Pricing
ArticlesResourcesGlossaryFAQs
07 4646 4096Contact Us
Email07 4646 40960493 206 555

← Glossary of Funeral Terms

Celebrant

Celebrant

A celebrant is a person who creates and conducts a ceremony to mark an important event in a person’s life. In the context of funerals, a celebrant works with the person who has died and their family to create and conduct a personalised funeral ceremony.

A funeral ceremony. A funeral celebrant helps a family decide how they want to say goodbye. This may include gathering stories and memories, choosing readings, music and rituals, preparing the ceremony, and conducting it on the day.

Personal and meaningful. Unlike a ceremony that follows a prescribed religious format, a funeral conducted by a celebrant can be shaped around the person who has died, their relationships, beliefs, values and the wishes of their family.

Not necessarily religious. A celebrant may conduct a completely non-religious funeral, or incorporate religious, spiritual or cultural elements if the family wants them. The role is to help create a ceremony that reflects the wishes of the people involved.

Training and qualifications. There are courses and training programs available for people who want to work as funeral celebrants. However, in Queensland there is no specific legal certification or licence required to provide funeral celebrant services. A person may therefore describe themselves as a funeral celebrant without holding a government-issued funeral celebrant qualification.

This is different from being an authorised marriage celebrant, where Commonwealth law provides a formal authorisation system because the celebrant is performing a legally recognised marriage ceremony.

A role of care. Funeral celebrancy involves more than speaking at a funeral. A good celebrant spends time listening to the family, understanding the person who has died and helping shape a ceremony that feels authentic to them.

A celebrant may be independent, work for a funeral provider, or have another professional background. Someone trained or experienced as a marriage celebrant may also provide funeral celebrancy services, but authorisation as a marriage celebrant is not what qualifies someone to conduct a funeral ceremony.