35 mistakes to avoid making as a celebrant

Having a solid foundation as a celebrant will set you up for a long-term thriving career. It gives you a solid base from which you’ll grow, flourish and prosper your way to becoming the best celebrant that you can be. 

But as with any career, the path to success is never a straightforward or smooth one and sometimes things happen along the way which can shake your foundations.

So I’ve listed 35 common mistakes you’ll want to try and avoid in order to keep your celebrant business in good shape and to help you to carry on enjoying a job that you love, to the maximum.

But I’m warning you, the list is a bit of a biggie! However, don’t forget, it’s just a list, offering a bit of guidance, not a rule book or celebrant bible. I’m not a rule-y, bible-y type.

And of course, I’ve added some of my Natasha-isms too for extra emphasis! I love a bit of extra emphasis. So here goes:

Mistakes to avoid…

1. Not being yourself. (Be yourself and be unapologetic about it. The end.)
2. Forgetting to network and get your name out there. (Do it, even if you hate it, like me!)
3. Not blogging. (I mean, come on!)
4. Not asking for help when you need it. (Ask!)
5. Comparing yourself to other celebrants. (Just stop it, already!)
6. Not charging enough for what you do. (Sort it out, asap!)
7. Not listening to your gut. (Instincts know best sometimes.)
8. Discounting your prices when you don’t want to. (Yes, please don’t!)
9. Not learning from your mistakes and failures. (We all make mistakes.)
10. Trying to get where you want to be too quickly. (Patience, people, patience!)
11. Failing to have a mentor or biz buddy of some kind. (Add it to your list.)
12. Not investing in your professional development as a celebrant. (Tut!)
13. Getting caught up in industry drama. (Sigh!)
14. Not demonstrating or acting on your belief in diversity, inclusion and equality for all. (Sorry, there’s no excuse.)
15. Not respecting your celebrant colleagues regardless of your differences. (Goes without saying, right?).
16. Working in a way that doesn’t suit you. (You do you!)
17. Not clearly defining what your ‘why’ is. Why are you a celebrant? (Can’t stress enough how important this is!)
18. Not reading up on and fully understanding your industry. (So important.)
19. Dressing for work how you think you should, instead of how you want to. (Tartan fluffy boots? You go, girl!)
20. Taking more than 48 hours to reply to an enquiry. (Longer looks less interested).
21. Publicly bad-mouthing or belittling your colleagues. (All the nopes.)
22. Forgetting to properly thank people who help you. (**Shakes head slowly**)
23. Not being as business-focused as you are ceremony-focused. (It’s really okay to be both in equal measure!)
24. Overwhelming yourself with social media. (It’s not worth it and it doesn’t need to be overwhelming.)
25. Not recognizing that you never stop learning. (Never!)
26. Forgetting to make your website sound like a human being wrote it. (Take out the jargon, industry speak and clichés and just speak from the heart.)
27. Competing instead of collaborating. (Win your own race.)
28. Setting yourself unrealistic goals or setting unclear goals. (Get clear!)
29. Not defining what success means to YOU! (Success is whatever you say it is, no-one else!)
30. Not believing in your own abilities. (Start. Believing. Now.)
31. Thinking that everyone is your client. (Hint: They’re not!)
32. Not having a support system or individual support. (So important.)
33. Not raising your prices when you feel it’s time to. (Raise them! Raise them!)
34. Doing things that you don’t want to do. (Set those boundaries, people!)
35. Not evolving and adapting. (Won’t get you anywhere fast.)

And there you have it. Thirty-five golden non-rules. Could you add to this list? I’m sure you could! What on this list are you struggling with? What for you is a no brainer?

Main image photo by Pedro Bellido Photography