One-to-one tuition in celebrancy with Veronika Robinson (Funerals, weddings, namings)
Heart-led Ceremonies Celebrant Training
Heart-led Celebrants is a dynamic movement of autonomous independent celebrants who have been certified by Heart-led Ceremonies Celebrant Training. They are certified to rigorous standards in order to exemplify best-practice celebrancy. A Heart-led Celebrant creates, writes and officiates beautiful ceremonies with integrity, acceptance and creativity.
Celebrants who feature the Heart-led Celebrants logo are certified, and have professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Are you interested in training to become a Heart-led Celebrant?
Heart-led Ceremonies Celebrant Training is creative, practical, inspiring and thought-provoking (and for some people, completely life changing), but it also involves a huge level of commitment from the celebrant-in-training not only during the face-to-face training but afterwards with ongoing tuition.
Unlike some training organisations, our certificates are issued on aptitude not attendance. This guarantees that our graduates become working celebrants of the highest professional standard in the industry. We make no apologies for our high standards as we take the role of celebrancy seriously, and we honour the fact that grieving families are vulnerable, and that all ceremonies will be remembered by the client.
Regardless of the type of ceremony you wish to create and officiate, we expect a high level of professionalism from all our graduates. This begins with the commitment they bring to their training.
ABOUT YOUR TUTORS
Veronika Robinson
Veronika Robinson is a highly experienced working celebrant with 26 years of experience. She has had the privilege of officiating in New Zealand, Australia and England where she has written and led all manner of ceremonies, including weddings, handfastings, blessingways, namings, divorce healing, miscarriage memorial, conscious conception, funerals, memorials, interment of ashes, sagesse, menarche, and house blessings.
Veronika has a Masters Degree in Creative Writing, and is an author (fiction and non-fiction), journalist, public speaker, workshop leader, and metaphysician.
She is honoured to be a celebrant for Gift of a Wedding, a charity which provides weddings for couples where one of them is terminally ill. Veronika is the founder/facilitator of Penrith’s first Death Café which seeks to open up honest discussion around death and dying.
Veronika is the editor of The Celebrant magazine, an international publication which seeks to educate and inspire celebrants of all types and at all stages in their career. thecelebrantmagazine.co.uk
Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson’s whole career has been centred around his voice, and other people’s. He is highly experienced as a celebrant, trained actor, drama coach, voiceover artist, singer, broadcaster, compère, and ventriloquist. Paul is an excellent communicator and teacher, and has a sixth sense about how to relate to individuals, groups and audiences.
On our course, Paul shares insights and techniques on how to make the best of your personality, how to build your self-confidence, control any nerves you may have… and of course, your voice, your presentation skills and body language.
He will also look at how to engage with clients before a ceremony – and how to be the glue that holds any ceremony together.
Training Courses
The differences between the two courses are similar to the differences between a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree.
Certificate in Celebrancy
(weddings, namings, funerals)
Starts with THREE days of one-to-one sessions
(Three hours on Zoom, then the remainder of the day is used for written assignments and independent learning).
Certificate in Advanced Celebrancy and Ritual
(this covers all rites of passage/human transitions)
Starts with FIVE days
(Three hours on Zoom, then the remainder of the day is used for written assignments and independent learning).
How does it work
The training is divided into seven components with sessions via zoom:
One-to-one tutorials with celebrant trainer Veronika Robinson
One-to-one tutorials with voice and presentation coach Paul Robinson
Written assignments based on the modules of the chosen course
Independent learning time
Ongoing mentoring/script appraisal beyond the initial sessions
Monthly CPD on various aspects of heart-led celebrancy*
Monthly CPD specifically on voice and presentation*
*Group CPD with other Heart-led Celebrants (1 hour) these are optional, but included in the support offered
The face-to-face tutorial component of the training (via Zoom) with Veronika, runs from 9am to noon UK time, each day of your course. (If you have childcare commitments, please let me know, as this time can be altered if necessary).
When booking dates for training, please allow a full day and evening for each day of your course as you are required to fully complete all written assignments, as well as engaging in independent learning time between tutorials.
As part of the course, you will also receive:
Heart-led Ceremonies book
Guardians of the Threshold Study Guide
Workbook
Dedicated support from your tutors
Voice and Presentation Coaching
There are five one-hour sessions of vocal/performance.
A ceremony is where you bring all your learning and preparation into focus. It’s a moment of truth. Working with Paul – the voice and presentation coach – you’ll learn how to make the most of your voice as it is now, and how you can improve it. If you sound easy on the ear, you’ll connect with your clients and the people attending your ceremonies better than if it’s not. It’s a rare skill!
Even more importantly, you’ll find out how to communicate in a natural and meaningful way – from one to one, to a group of people. Without this ability, your other celebrant skills can’t flourish.
Paul will also guide you through what he calls the increments. These are the little things that aren’t hugely significant on their own, but when added will improve your presentation – online and in person. His aim is to help you be the best you can possibly be.
Ongoing Support
Upon certification, Heart-led Celebrants can join our closed Facebook group and also take part in monthly group CPD sessions via Zoom with fellow Heart-led Celebrants.
Learning Outcomes
The Certificate in Celebrancy training will show you how to create, write and officiate weddings (including offering a handtying and other rituals; and vow renewals); funerals, memorials and interment of ashes; and namings for babies, children and adults.
The role of the Heart-led Celebrant
Code of conduct
Understanding ceremony structure
Recognising the skills and qualities necessary for personalised and professional, heart-led celebrancy
Funerals, Memorials and Interment of Ashes
- The legalities of the funeral industry
- Essential skills of a funeral celebrant
- Family meetings
- Understanding grief
- Family disputes
- Funeral etiquette
- Working with funeral directors
- Cremation
- Burial
- Eco-burial
- Creating meaningful farewells
- Writing meaningful eulogies
- Crafting a committal
- Writing an Order of Service
- Funerary rituals: writing narrative and choreography
- Dealing with stress
Weddings and Vow Renewals
- Create bespoke wedding and vow renewal ceremonies
- Understand the legalities of marriage law in your country
- Write love stories
- Learn the essential elements and structure of bonding ceremonies
- Narrate and choreograph beautiful bonding rituals
- Relationships with other wedding suppliers, such as wedding planners and photographers
Naming Ceremonies
- Create, write and officiate bespoke naming ceremonies for babies, children, adults, and transgender people who wish to have their new identity formally honoured
You will learn:
- How to officiate indoor and outdoor ceremonies
- Create sacred space no matter what environment you’re in
- The value of intention setting
- Script Writing
- Rituals: narrative and choreography
- Performance
- Working with the Four Elements
- Celebrant Well-being
- Understanding the role of the Community Celebrant
- Voice development and coaching
- The use of amplification in ceremony
- Learning to be of service
- The responsibilities of being a celebrant
- Establishing your celebrant business in the community
- Marketing
- How to be self-employed
- Carrying out Health and Safety Assessments for Ceremonies
- Defining what is your responsibility and what is that of your client/venue
- What you’ll need for creating a website to showcase your business
Certificate in Advanced Celebrancy and Ritual
The learning outcomes for this course are as for the Certificate in Celebrancy above, and also include any and all rites of passage, such as menarche, conscious conception ceremony, blessingways, miscarriage memorial, sagesse (wise crone), new business, divorce healing, parting of the ways, coming of age, inner child, and more.
The ability to create, write and officiate ceremonies for ANY rite of passage
Creative Writing
Word Medicine
Storytelling
Archetypes in Storytelling
Symbols, Rituals and Altars
Ceremonial Herbs
Developing a higher-vibrational heart frequency
Enhancing Intuition
Sacred Connections with Clients
Metaphysical Marketing
The Four Sacred Archetypes of Building Your Celebrancy Brand
Your Investment
Certificate in Celebrancy
£1000
Certificate in Advanced Celebrancy and Ritual
£2,100
Applications
Applications are invited from people who are committed to developing awareness of self and others, willing to train to an excellent level, are creative, independent, inspirational, authentic and courageous, and wish to consciously create beautiful ceremonies in their community.
Unlike any other training course in England, this course is focussed on the importance of ongoing personal development, and takes a mind, body and soul approach to celebrancy and ceremonies. We recognise the importance of ongoing skill building.
The foundation of this celebrant training, and the life of a Heart-led Celebrant, is based on integrity and self-awareness, acceptance and creativity.
Before committing to this course, please ensure that you have the time and availability to dedicate to your training.
Please email for a booking form: veronikarobinson@hotmail.com
Testimonials
In March 2020, our face-to-face training converted to Zoom. In the following reviews from students referring to food or venue, please note that they trained before the Covid-19 restrictions. Aside from mentions of pear crumble or home-made soup, the content of the course remains the same.
Discrimination-free Celebrancy
I practise discrimination-free celebrancy.
This means that I will not discriminate (or associate with those who discriminate) against you on the grounds of religion or other beliefs, disability, mental health, race, culture, gender, gender reassignment, age, marital or parental status. I honour the right of each human being to celebrate their life.
You have my assurance that I will accord you the respect you deserve. This assurance is across the board in my work as a celebrant, celebrant trainer and as editor of The Celebrant magazine.
~ Veronika Robinson