By Monica Jones
Photos www.meganwilson.net
We talk to Janet Armstrong, a local celebrant, to find out what her job entails and what she loves about her work
What is an Independent Celebrant?
An Independent Celebrant creates and deliv-ers wonderfully unique, bespoke ceremonies to celebrate important life events.
What types of celebrations does your work cover?
Wedding and Civil Partnership Celebration Ceremonies, Commitment Ceremonies, Re-newal of Vows, Naming Ceremonies and Fu-nerals.
Who can use a celebrant?
Anyone can enjoy the services of a celebrant. If you want more than a registrar-led wedding but not the full traditional religious ceremony, a celebrant-led ceremony would be perfect for you. We conduct ceremonies anytime, any-where and include whatever you like in the ceremony. Currently we cannot perform the legal aspect of a wedding or civil partnership.
How does it differ from a registrar-led ceremony?
A registrar conducts legally binding wedding and civil partnership ceremonies. They must stick to legal wording, cannot include reli-gious or spiritual content, the ceremony is usually quite short, and must take place in a licensed venue. You usually meet the registrar on the day of the ceremony. They will some-times include music and readings from a ‘set menu’.
How do you prepare for a ceremony?
After initial contact to establish that I am the right celebrant for you, I get to know you and we discuss your ideas and needs. I gather in-formation about you over a year or several months so that I can create a beautiful cere-mony with your story as the main focus. I help you to make decisions about music, read-ings, friends and family who may also partici-pate. I can help you to write your vows.
For a funeral I spend as much time as needed to learn about your deceased loved one, to create a ceremony that is a true celebration of their life.
Once I have written the ceremony, I send it to you for approval. I pride myself on only hav-ing to do a few tweaks to the original draft which is a testament to our getting to know each other.
Why did you decide to become a celebrant?
I love working with people, enjoy language, creative writing and public speaking.
I also have a strong belief that life’s special events are worth celebrating well.
What do you enjoy about your work?
I feel very privileged when clients share their amazing stories with me. To lead a ceremony that I have written and for the couple or fami-ly and their guests to be really engaged in those words is a joy.
Can you share some of the memorable moments?
At a recent wedding celebration ceremony, the groom’s uncle and aunt told me that they had attended numerous weddings and yet this was the first one where they had actually listened. They said it was so different to any other wedding ceremony they had experi-enced. The fact that it was so personal made it even more special because everything that was said in the ceremony was about the cou-ple, their beliefs, and their relationship. As guests, they had no idea what was coming next, and they had enjoyed listening to the couple’s story, their music and readings.
On another occasion, I wrote a funeral cere-mony for a young woman who I had sadly never met. Her widower said at the end “She would have loved you”.
What would you like to see done differently?
The Association of Independent Celebrants, of which I am a member, is campaigning to change wedding law to allow independent celebrants to be licensed to do the legal for-malities in a ceremony. This would be of huge benefit to couples.
What do you wish for your future as a celebrant?
I would love for more people to know that independent celebrants provide this invalua-ble service. We are the only type of officiant who creates a fully personalised and meaning-ful ceremony. We do not identify with a par-ticular belief system but can include religious, spiritual and traditional elements if they have meaning for you. I am always happy to talk to people about their ceremony needs so please email me: Emailme@janetyourcelebrant.co.uk
www.janetyourcelebrant.co.uk