51 mistakes to avoid making as a celebrant

A few years back we published our list of 35 mistakes that you should try to avoid making as a celebrant. And judging by all of the messages, emails and comments we got back then, we knew that it hit the spot for many celebrants.

So we've gone even bigger this time around and created a list of 51 no-nos. 51 mistakes you’ll want to try and avoid in order to keep your celebrant business and celebrant mental health in good shape and to help you to carry on enjoying a job that you love, to the maximum.

So, before you get stuck in, please remember, it's just a list offering a bit of guidance, not a rule book or celebrant bible. It's just our take on the things we know help us to stay in our celebrant lane and to be the best versions of ourselves as celebrants.

So here goes, in no particular order:

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 Natasha! Be more Claire!)
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 or have 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, biz buddy or support system 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 diversity, anti-racism, inclusion and equality for all. (Sorry, there's no excuse.)
15. Not respecting your celebrant colleagues regardless of your differences in style, opinions, personalities etc. (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. Not having a Google Business Profile. (It’s 100% free and probably one of the best business listings out there!)
23. Forgetting to properly thank people who help you. (**Shakes head slowly**)
24. Not being as business-focused as you are ceremony-focused. (It's really okay to be both in equal measure!)
25. Feeling guilty about not being productive every single day or doing something work-related every day. (Guilt-free rest is your divine right, please take note!)
26. Overwhelming yourself with social media. (It's not worth it and it doesn't need to be overwhelming.)
27. Attaching your worthiness to your number of bookings. (Bookings don't equal worthiness, okay?)
28. Not recognizing that you never stop learning. (Never!)
29. 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.)
30. Competing instead of collaborating. (Win your own race.)
31. Setting yourself unrealistic goals or setting unclear goals. (Get clear!)
32. Not defining what success means to YOU! (Success is whatever you say it is, no-one else!)
33. Not believing in your own abilities. (Start. Believing. Now.)
34. Thinking that everyone is your client. (Hint: They're not!)
35. Thinking you have to do stuff that you don't want to do or that no longer serves you. (Just stop doing it!)
36. Not raising your prices when you feel it’s time to. (Raise them! Raise them!)
37. Doing things that you don’t want to do. (Set those boundaries, people!)
38. Focusing too much on what other celebrants are doing. (Mind your own business.)
39. Not focusing on your business finances and understanding how much money you need to make or indeed, even make! Where are you leaking money? (Get your money stuff in order!)
40. Forgetting that you are not alone and you are a part of a wider community of celebrants. (We’re all in this together!)
41. Not evolving and adapting. (Won't get you anywhere fast.)
42. Comparing your day 1 as a celebrant to someone’s day 795. (We see you, newbies! Stop it!)
43. Not honouring your own values, internal policies and ethics as a celebrant.
44. Forgetting that social media only offers a snapshot into people's lives and businesses. (A snapshot doesn't always show the whole picture!)
45. Asking to see examples of other celebrants’ work, before you’ve really tapped into your own creativity. (Shortcuts are helpful, but the long journey teaches you lots more!)
46. Not being kind to yourself. Not being your own best friend. (Please be gentle with yourself.)
47. Making perfection your number one goal. (Why not try creating magical experiences as a top goal?)
48. Not appreciating what you’ve achieved as a celebrant. (Be grateful for where you are, it will help you get to where you’re going.)
49. Believing there is only one way of doing something as a celebrant. (Nope, sorry!)
50. Not listening to our Celebrant Survival Podcast. (Hee, hee, we just threw that in for a laugh, but actually we’re deadly serious!)
51. Not being the best ambassador that you can be for the celebrant industry.

We hope you've enjoyed our list. Which pointer(s) spoke to you the most? Maybe take a moment to journal on them and see what else you can uncover and ultimately, fix if necessary!