Debbie Richardson recently retrained as a celebrant

Two years ago, whilst looking for my next career move, I came across an article entitled “Have you ever thought of being a celebrant”, I knew then what I was going to do. After training with the Academy of Modern Celebrancy, I qualified in 2025. The course involved completing assignments before being assigned a mentor to guide me through the process of conducting a funeral ceremony. I am so proud of my qualification certificate as I never thought I would be studying again at my age! 

One of the best parts is that my days are never the same.  If I have a funeral booked, I will firstly meet the family, often at their home or somewhere convenient. Then I listen to stories about the person who has died, their personality, relationships, achievements and interests. To gather the required information, I may look through photographs, notes, letters or other material and talk to several members of the family. Next, I plan the ceremony and decide on the structure, readings, music, poems, tributes and any special elements the family wishes to include. The final preparation stage is writing the ceremony. This can include an introduction, tribute/eulogy, transitions between music and readings, and the closing words. This I then check with the family, noting in particular names, relationships and sensitive details.  

The next part of the role is conducting the funeral itself. Usually at a crematorium, cemetery, funeral venue or another location. Most importantly on the day, I support the family. I am currently gaining more knowledge about grief and bereavement by taking some CPD courses, and I have become involved with some bereavement charities. There should be more conversations about death, and these courses are helping me to start the conversation. 

I am loving my new career because it allows me to bring together all the skills I have learnt over the years along with my newly gained celebrant training.

I can now sit quietly and listen to someone who's upset without feeling awkward. I can talk comfortably about death. I can write about someone I've never met and make their story feel genuine. I can speak confidently to a room full of people. 

The reason I love doing what I do is that I truly believe that a good farewell for our loved ones helps the living to live on, and everyone has a life that is worth celebrating. 

If you are thinking of changing career direction, do your research, find out what retraining is involved, paying particular attention to how long it takes and if you can fit it around your current job.  If not, ensure that you have enough savings whilst you are retraining. And then go for it, it may be the best decision you ever make!

Debbie Richardson