“Dynamic” might not be the word that comes straight to mind when talking about associations for civil celebrants, but actually that fits the bill quite well at present.
Not so many people have heard of civil celebrants, and far fewer will know (or care!) about their governing bodies, but I thought I would put that straight.
Although Civil Celebrancy, while not exactly in its infancy in the UK, is relatively unknown, it appears to be gathering momentum nowadays. There are several unions/fellowships for celebrants to belong to, but these organizations wield limited power and do not agree in every respect.
Last week I attended the quarterly meeting of FOIC (Fellowship of Independent Celebrants) near Coventry. Representatives of ARC (Association of Registered Celebrants) were there, with potentially exciting news.
ARC is an umbrella association for all celebrant organisations. In time, ARC will be able to lobby government on our behalf. FOIC is in the process of drawing up an approved syllabus and examinations for celebrants. ARC intends to qualify across-the-board accreditation, and those who fulfill the criteria will be able to call themselves “registered celebrants”.
FOIC celebrants will be full members of ARC.
Personally, as a FOIC-trained wedding and also funeral celebrant (with a growing portfolio of successful services behind me as evidence), I may not be far away from applying for registered status. This will afford still more credibility, both to the public and also, for example, to Funeral Directors, who often call upon me.
I am very excited!
I shall shortly be going on a family holiday, so will have to disappoint my die-hard fans, who are expecting a blog next week! I hope you can get over it!!
Michael Gordon can help prepare and conduct a tailor-made civil ceremony in or around London or, indeed, in Europe.