Ceremony and Celebration – mid-year kick start to your celebrant training!
30th/31st May & 6th/7th June 2026 (online across 2 weekends)Is now the time? Have you been wondering what a celebrant really does, what makes a ceremony meaningful, or whether celebrancy could be your next professional step? Perhaps you have long wanted to become a marriage celebrant, or you have completed Marriage Celebrant Essentials and are ready to explore the deeper ceremonial dimensions of this mahi. Did you start with other papers and still need Ceremony and Celebration to complete your qualification?
Ceremony and Celebration offers a realistic and inspiring introduction to professional celebrancy. The course explores a wide range of contemporary ceremonies and begins to build the core skills required for practice as a professional celebrant. It is recommended as the first course toward the Certificate in Celebrant Studies (although other entry points are possible).
You will:
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Develop a strong understanding of ceremony and ritual
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Explore the role of the celebrant in Aotearoa-New Zealand
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Build essential writing, presentation, and delivery skills
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Learn a practical framework for planning and designing ceremonies for births, deaths, marriages, and other significant life events
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Gain confidence, clarity, and a grounded sense of professional practice
Course dates and format
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Weekend 1: 30 & 31 May, 9.00am – 4.00pm
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Weekend 2: 6 & 7 May, 9.00am – 1.00pm
(The course is delivered across two weekends, one of which is King’s Birthday weekend.)
Delivery
The programme is delivered fully via Zoom. We have created an engaging online learning experience that keeps participants connected, active, and involved. Past participants consistently report strong skill development, meaningful professional connections, and genuine enjoyment throughout the course.
Invest in yourself — and in your confidence and competence as a professional celebrant. Enrol by 13 May to secure the discounted earlybird fee.
Important Note: If you are aiming to graduate at our special 30th Anniversary year-end event, any other necessary papers will be able to be completed by November, but this is the final C&C for 2026.
Polish Your Practice (Prof Practice – Pt 2)
starting Monday 21 September 2026Prerequisite: This paper is one of the two short courses that make up our Professional Practice strand. It is typically completed last in your CertCelSts qualification, but may be taken prior to Pt 1 – Building Your Brand. Please contact the Director if you are uncertain about your eligibility.
Polish Your Practice consolidates your learning across the four quadrants of professional celebrant practice to refine your craft. It focuses on strengthening client engagement for more complex ceremonies, deepening your understanding of ceremonial purpose, and advancing your capability in working with diversity, difference, and sensitive contexts.
In addition, we examine emerging sector issues, including the role of technology and artificial intelligence in contemporary celebrancy. Participants may request specialist topics of interest, allowing the cohort’s needs to shape elements of the curriculum.
The course is delivered over four Zoom sessions, held weekly, 7.00pm-9.30pm (NZT) on these dates:
Monday 21 September 2026
Monday 28th September 2026
Monday 5th October 2026
Monday 12th October 2026
Sessions combine discussion, case studies, skill-building exercises, ceremony delivery, and facilitated peer reflection. If you are aiming to graduate this year, please note this is the final opportunity to complete this paper in 2026.
Enrol by 31 August for earlybird rate
Marriage Celebrant Essentials (June)
starts Tuesday 23 June 2026 on ZoomThis very popular, on-line, short course provides all the essentials for starting out on the right foot as a marriage celebrant. It ensures a thorough knowledge of the legalities imposed by the Marriage Act and recent changes affecting celebrants. You will be well set up for applying or renewing your appointment with BDM, and dealing with the tricky legal questions that invariably arise in a public role. You will learn about designing ceremonies at the simpler end of the spectrum and practical tips to build your confidence.
Class times on Zoom:
Tuesday 23 June 2026: 7:00pm-9:30pm
Tuesday 30 June 2026: 7:00pm-9:30pm
Tuesday 7 July 2026: 7:00pm-9:30pm
This June MCE course flows on from Ceremony and Celebration, the foundation paper for the Certificate in Celebrant Studies. If you are serious about working as a professional celebrant, this combination will give you a strong start towards realising your dream. Note that MCE is also offered in May and July to give you some flexibility to choose your preferred dates. You can do MCE and C&C in either order.
The Earlybird rate for the June MCE class closes 19 May after which the standard course fee of $425 applies. Saving a few dollars always helps, but the main reason to enrol early is that this course often sells out so it is advisable to secure your place. To enable smooth processing of enrolments and adequate time for pre-course student preparation, we require enrolments at least one week before course commencement. Enrolments after this date incur a 10% admin surcharge.
Transition Ceremonies – Diploma paper
starting Wednesday 8 July 2026 - evening and weekend Zoom sessionsPrerequisite: At least 2 previous TCS papers including Ceremony & Celebration
Extend your skills and practice into Transition Ceremonies in a small class of experienced peers! This is an advanced course focusing on the design and delivery of ceremonies for transition through change and crisis – whether personal, family or community (e.g. illness, bereavement, abuse, infertility, separation and divorce, natural disasters etc). It is principally intended for those with existing mastery of key ceremony skills, and some experience as celebrants (or facilitators). If unsure, you are welcome to contact the Director to discuss your eligibility and seek special entry.
Dates: Wednesday evenings 8, 15, 22, 29 July & 5 Aug 7-9.30pm
plus Sunday 9 Aug 9.30 – 3pm
Weekend session time may vary depending on group size
Because this course is only offered every 2nd year, for many students, this will be the final paper for their Diploma in Celebrant Studies. Grab this opportunity to graduate in our 30th Anniversary celebrations.
Earlybird fee available until 17 June
Professional Practice – Build Your Brand
Monday 13, 20 & 27th July 2026Prerequisite: This is designed for students who have already completed at least one Certificate paper. Practising celebrants wanting to improve their management and marketing systems are also welcome to enrol in this as Ongoing Professional Development (OPD) which is recognised by Celebrants Aotearoa.
Student feedback has shown that celebrants often start making decisions about their brand early in their training, so to help avoid expensive mistakes, our Professional Practice strand is divided into two, shorter, stand-alone courses, each with a distinct focus. This first one (BYB) helps you to define and/or refine your brand and to establish the systems to manage, market, and support your practice. This course can be taken at any point during your training.
The course consists of three Zoom evening sessions held 7.00pm-9.30pm on Monday 13, 20 & 27 July and an applied assignment on which you will receive individual feedback.
To provide adequate time for pre-course work (which will require some research on which to base your celebrant branding and systems), and to take advantage of the earlybird rate, please enrol by 31 May.
Polish Your Practice (PYP), the ceremony design part of Professional Practice, will be offered both in May and September, and is best undertaken towards the end of your Certificate programme. We hope these two opportunities enable as many current students as possible to complete course requirements and graduate as part of our special 30th Anniversary event in Auckland on 21/22 November. It would be wonderful to have you there – so save the date!
Marriage Celebrant Mastery
Starting Tues 18th August 2026 in weekly evening sessionsThis in-depth course is designed for those seeking to become fully trained, professional marriage and civil union celebrants offering bespoke, personalised ceremonies.
Building on the foundation of our Marriage Celebrant Essentials (MCE) course, this MCM course assumes a strong working knowledge of the legal responsibilities outlined in the Marriage Act and Civil Union Act.*
You’ll explore the full design process and a broad range of creative elements that can be woven into modern ceremonies of commitment. Through practical, hands-on learning, the course covers:
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Interviewing techniques
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Vow coaching
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Enhancing your ceremony writing and delivery
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Responding to the diverse needs of couples
- Managing Rehearsals
Whether you’re aiming to deepen your celebrant practice or elevate your professionalism, this course is practical, inspiring, and fun!
Course Format:
Tuesdays, 18 August – 15 September
⏰ 5 weekly evening sessions, 7:00pm–9:30pm (via Zoom)
*Practising celebrants who have already conducted four or more marriage ceremonies may apply for direct entry, bypassing the MCE prerequisite.
Enrolment Details:
To ensure smooth enrolment and allow time for pre-course preparation, we strongly recommend registering early. Earlybird rate available until 21 July, so please enrol early!