Steph Carter | Family & Funeral Celebrant

Hello, My name is Steph Carter. I live in Derbyshire, in the City of Derby, from where I offer my Civil Celebrancy service, Amaranth Celebrants In the past, I have worked in adult education and as a community worker (young people & creative projects), trained as a design & technology teacher, and worked as a community artist. I then moved into ‚"voluntary sector‚" mental health support, where I remained for 20 years. In all those areas my aim was to support individuals in their journey, and put my experiences and knowledge at their disposal, and they were all important steps leading to Amaranth Celebrants. The other key steps involved experiences that led me to feel that very traditional funerals often lacked focus on the life of the person departed, and the feeling that I ought to do something about that, if it were ever in my power. So, when someone very close to me died I designed their funeral, and with the help and support of many friends, we delivered it. Afterwards friend‚'s son said, ‚"I don‚'t know if it‚'s right to say this, but I enjoyed it‚".

Since then, I have put together quite a number of funerals for family and friends; being told at one, ‚"You are an advocate for the dead. I hope that someone does something that good for me‚". Celebrating a life is so very important, yet so are the other ceremonies and celebrations that mark our journeys. Last year I was lucky enough to be asked to design and conduct a very personal wedding ceremony. It took place half way up a boulder hillside in the peak district, in the pouring rain! It was quite magical! So the stage was set. I sought out the support of UKSoC, and won their Ceremony of the Year 2014 award! Amaranth Celebrants was born. ‚"Amaranth‚" is from the Greek word amaranton, meaning "unwilting". The word was applied to the amaranth flower because it did not fade. At Amaranth Celebrants, I will walk with you, work with you, and design and deliver ceremonies that will live in your memory, that will not fade.

I would be honoured to help you celebrate the life of your loved one, and design and deliver their unique and personal funeral. I would be delighted to help you have the wedding or binding ceremony of your dreams, or work with you to create an equally memorable ceremony for other Rites of Passage and celebration, whether a renewal of vows, a naming ceremony, coming of age, or a celebration or ceremony to mark something else that is important to you. It does not matter what you do or don‚'t believe, because, for me, your ceremonies and celebrations should be about what is right for you.