Why Older People Make Brilliant Celebrants
Celebrations of Life
Kate Dyer and Kate Tym from Match and Dispatch and the Coffin Club
Photo by Dave Thomas
When we first became celebrants, we were in our thirties. Back then, it was all wedding confetti, outdoor ceremonies, and enough Prosecco to keep a small vineyard afloat.
A few years later, in our forties, we took the plunge into funeral celebrancy — discovering a whole new depth of meaning in this work.
Now, at 57 and 53 respectively, we’ve been celebrants for decades, and we also train new celebrants every week. And one thing’s become very clear to us: older people make absolutely fantastic celebrants.
In fact, some of the best celebrants we know are people who come to this work later in life — often around retirement age, looking for something meaningful, flexible, and human to do. Celebrancy turns out to be the perfect “second act” career.
It Fits Around Real Life
Many of the people we train are approaching retirement, or have already retired from jobs in teaching, healthcare, social work, business, the arts — you name it.
They’re looking for something that:
Has real purpose
Connects them to people
Can be done part-time or flexibly
Fits around caring responsibilities, yoga classes, or the occasional lunch with chums session
Celebrancy offers all of that. You choose how much or how little work you take on.
Some celebrants do one or two ceremonies a month; others build thriving businesses. There’s no single path — which makes it ideal for anyone who wants to stay engaged without going back to a rigid 9-to-5.
Life Experience Is the Best Training
By the time you’re in your fifties, sixties, or seventies, you’ve lived a lot of life.
You’ve probably experienced love, heartbreak, loss, grief, hope, reinvention — sometimes all before breakfast.
So when you stand beside a family at a funeral, or with a couple getting married for the first, second (or third) time, you bring more than just a polished script.
You bring understanding. Compassion. A calm sense that, you've seen some of the messy bits of life — and you’re not rattled.
People can sense that. It makes them trust you with the moments that matter most.
Patsy Pearce, Celebrant Photo by Georgina Piper
We’re Not Scared of Big Feelings
In funerals especially, that presence is invaluable. Grieving families need a safe pair of hands — someone who can hold space for them at the most difficult time in their lives.
It’s work for the unshockable. Sometimes you’ll hear the hardest stories:
A son who died at 29 after 14 years of alcoholism.
A marriage that was full of secrets.
A sudden loss of an adored person that has shattered a family’s world.
Older celebrants don’t flinch or judge. We’ve seen pain, lived through our own heartbreaks, and come out the other side.
We’re able to listen without freaking out, to honour a life honestly, and to walk alongside people as they navigate grief.
Families feel safer knowing the person leading the ceremony is steady, compassionate, and ... dare we say, wise (in the been there and seen that sense of the word).
Older celebrants usually know how to find that delicate balance between empathy and calmly taking the lead.
Transferable Skills (And We’ve Got Loads)
We’ve trained people from every walk of life — from civil servants to police officers, actors and musicians to business owners and charity workers.
People who’ve had full working lives and are done with what they did, but aren’t quite ready to give up on having purpose, connection, or the satisfaction of doing something meaningful.
Celebrancy gives them that chance.
It lets them step into a role where their life experience is an asset, where they can work on their own terms, and where every day brings the chance to help people navigate life’s biggest moments with care, compassion, and humanity.
We’ve seen how different backgrounds bring different superpowers to celebrancy:
Corporate professionals who are brilliant at project management, public speaking, and client relationships — but who want work with real human meaning.
Ex-teachers who are done with the stresses of modern classrooms, but still love engaging an audience, crafting stories and encouraging confidence at emotional times.
Nurses and healthcare professionals who carry enormous empathy, resilience, and experience supporting people through life’s toughest times.
Even if you’ve never worked in a “people job,” chances are you’ve managed complex family dynamics, planned big events, and navigated life’s curveballs. All excellent preparation for celebrancy.
Professional and Personable
Older celebrants often bring a wonderful combination of professionalism and warmth.
They know how to dress the part, keep their cool under pressure, and speak with confidence. But they’re also approachable, real, and often very funny — helping families and couples feel relaxed and safe.
Another huge strength is a lack of ego.
As you get older, you’re often more comfortable stepping out of the spotlight and making sure it’s shining where it belongs — on the couple getting married, or the person whose life you’re honouring.
You understand that you’re a facilitator, not the star of the show. It’s about their story, not yours. That humility and focus on others is a key reason older celebrants create ceremonies that feel authentic and deeply personal.
People hiring a celebrant aren’t just paying for a ceremony. They’re inviting someone into their story.
Life experience helps older celebrants carry that responsibility with grace and authenticity.
Kathryn Day, celebrant Photo Georgina Piper
It’s Never Too Late
One of the best things about celebrancy is that you can start at any age.
We’ve trained people in their fifties, sixties, seventies — and they’re thriving.
It’s meaningful work. It’s flexible. And it’s deeply satisfying to help people say goodbye with love, or celebrate love itself.
So if you’re wondering whether it’s “too late” to do something new, take it from us: some of the best celebrants out there are rocking the grey and a few creaky joints — and they’re nowhere near ready to fade into the background.
And their ceremonies are all the richer for it.
Kate T and Kate D of Match and Dispatch have been working as celebrants for about 25 years each. They LOVE celebrancy and working with people from all walks of life to make this their dream career. They are both married, have three (grown-up) kids apiece, and a dog each. They live in E Sussex. For more info - www.matchanddispatch.com
 | A guest post by
|
I loved this piece! Thank you for introducing me to Kate and Kate!
I was a humanist celebrant 2013-2016, and performed 100 weddings, 10 naming ceremonies, and 2 funerals.
I loved the work, but found it difficult to juggle with my two OTHER jobs, especially the long distance driving for weddings wrecked my back, and all my weekends were booked up 2 years in advance for weddings. And eventually, even bespoke weddings all began to appear the same.
I think that I would enjoy funeral celebrancy. You expressed so well all its advantages.
If I did it relatively locally, there would be less driving, and the unpredictable nature allows one to be either available or decline. I even am friends with a local undertaker.
I loved being able to give non-religious people a non-supernatural way of celebrating their loved ones.
What a lovely way to give back to the community! I really enjoyed reading this, thank you.