Celebrating the big moments in people’s lives
Alan Davies has the privilege of being a part of the big moments in people’s lives.
As a Authorised Marriage Celebrant and a member of Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants, Alan officiates at naming ceremonies, marriages, funerals and memorial services - the markers of a life journey.
Alan decided to train as a celebrant in 2013 after a varied professional career, including working as an actor, children's storyteller, stage manager and event manager.
“To be a good celebrant, you need to be a good listener and public speaker and you need to be able to write. You also need to be well organised; to be able to plan out an event and not leave anything to chance,” explains Alan. “I realised that I had a fair bit of experience in all of those areas and thought I’d give it a go.”
Alan also believes that his training in playback theatre, a form of theatrical performance, means that he’s particularly well-suited to his work as a celebrant.
“Playback theatre is a form of improvisation where the actors listen closely to an audience member’s story and then re-enact it on the spot,” says Alan. “On stage, you have to be a close and respectful listener and have the ability to get to the heart of a person’s story quickly”.
Alan approaches his work as a civil celebrant in the same way when he listens to a client share what’s going for them in their life and then crafts a unique, meaningful ceremony for them.
“I’ve been working as a civil celebrant for eight years now and ceremonies, celebrations and rituals are really important to me. I hope to be able to continue my work to commemorate the major milestones of people’s lives for many more years to come.”
ALAN DAVIES
“When I meet people I always ask them to give me a few words to describe what sort of tone or feeling they’d like to convey during the event. Do they want people to go away feeling light-hearted and full of fun? Do they want people to be impressed by the seriousness of the occasion?
“I then go away and draft a ‘script’ that encapsulates the essence of a person and a story with the appropriate tone, as well as provide practical instructions about who does what, when,” says Alan. “At the event, my job as a public speaker is to embody that sense of occasion through the way I speak, the way I stand and the way I relate to the audience.”
Alan’s face lights up as he remembers one of his favourite ceremonies - a marriage that he officiated in a couple’s backyard.
“They wanted a relaxed and informal affair in a garden setting,” says Alan. “Then the couple explained how they thought that the nurturing of a relationship was like the work needed to make a garden to flourish, and I thought this was the perfect metaphor for the ceremony.”
The woman had a child from a previous relationship that they wanted to involve in the ceremony too. “I feel that it’s important to include children in a ceremony but it’s not always easy - it has to be done in a way that’s authentic and genuine,” says Alan. “So in this case the couple were standing under a fruit tree in their garden, and when it came time to exchange rings the woman’s son used a rigged-up pulley to lower a little basket from the tree with the wedding rings in it. I just thought that was a quirky and beautiful moment that everyone will remember forever.”
It’s these sort of memories, plus the impact he has on many people’s lives, which offers Alan the greatest satisfaction.
“I’ve been working as a civil celebrant for eight years now and ceremonies, celebrations and rituals are really important to me. I hope to be able to continue my work to commemorate the major milestones of people’s lives for many more years to come.”
