Celebrant? What’s that?!
There seems to be a huge misconception in the UK that an independent celebrant is a Humanist. People I’ve met think the terms are interchangeable. Some of these people were my friends and family – as I discovered when I embarked on my new career a few years ago.
When I told them ‘an independent celebrant’ is someone who creates and officiates at lovely, personalised ceremonies. They told me I was a Humanist! No, it’s not the same thing.
Certainly Humanist Celebrants do create person-centred ceremonies but they also align to a specific set of beliefs about the world. (For example, they reject the idea of the supernatural, believe there is no life after death, they don’t believe in God but do believe in living life according to certain human values).
This is a whole set of beliefs which may be too prescriptive for some non-religious people. Humanist beliefs are at one end of the scale and at the other is a devout faith in God and a specific religion. Most people I meet seem to be somewhere in the middle.
In the UK, an Independent Celebrant creates ceremonies according to the beliefs, wishes and values of their clients. So we custom-make ceremonies for our couples and families whether they are non-religious, religious or atheist. If you want a non-religious ceremony but would like me to write a personal prayer, I will. If you want to include a Native American Indian Blessing in your wedding ceremony we can. If you have a mix of religious backgrounds and want to honour those and yet also make it personal – we can. Or if you want to focus on family values only, an Independent Celebrant can do that too.
Ultimately, my beliefs don’t matter – it’s all about you!
Choosing an Independent Celebrant gives you complete freedom in your ceremony.
Get in touch if you’d like help with your ceremony.
Sam Goodchild is a Sussex based Celebrant inspiring you to add the ‘wow factor’ to your ceremony. Contact Sam on tel: 07512 347498; email: sam@infinitelove.uk