Ireland-based certified celebrant, Rebecca Kemp trained in our wedding celebrant training course and is a member of the Irish Ethical Celebrants Society. Drawing on her background in event management she now provides bespoke wedding ceremonies and can help you with a selection of the best local services and venues in Ireland.
Read on to learn more about Rebecca's celebrant journey.
What did you do before becoming a celebrant or in addition to being a celebrant now?
I worked for a festival, I continue to work in event management now and also design websites and manage social media for small businesses.
What experiences or past skills do you think helped you with being a celebrant?
I have quite extensive experience of speaking in public to large audiences at events, and with giving things like workshops and training courses. I am a published writer and writing is my passion, it's what I would be doing if I was so rich I didn't have to work! Since I was small I've been into writing and reading. My career and moving to a new country has meant I've had to be sociable or that I've needed to be able to get on with people and socialise, I think therefore that I'm quite personable. I've been told I'm a good listener and for a while I volunteered with the Samaritans, which is all about listening and not giving advice. I'm also quite creative, so designing my website and logo and business cards etc. was something I loved doing.
What made you want to train to become a celebrant?
I had a life-changing lockdown conversation with a very old friend of mine who had done the course when it was still able to be held in real life! It was a passing comment she made, I'd never even heard of it before and she just stopped and said 'Oh my god you'd be perfect'. I was looking at changing work due to the pandemic and this seemed such an ideal option. And I really trust my friend's opinion!
What did your friends and family think of your decision to become a celebrant?
Everyone just said, 'Oh my god you'd be perfect'! They were all really excited -- and still are, which is lovely.
Why did you choose to train with the Celebrants Collective?
It came highly recommended by my friend who had done the course. However, I did also do some research of my own. I live in Ireland so I researched some options closer to home. I liked the look of the Celebrants Collective website, the way the information was presented, and the general package looked professional, friendly, warm, supportive and gave me confidence in what I was buying into.
Wedding Celebrant Rebecca Kemp
Did you have any worries about being a celebrant which the course has helped you resolve?
Yes a good few. Things like the operational side of things, how does the process work after you get a gig, what is involved in a ceremony, how do you write a script?!! There were so many things I didn't know. The course was so easy to follow and it seemed like every question you had got answered a few minutes later. And if it didn't, which was unusual, you could leave a message and someone would get back to you within 24 hours.
What was your most favourite part of the course and why?
I loved the weekly online tutorials with Natasha. It was so nice meeting her - she is so lovely and friendly - and also meeting other trainees, even one nearby to me in Ireland! I actually quite liked writing my ceremony assignment and recording it. And really just all of it!
How has your training with the Celebrants Collective helped you to become a confident celebrant?
I feel like I have the answers to everything my couples may want to know, and that I come across in a professional manner. I also feel that I know more than they do, which is a great boost when you're starting out. Because the course is so thorough, you have all the answers and know what kind of suggestions to make. And if you get stuck, the Facebook groups are brilliant to get different points of view and to answer any questions.
What’s been your biggest takeaway so far about training to be a celebrant?
Whilst you are not legally obliged to do any training to become a celebrant you would be mad not to. The confidence the training gives you, the insights you get, the knowledge base that is in the collective, is invaluable. I cannot imagine becoming a celebrant without it.
What kind of celebrant do you think you’re shaping up to be?
An absolutely awesome one!
How have you been making a name for yourself since you became certified or in the process of getting certified?
I set up a website and Facebook business page, and shared my Facebook page on my personal page so all my friends knew about it. I started following as many local wedding venues as I could and also other celebrants on Instagram. Where appropriate I commented on wedding related posts by venues as my page. I started a blog on my website where I posted about venues I'd visited and things like why choose a celebrant over a registrar etc. The main way however that I have got clients is from driving around the county where I live (which is a big wedding destination county in Ireland) and arranging to meet the wedding co-ordinator at these venues to drop off my business card and a bunch of leaflets and have a chat with them about what I do. I also took them some homemade cupcakes!
What would be your advice to someone looking to train to be a wedding or funeral celebrant?
Feel like it's something you were meant to do and that you can really give your couples a great service. Then sign up with the training course at the Celebrants Collective!
We are so proud and excited to have Rebecca in our Celebrants Collective community and we know she'll be a fabulous celebrant ambassador.
If reading this makes you really excited about training to be a celebrant, make sure to check out our homepage for more on our celebrant training online and in-person courses.