Question 1

What is a Celebrant?

Accepted Answer

A celebrant is someone trained in rituals, symbolism, storytelling, and creating ceremonies. As a Certified Life Cycle® Celebrant, I work directly with you to write a ceremony that is unique and memorable to you. There are no requirements of what "should" be in a ceremony other than what you desire and find meaningful.

Being certified with the Celebrant Foundations and Institute, I adhere to their code of ethics that commits me to serve people of all types and backgrounds with respect and professionalism. Every client I work with gets final say in their ceremony because a ceremony's unique meaning for my client is what is held as most important.

Question 2

Why should I have a ceremony?

Accepted Answer

There are many reasons to have a ceremony! Weddings and funerals are what are most commonly thought of when ceremony comes to mind. While I am honored to support people through both of these significant events, they are far from the only time we can benefit from acknowledgement of moments in our lives.

Historically, communities often had many rituals to ground their members in the passage of time and progression of events or projects. People would have traditions to demonstrate a younger person had come of age or blessings to celebrate the completion of a new building in their town. We would welcome a new member to the community or gather when an existing member transitioned through a change. These ceremonial gestures served many purposes. They bonded members of the group and strengthened a sense of community. They encouraged individual members to take responsibility for themselves, each other, and to the land. They supported people through grief and validated them through major changes or choices.

In modern times, many people have experienced a loss of community and connection to meaningful traditions or rites. By reestablishing ceremonial rituals that are modified to suit an individual's needs, we can take a step towards rebuilding communities that care for each other and our natural world.

Check out "What Makes a Ceremony" page to learn more about examples of ceremonies that you can create. Ultimately a ceremony can be made about anything that feels important to you.

Question 3

What kinds of ceremonies or events do you do?

Accepted Answer

I do ceremonies across the entire Life Cycle! That means that I will be happy to work with you to craft a ceremony for any moment that you would like to honor. This could be a wedding or a memorial for someone you have lost, but could also be a baby naming, coming of age, leaving a home or arriving to a new home, losing a job or starting a job, divorce, or any other event large or small.

I also create ceremonies that honor the cycles of our natural environment. I can hold full moon circles, new moon intentions, solstice and equinox celebrations, cross quarter rituals, along with many other moments that can help ground our own life stories.

All ceremonies can be done for individuals or as groups depending on what you hope to achieve. Check out "What Makes a Ceremony" to see some example ceremony types.

Question 4

Can you do events or ceremonies for a group?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Ceremonies that are for a group rather than honoring a specific individual(s) are great to help build connection between people or to engage many people in ritual at one time. If you want to engage a group in a ceremony or ritual but aren't sure what that might look like, send me a message and we can figure it out together!

Question 5

Do you work with businesses or organizations?

Accepted Answer

Yes! I can help create moments within an existing event to celebrate achievements or milestones of your business or work with you to craft something standalone.

If you're an organization that holds public programming, I can work with you to create workshops or events that engage your audiences. Let's chat!

Question 6

What can I expect when working with you?

Accepted Answer

We'll have a no-obligation introductory meeting where I'll learn more about you and I'll share a bit about what kind of ceremony I could work with you on. Once we decide to move forward we'll each sign an agreement confirming general expectations and the main details we discussed along in our call, along with a 50% deposit.

At that point I'll share a questionnaire for you to fill out with your goals for the ceremony and any information around what symbols and stories you find meaningful and would like included. I'll then use this information to write an initial draft of the ceremony. I'll share that draft with you for your review and feedback. We'll go through this collaboration until you are satisfied with the final draft.

I will then conduct a rehearsal of the ceremony if we have agreed upon this and then arrive at the agreed upon time and location to facilitate the ceremony. At the conclusion of the ceremony, you will receive a copy of the written ceremony for your own keepsake.

Question 7

How much does it cost to work with you?

Accepted Answer

Because each ceremony is unique, I meet with you before we make any commitments. At this meeting I will be able to provide a quote based on what aspects of a ceremony or ritual you are interested in.

Question 8

Can you do virtual ceremonies?

Accepted Answer

Yes! This option is great for people who aren't able to have a physical venue, live in a place difficult to travel to, or wish to have people who live different locations attend their ceremony. Let's chat about how we can make a virtual ceremony engaging.

Question 9

How long does a ceremony last?

Accepted Answer

This can be customized to your needs, but generally, most ceremonies that are done with an audience (i.e. wedding) are 15 - 30 minutes minutes and most ceremonies that are done for groups (i.e. a moon circle) are done within 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on your group size.

Question 10

Who can take part in a ceremony?

Accepted Answer

The short answer is - anyone you'd like! You can involve anyone that feels important to you. This could look like designated readings, musical performances, or other featured moments. It could also look like group rituals where each person takes part in a joint action. Let me know what you have in mind!

Question 11

Can I write parts of the ceremony, like vows?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! The ceremony is meant to serve you. If there's a piece of the ceremony you'd like to speak in your own words or have me speak something you wrote, that is more than ok. Ultimately, the ceremony is yours and we can chat about anything you'd like to include.

Question 12

Do you travel?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Anything accessible by New York City public transit is included with a standard ceremony package. If you'd like to have your ceremony somewhere else, let's chat! I am open to traveling most places with travel fees covered.

Question 13

Can you conduct legal wedding ceremonies?

Accepted Answer

Yes! I am registered with New York City to conduct legal weddings. If you are getting married outside of New York City limits, let's chat! I am open to expanding my registration.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions