Here is a question worth sitting with. If religion is declining, why do we still need ceremony? Why do we still gather, still mark the moments, still need someone to stand at the front of the room and hold space for us?
Char Srahan wrote her university dissertation on exactly that. And the answer, backed by anthropologists, neuroscientists, and sociologists, is that ceremony is not a religious invention at all. It is a fundamental human need. It predates organised religion entirely. And in an increasingly secular world, that makes what celebrants do not less relevant, but more important than ever.
In this episode, host Laura Crockett is joined by Char Srahan, a newly qualified AMC graduate who trained in weddings and namings and is currently working her way through funeral training.
Char brings a genuinely rare perspective to this conversation, part newly minted celebrant, part academic who has spent years thinking deeply about why humans need ceremony in the first place. Fresh off the course and full of energy, she is also one of the most honest voices on what the early days of building a celebrant career actually look like.
"It's the raw humanness of it. Getting the honor and the privilege of being there at such a pivotal moment to celebrate, to remember, is actually just the most mind-blowing thing." Char Srahan, Ep 26
💡 In this episode, you'll learn:
💎 The four reasons humans need ceremony, drawn from Char's theology dissertation and backed by anthropologists, neuroscientists, and psychologists, and why understanding this makes you a better celebrant
💎 Why only 20% of weddings and 17% of funerals are now religious in the UK, what that means for the future of celebrancy, and why Char believes the industry is going absolutely nowhere
💎 What "collective effervescence" actually means and why it perfectly describes what happens in a room when a ceremony is done right: the moment everyone stops watching and starts feeling it together
💎 How celebrants give people permission to feel, and why that distinction between a ceremony people observe and a ceremony people experience is one of the most important things you will ever understand about this work
💎 The honest reality of life just after qualifying: the limbo phase of building a website, joining directories, establishing a brand, and learning to be patient while the bookings come
💎 What surprised Char most about the AMC course, and why the academic depth of the training caught her completely off guard in the best possible way
💎 How Char is navigating the transition from her day job to full-time celebrancy, and the mindset shift around realising that not every couple or family is your couple or family
💎 The one piece of advice Char gives to anyone sitting on the fence about training, and why she says even if you never practised, you should still do it
✨ This episode is perfect for:
- Anyone curious about celebrancy who has never quite understood why ceremony matters or what a celebrant actually adds, Char explains it more clearly than most people ever do
- Aspiring celebrants who are still weighing up whether to take the leap, Char finished training just before recording this and brings that pre-leap energy with her
- Academy of Modern Celebrancy students who are in the middle of their training right now and want to hear from someone who has just come out the other side
- Qualified celebrants who want to reconnect with the deeper reason this work matters, because sometimes you need to hear the science to remember the soul of it
For more on the business-building side of life after qualifying, Episode 20 is worth going back to, where Laura Crockett shares her own journey and talks about what it really takes to grow a celebrant career over time.
After this episode, you will understand not just why people hire celebrants, but why humans have always needed ceremony, and why that need is only growing. That is a powerful thing to carry into every consultation, every script, and every ceremony you lead.
🌟 Still exploring whether celebrancy could be your calling?
Take our free quiz to find out if this is the path for you.
💒 Beyond The Ceremony Podcast: Modern Celebrancy. Unfiltered. 💒
Everything you need to know about how to succeed as a modern celebrant. From top tips on how to create unforgettable ceremonies, to success stories from some of the best in the biz, we give you a behind-the-scenes look into life as a celebrant. Hosted by Laura Crockett, award-winning celebrant, radio personality, and host of Beyond The Ceremony.
MEET GUEST, CHAR SRAHAN
Char Srahan is a newly qualified AMC celebrant specialising in weddings and namings, with funeral training well underway. Before celebrancy, Char studied theology at university, which is exactly as interesting as it sounds, focusing her dissertation on secularism in the UK and why humans still need ceremony even as religious identity declines. She went on to work in culture and wellbeing roles that gave her a deep grounding in public speaking and holding space for people in vulnerable moments. Sharp, warm, and genuinely excited about the work ahead of her, Char is one to watch.
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MEET YOUR HOST, LAURA CROCKETT
Laura has been an independent celebrant for 5 years and absolutely loves it. It makes her so proud seeing how far she’s come in that time. Laura feels like she’s found her calling and is so excited to keep progressing and growing her Celebrant business! Laura creates all kinds of ceremonies, including Weddings, Funerals, Vow Renewals, and Naming Ceremonies. Before she was a celebrant, Laura was a breakfast radio presenter, so her happy place is either at the front of a ceremony or sitting behind a microphone!
At home, Laura is married to Johnathan (a primary school teacher and her biggest cheerleader) and a mummy to two boys – Woody and Dougie. Laura is also a dog mum to Betty and Barney, the cockapoos! They can often be found curled up by her side when she’s writing scripts or lying by the radiator in the office when she’s on couples calls!
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