The moment when you and your partner are standing opposite each other and preparing to say your vows is the climax of your wedding—it’s important to choose the perfect wedding celebrant to guide you through your ceremony. A wedding celebrant sets the tone for your wedding and works with you to express the thoughts, feelings and spiritual components of your union and ensures that your ceremony flows smoothly. The following tips will help you choose the perfect wedding celebrant.
Types of Wedding Celebrants
In Australia, wedding ceremonies must be performed by a registered wedding celebrant. Choosing the perfect wedding celebrant depends on the type of ceremony you are looking for and if there are any specific religious requirements. The four categories of wedding celebrants include:
- Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrants (for civil [non-religious] ceremonies)
- Commonwealth-registered religious marriage celebrants (for religious ceremonies)
- Ministers of religion who are from a recognised denomination (for religious ceremonies of a specific denomination)
- State and territory officers (for civil [non-religious] ceremonies)
Meet with them
Meeting with potential candidates in person is an important step when deciding the perfect wedding celebrant. By meeting with your celebrant ahead of time, you can ensure a good fit and that your personalities and specific needs of your ceremony (such a hand binding or tree ceremony) can bet met.
Ask for References
The majority of wedding celebrants have done more than one wedding, so there’s a good chance they will be willing to give you a reference of other couples they have married. Asking another bride and groom about their experience can help give you insight into the celebrant’s style, approach and how they interact with couples on the big day.
Discuss their level of involvement
Depending on the wedding celebrant and the types of services they offer, you may find that some celebrants are more involved in the pre-wedding ceremony planning than others. When you choose the perfect wedding celebrant, it’s important to understand beforehand how much involvement you need—from planning and pacing different parts of the service to helping you write your wedding vows, your wedding celebrant can be as hands-on or hands-off as you need.
Listen to them Speak
When you’re choosing the perfect wedding celebrant, you want to make sure you have heard them speak beforehand. Not only do you want to ensure that they have experience speaking in public, but you also want to make sure their pacing, tone and manner of speaking match the tone of your wedding and the personalities of you and your partner. Ask if you can view a recorded ceremony they have done previously, or ask them to read a small portion of a standard wedding ceremony opening.
Choosing the perfect wedding celebrant is one of the most important decisions of your wedding ceremony. Your wedding celebrant can also ease stress and tension of the day by walking your through your vows and engaging your guests as they witness the magic of your union.
