Graduation Ceremony Takes Place Same Week as NJ Law Set to Go into Effect Granting Life-Cycle Celebrants® Legal Authority to Solemnize Marriages & Civil Unions in the Garden State

“This year’s graduating class of Life-Cycle Celebrants® are entering into field that is rapidly growing,” said Gaile Sarma, Founder of the Celebrant Foundation & Institute. “The demand for certified civil celebrants is on the rise as a reflection of the ever-changing face of family,” she continued.  “New Jersey should be proud to be at the forefront of giving couples of all backgrounds, traditions, cultures and faiths the opportunity to work with a Life-Cycle Celebrant® to create a marriage ceremony that best reflects who they are and want to be in their life together.”

The excitement surrounding New Jersey’s Certified Civil Celebrant law was just one facet of what made this year’s CF&I graduation so memorable.  At the event, graduates heard from Keynote Speakers Freddie Zeringue, Editor/Publisher of Natural Awakenings Magazine and Mary Lou Pernod, Vice President of The Knot, the premiere wedding resource site and magazine.  Both Zeringue and Pernod spoke about the many contributions certified Life-Cycle Celebrants® offer society and wished them well as they entered the growing profession.  A collective wisdom panel conversation with Celebrant faculty offered graduates some real-life advice as they set to embark on their new career.  The event then culminated with a celebratory dinner of South African cuisine where the celebrant graduates and their families listened to and participated in earth moving African drumming performed by Mark Wood of Woodndrums.  

“With New Jersey on the cusp of granting certified civil celebrants legal authority to solemnize marriages, there couldn’t be a more exciting time to become a Life-Cycle Celebrant®,” said Lindsay Attalla of Howell, NJ, a 2014 CF&I graduate.  “My profession offers people greater choice in how they want to honor their life’s milestones.  I am proud to be part of this choice, and live and work in a state that recognizes and celebrates it.  New Jersey is the model for other states to emulate.”