Gabrielle Pritchard was inspired to start this adventure into the world of celebrancy after being asked to conduct a wedding ceremony for good friends in the south of France. “I’d been asked to MC some weddings before but hadn’t really considered the role of celebrant for myself. Although I was initially a little daunted, I decided this was an opportunity I couldn’t and wouldn’t turn down. After all, I love celebrations, writing, dressing up, and helping people mark special events.”

Gabrielle chose to undertake study with The Celebrant School to complement her other skills and qualifications. She found it valuable to network with other celebrants: both the newbies like her, and the more established celebrants who were upskilling. The structure of the programme was great, and the teaching team were warm, encouraging, practical and experienced.

As a mother of three who manages a small marketing consultancy, Gabrielle considers celebrancy “my heart-warming, side hustle.” I’m grateful to have a supportive partner to help keep all the plates spinning,” she confesses. Future plans include having a “portfolio career” with her celebrant role being a critical part of the mix.

“I would recommend The Celebrant School to anyone who wants to go into celebrancy fully equipped and confident, or for existing celebrants who want to fine tune their skills,” says Gabrielle. She stresses that this is no small undertaking. “Unless you’ve started your own business before, you might find it takes longer than you expect to get set up and started … and, in a very crowded market, it’s vital to establish your point of difference and have a solid marketing plan.”