Frequently Asked Questions

What is a certified Life-Cycle Celebrant™?
Certified Life-Cycle Celebrants™ are graduates of the Celebrant Foundation and Institute. The international Celebrant movement was founded in Australia in the 1960s to respond to the needs of people who did not belong to a religious tradition but wanted a meaningful ritual to honour life transitions. Celebrant Foundation and Institute was founded in Montclair, New Jersey, USA in 2001 to teach the principles, history and practice of Celebrancy. Graduates are certified and professionally trained in ritual and ceremony. They create and perform unique ceremonies based on the client’s needs, beliefs and values. Each ceremony is a unique reflection of the rite of passage, transition or celebration of the client or person being honoured. The celebrant works with the client to design a meaningful ceremony for the client.

Is a Celebrant wedding ceremony legal?
Yes. All Celebrant Foundation and Institute wedding celebrant graduates are responsible for completing the legal requirements needed in their region to legally solemnize marriages. Barbara is authorized and registered under the Ontario Marriage Act to solemnize marriages in Ontario.

What are your credentials?
Barbara is a certified Life-Cycle Celebrant™ with a valid license to perform marriages in the Province of Ontario. Barbara is a graduate of the Celebrant Foundation and Institute, an ordained metaphysical minister with Canadian International Metaphysical Ministries (CIMM) and a student in the Walking Prayer Ministry programme of the Centre for Sacred Studies. She is a retired health care chaplain and anthropologist. She speaks English, French, German and Spanish.

What process do I follow if I am interested in your Celebrant service?
Barbara will meet with you (in-person, by phone, or via internet) for a complimentary, no-obligation consultation. We will discuss your hopes for your ceremony and options. At the end of the meeting, if you feel she would be a good fit for your ceremony, the necessary paperwork can be completed to guarantee your date. A retainer of 50% of the total will be required.

At that time, Barbara will explain the next steps to gather the information she will need and get your feedback to create your unique ceremony.

Do you perform same sex marriages?
Yes, absolutely. Barbara is honoured to perform ceremonies that are inclusive of all couples. White Feather Ceremonies fully supports the LGBT+ community.

Where do I obtain a marriage license?
You can obtain a marriage license by going to your local city hall. All the information you will need about getting married in Ontario is available online at: ontario.ca/page/getting-married. Please note that marriage licenses are valid for three (3) months from the date of issue (Due to COVID-19, for the duration of the state of emergency, this period of validity has been extended.) Within two (2) days of your wedding ceremony, I will mail your signed license to Service Ontario for registration..

Can we write our own vows?
Certainly! Barbara would be happy to provide any tips or guidance for that process should you wish it.

Do you recommend wedding rehearsals?
Rehearsals are not obligatory but they can be very helpful for more complex ceremonies. They provide the opportunity to see how your ceremony flows and give participants more confidence and ease about being in the right place at the right time. They also provide the opportunity to identify any needed adjustments.

Can children be involved?
Certainly! This is your ceremony. You can choose whom you would like to involve. There are many creative ways to include even the youngest children.

Are Celebrant’s services more costly than other wedding officiants?
This will depend on the complexity of the ceremony you choose and the different elements involved. Preparing a unique ceremony that incorporates ritual, multiple participants and/or cultural and language elements, requires more time and research to prepare as well as to conduct so will be more expensive. This is true not only for Life-Cycle Celebrants™ but for most wedding officiants.

What other ceremonies do you perform?

Other ceremonies include:

• Commitments and Vow Renewals
• Baby naming and welcoming
• Milestone Birthdays
• Graduation
• Retirement
• Celebrations of Life, Memorials, Funerals and Dispositions
• Pet Ceremonies