would wish. The Dying Matters Coalition is working to address this by encouraging people to talk about their wishes towards the end of their lives, including where they want to die and their funeral plans with friends, family and loved ones.
The mission of the Good Funeral Guild is not to reflect change in funerary practices but to be the change. We do this by:
offering the means and opportunity for the exchange of ideas and proposals among Guild members
fostering a spirit of community among people interested in end-of-life matters and funerals
fostering collegial, supportive and collaborative practice among deathworkers
debating both topical and enduring issues around end-of-life matters and funerals
enabling discussion and debate between funeral professionals and the public
commenting on and contributing to the evolution of funerary rites and practices
monitoring and commenting on the funeral industry
nurturing, supporting and encouraging innovative, progressive practice among undertakers and ceremony leaders and launching initiatives to improve the experiential value of funerals for bereaved people
publishing the work of innovative thinkers
raising public awareness of end-of-life and funeral consumer issues
acting as an interface between the funeral industry and the public and promoting better public understanding of deathcare and the commemoration of the dead
making available to the print and broadcast media information which will enable them to create useful, well-informed content
creating a comprehensive information resource for funeral consumers
lobbying HM Government and the funeral industry's trade associations (NAFD and Saif) in support of the interests of funeral consumers
Established 25 years ago in 1991, The Natural Death Centre is a social, entrepreneurial, educational charity that gives free, impartial advice on all aspects of dying, bereavement and consumer rights. We give support on family-organised and environmentally friendly funerals, and we run the Association of Natural Burial Grounds. Although green in outlook, we promote choice and education in all aspects of funerals. The Natural Death Centre and the Association of Natural Burial Grounds are both managed by Rosie Inman-Cook, supported by the board of trustees who all work within a variety of professions concerned with death or dying.
The Celebrant Charter defines the attributes and skills required of an excellent celebrant and is intended to set the standards by which all celebrants offering ceremonial services should be measured.
The role of a celebrant is to serve their clients, clients families and their community by creating and leading personal, accurate and respectful ceremonies.
Their work should clearly reflect the life, values and beliefs of their clients, acknowledge and give time to their community of family and friends, and create an environment in which the ceremonial process can be held and supported.
This agreement outlines the most important expectations of an outstanding funeral celebrant and is intended to act as a benchmark by which all funeral celebrants can be measured. In adopting this charter a funeral celebrant is committing to the following minimum requirements:
Act to the highest possible standard of professional and personal conduct at all times.
Ensure you can be easily contacted and respond to all contact promptly.
Be organised and work within the necessary timeframes.
Dress appropriately and be well groomed.
Develop and maintain good relationships with other professionals, such as funeral directors and cemetery/crematorium staff.
Have a demeanour that blends empathy with leadership.
Have sufficient IT skills to commit to producing professional written materials.
Understand the law surrounding GDPR and the need for confidentiality.
Possess Personal Liability and Indemnity Insurance.
Work closely with clients to write and deliver a ceremony which accurately reflects the character and values of the person who has died.
Whenever possible, meet with the client in person before writing the ceremony.
Offer to meet with the client at a time and place that suits them best, whether that be at home, online, or somewhere else. Make sure the time slot is open-ended so that they don’t feel rushed.
Show clear understanding of the difficult nature of bereavement and the overwhelming list of tasks that occur in the days after a death.
Portray yourself as a calm and confident character who is capable of making others feel reassured.
Be skilled at listening and gathering information with gentle and sensitive questions.
Clearly demonstrate an approach which is flexible, non-judgemental, open and sensitive which allows the client to feel a sense of trust.
Allow family and friends as much involvement as they would like in planning the funeral ceremony.
Provide the client with a written draft of the ceremony in good time prior to the day itself, in order that they have chance to communicate any feedback or changes.
Respect the personal beliefs of the person who has died and reflect these in the ceremony when requested, and not allow your own beliefs to be promoted instead.
Support the client in choosing music, readings and other elements of the ceremony.
Provide accurate information about the services you offer and the prices of such services.
Be present to greet the client at the start of the funeral and be there to offer assistance at the end of it.
The Funeral Celebrant Accord defines the attributes and skills required of an excellent funeral celebrant and is intended to set the standards by which all celebrants offering funeral services should be measured.
The role of a funeral celebrant is to serve the bereaved and their community by creating and leading a personal, accurate and respectful funeral ceremony.
Their work should clearly reflect the life, values and beliefs of the person who has died, acknowledge and give time to their community of family and friends, and create an environment in which the grieving process can be held and supported.
An excellent funeral celebrant:
1. Is professional
2. Cares for their clients
3. Is calm and shows natural leadership
4. Writes personalised ceremonies
5. Cares about their self-development