Remember these tips when choosing your celebrant and you are sure to have a wedding ceremony that will be personal, and memorable for you and your guests.
FINDING YOUR CELEBRANT
Your celebrant must be authorised in order to legally perform your wedding:
• Ministers of religion who perform ceremonies within recognised denominations
• Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrants who perform civil ceremonies
• State officials who perform civil ceremonies (no, that does not mean sea captains!)
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
If you’re planning to get legally hitched, you must:
• Be aged 18 years or over, or court-approved if one party is between 16 to 18 years
• Not be closely related – a brother, sister, parent, grandparent, child or grandchild
• Not be married to another person
• Lodge a written Notice of Intended Marriage form with your celebrant at least
one month before your wedding day
• Freely consent to become married, using specific words during the ceremony
• Sign records of marriage on the day, which the celebrant will lodge with the Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages in your state or territory within 14 days.
GETTING PERSONAL: CHOOSING A CELEBRANT
Ceremonies are often the part of the wedding that couples don’t really know how to make their own. There is so much personality of the couple in every other part of a wedding, from their invitations to the quirky sentimental pieces that make the wedding uniquely theirs. Yet, the wording and the structure of the ceremony is almost the last thing that is thought of. There are only 3 or 4 sentences that legally have to be said to make sure you are officially married, so everything else is able to be customised to the couple. A good celebrant should be able to work with you to have your ceremony reflect your style and theme for your relationship as well as the overall feel and vibe for your wedding and really let you make the ceremony your own.
The Ceremony is the start of your wedding day journey. Pick someone that is going to fit with your personalities. The ceremony can be one of the most emotional parts of your wedding and you need someone you feel comfortable to laugh and cry with. Someone that understands you, your sense of humour, your ideas and how you want to your ceremony to be received by your guests. A really good fit between celebrant and couple is important and the relationship you have with them can be over a long period of time. Sometimes correspondence and catch ups can span over a year! They will get to know the intimate parts of your relationship story and sometimes the harder times you want to acknowledge in your ceremony, such as losing a loved one. You should feel natural and comfortable to discuss things openly and honestly and your relationship with your celebrant should not be awkward or forced.
Get in early. A good celebrant will book out quickly sometimes up to a year or more in advance. Generally they can only be in one part of the city at one time and multiple weddings on one day can be hard work for everyone. The only other option is to be willing to be flexible on your time or date. The most popular wedding date and time is between 2-4pm on a Saturday. Early morning weddings or twilight weddings are a fabulous idea and will allow you to get the celebrant you want to work around other weddings. Friday or Sunday weddings are also a great option and often work better for other vendors too!
Once you find your celebrant, make sure that you have a contract or something in writing with them. This not only ensures you are getting what you are expecting, in relation to date, time, location and fees, but should also outline some terms and conditions for all involved. You should sign a contract with them, that way everyone is clear about what is expected of each other. This should include standard fee, travel costs and any other costs clearly explained for you to be aware of the total cost for the Celebrant’s services. They should prepare this for you, and if they don’t perhaps suggest that you would like something in writing just for your own piece of mind.
Ask them what they are going to wear to the ceremony! There is nothing worse than celebrant outfits that clash with colour schemes or bright colours, floral or prints (when not requested) that take the focus away from the couple. A celebrant should not be memorable for the wrong reasons. I like to suggest that they either fit with the colour scheme or blend with the groom’s colours to make the overall tone of your photos much softer.
Why not begin your search by contacting the celebrants listed on the First Comes Love Directory!?
Confetti Days
Donna adores hearing real love stories – people say the nicest things! Then she gets to borrow those tales to create a ceremony that is personal and authentic, hopeful and reflective of the way that they feel about each other. In return, she promises to bring a sense of calm and joy to every celebration. So tell her your stories and we’ll take it from there!
Elle Saunders Marriage Celebrant
We each have a story of how we met, the bond that formed, those special moments shared that led to putting a ring on it and commit to this thing called marriage. Let’s make your marriage more awesome than your wedding, the day you take each other’s hand and jump on a rollercoaster ride full of fun and adventure where you continue to annoy this person for the rest of your life because no matter what, you can’t see yourself without that person by your side. This is Elle’s idea of marriage, what’s yours?
Kiss Me You Fool
Dilhari is a modern, fun and totally enthusiastic civil celebrant. Her aim is to make sure that your ceremony rocks just as much as the rest of your wedding day. Dilhari insists on ensuring that your ceremony is personalised, makes you laugh and hits you and your guests right in the feels. For her, it’s all about throwing away the “rule book” and telling YOUR story in the way that is most true to YOU!
Delwyn from Love Bird Ceremonies is a passionate and professional celebrant. Her aim is to create a ceremony, together with you, that gives you goosebumps. She feels your ceremony should reflect exactly who you are as a couple. “Delwyn really understood us and what we wanted, leaving us feeling relaxed and excited for our big day.” Nicole & Tim
Shannon Britten | Civil Celebrant
Shannon is not your average celebrant, she has no rules when it comes to a wedding ceremony. Each wedding she has been involved in has been different and unique to all the others. It is your day and it should be done your way, and Shannon will do everything she can to help you facilitate that.
Image 1 & 2 by Folklore Weddings
