What It Means to Be a Humanist Celebrant - A Personal Story
On meaning, gathering, and why this work matters more than ever.
By Carrie — All Things Joyful | August 2026
✦ 7 min read
This is what it's all about — gathering the people you love, under open skies, to mark a moment that matters.
Why This Work Matters Today
I often think about Priya Parker's The Art of Gathering and how her principles feel like a roadmap back to ourselves. Her work reminds us that gathering is not just something humans do — it's something humans need. And yet, modern life has made gathering feel optional, even inconvenient.
But gathering is how we remember we belong to each other.
It's how we mark the moments that shape us.
It's how we honor our humanity.
When I design a ceremony, I'm intentionally countering the forces that pull us apart. I'm creating a space where people can slow down, breathe, witness one another, and feel connected again. I'm restoring something ancient and essential — the act of coming together with purpose.
“Gathering is how we remember we belong to each other.”
Guided by the Principles of Meaningful Gathering
My work is shaped by several principles from The Art of Gathering:
🌿 Purpose First
Every ceremony begins with the question: Why are we gathering? Not the surface-level answer, but the deeper one. That purpose becomes the compass for everything that follows.
👥Honor the People in the Room
Humanist ceremonies are built from lived stories, not tradition. I listen deeply so the ceremony feels like it could belong to no one else.
✨Intentional Design
Every element — the words, the pacing, the rituals, the tone — is chosen to support connection, not performance.
💛Meaning Over Mechanics
A ceremony isn't about checking boxes. It's about creating a moment that helps people feel something true.
🌟Create Transformative Moments
The goal is not just to gather, but to gather in a way that changes people — even if only slightly — by helping them feel more connected, more grounded, more human.
A couple lean in together over a handcrafted wooden box, resting on a barrel. One gently presses the lid closed as the other reaches toward it — a quiet, deliberate moment in the middle of their ceremony. A folded sheet of blue paper rests nearby, perhaps a letter to their future selves. It is one of those moments that needs no explanation; it simply means something.
The Heart of My Work
Being a Humanist Celebrant is not just officiating. It's not just writing. It's not just speaking.
It's holding space.
It's bearing witness.
It's helping people mark the moments that matter in a world that constantly tells them to keep moving.
It's creating ceremonies that feel like an exhale — places where people can show up as their full selves, without religious language, without expectations, without pressure to perform.
It's restoring the importance of gathering in a time when gathering has become rare.
Why I Choose This Path
I do this work because I believe that meaning is made between people.
I do it because I believe that stories deserve to be honored.
I do it because I believe that connection is a form of healing.
I do it because I believe that gathering — intentional, human-centered gathering — is one of the most powerful things we can offer each other.
And I do it because, in a world that keeps pulling us apart, I want to help create moments that bring us back together.
About Carrie
Humanist Celebrant | All Things Joyful
I'm Carrie — a Humanist Celebrant creating meaningful, non-religious ceremonies for weddings, funerals, namings, and life's most important moments. I believe every ceremony should feel completely, authentically yours.
Ready to Talk About Your Ceremony?
Every great ceremony starts with a conversation. Book a free 30-minute discovery call — let's see if we're the right fit.
hello@allthingsjoyful.org
