How Much Does It Cost to Train as a Celebrant?

Nov 5

Deciding to become a celebrant is an exciting career choice, yet finding the right training path can be challenging with so many options available. The cost of celebrant training courses in the UK vary widely in price from £400 to £4,500.

With such a huge price range, understanding what you’re paying for is essential. In this guide, we’ll explain the factors influencing the cost of celebrant training and why a higher price doesn’t always mean better quality.



Factors Affecting the Cost of Celebrant Training

Celebrant training costs generally range from a few hundred to several thousand pounds, depending on various factors:

1. Course Type and Delivery Method

 Celebrant training courses can be delivered in several formats, each impacting cost and learning outcomes:

Face-to-Face Courses (£1,000-£4,500)

These are often more expensive not because they are "premium" but because the cost includes expenses like room hire, tutor travel, and accommodation. The most expensive also includes expenses for academic marking and administration for a qualification which you don't need and most participants never go on to complete.  As a result of the group-based nature of in-person training, face-to-face programs are often sociable but may lack in-depth, one-to-one practical assessments due to limited time and being unable to give individualised attention.

Live Online Course (£800-£2,000)

Similar to face-to-face courses, live online training reduces logistical costs for both the trainers and the participants. Live online celebrant training still follows a group format with limited practical skills assessments. Although there is some interaction, time constraints often mean one-to-one practice and feedback are minimal.


Self-Paced Online Courses (£1,000-£3,000)

This flexible approach allows learners to access training at their own pace via instructional videos and downloadable notes and resources. The best self-paced online training will include one-to-one practical skills assessments and feedback, which are essential for developing celebrant skills and expertise. Remember, academic celebrant courses get you to write about these skills whereas a practical celebrant course gets you do actual tasks a celebrant needs to do. You will then receive all the 1-to-1 honest constructive feedback you need.

Celebrant Training School’s self-paced options are a prime example, offering continuous support and practical skill-building sessions.

Correspondence Courses (£400-£500)

Typically the least expensive, these courses are often limited to theoretical study through written assignments. PDF resources are emailed to the participant to be read and then written essays and assignments have to be written and recorded on your phone for marking by a sub-contracted and anonymous tutor.

Live practical assessments and live interaction are absent, with feedback and support limited to written comments on essays and emails. 

More information

For a deeper dive into how different training options impact your timeline and preparedness, check out our blog post on How Long It Takes to Train as a Celebrant.

2. Course Coverage: Wedding, Funeral, or Both?  

Another significant factor affecting the cost of celebrant training is whether a course covers only one type of celebrancy (wedding or funeral) or both. Some courses specialise solely in becoming a wedding celebrant or becoming a funeral celebrant.

It is be better value to opt for comprehensive programs covering both as there are some conceptual overlaps although some of the practical skills and certainly the marketing is very different.

Many 3-day courses only cover weddings or funerals, not both. Courses that last for 5-days will cover both weddings and funerals but will still have to cut a significant amount of practical skills and marketing for each specialism to fit within a 5 day time frame.

For example, most 5-day courses will not cover practical sessions on burials or on meeting with bereaved families. They will also only be able to skim over the topic of social media and digital marketing for wedding celebrants which is actually very essential to get bookings. 

In contrast, Celebrant Training School does not compromise depth and content in its range of courses because each course is comprehensive and stand alone, however savings can be made by enrolling on more than one course at the same time.  These are called "Bundles". 
For example:

More Information

For more details on different celebrant career paths, see our post: What Qualifications Do You Need to Be a Celebrant?

Why Choosing Cheaper Celebrant Training Can Be a False Economy

We have outlined how more expensive celebrant training courses do not always provide a higher quality of the teaching and learning:

1. Class-based training lacks individual skills assessment and development
2. Face-to-face training has higher expenses for accommodation, tutor travel and room hire

However, while opting for a lower-cost celebrant training course may seem budget-friendly, it’s essential to understand the potential limitations:

Gaps in Practical Skills and Career Readiness

Cheaper courses often cut back on practical skills and business knowledge, which can leave gaps in your ability to secure bookings after training.

For example most correspondence course do not cover draft orders of service, how to get funeral bookings, wedding handfasting, social media marketing and the legal essentials when setting up your new celebrant business.

In contrast, Celebrant Training School emphasizes practical skills development and a unique "Celebrant Business Launch Pad" that provides all the essentials, including downloadable templates to save you time and ongoing support to help new celebrants start booking clients immediately.

Limited Post-Course Support and Coaching

Many face-to-face or live online courses only offer a brief period of post-course support. Correspondence courses offer no post-course support.

At Celebrant Training School, we provide a success guarantee with continuous support until you secure your first bookings, along with personalised coaching being available for those that want it to help grow your business.

Limited Marketing Tools

Some celebrant training providers provide loose advice and tips on how  funeral celebrants should get their first bookings. Celebrant Training School provide a comprehensive toolbox of proven marketing strategies and tasks to complete with editable documents to save time and get success.

Some training providers offer a directory listing or a basic website template as part of their course benefits. While this may seem attractive, these tools are often of limited value. These directories usually have low visibility, and template websites lack the unique branding needed to stand out.

See our YouTube Channel for marketing strategies we teach including The 7 Key Features of a Winning Celebrant Website. 

The Complete Celebrant Training Package

Celebrant Training School’s Complete Celebrant, Coach and Digital Marketing package (£2,897) includes both funeral and wedding celebrant training courses, personalised coaching and a six-week social media and digital marketing course to help new celebrants develop a successful online presence and marketing strategy.

Maximizing Your Investment with Discounts and Special Offers

Celebrant training providers often offer discounts and special offers.

Celebrant Training School offers limited coupon codes at special times, especially for those who attend special events. For example, our Celebrant Success Workshop offers savings of up to £900 on celebrant training.

Secure your spot here to take advantage of these exclusive offers.

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