How to Go About Choosing a Marriage Celebrant
So, The Question has been popped, your dream venue has been booked, and you’ve started to make a shortlist for other suppliers. But many customers have a hard time getting started with choosing a marriage celebrant to oversee their nuptials.
Choosing a marriage celebrant to oversee your wedding ceremony can be a bit of a daunting task. By this point, you have probably got a pretty clear picture in your mind about how your perfect wedding looks. Entrusting a supplier to bring this vision to life in front of all your family and friends makes this an important decision in the wedding planning process. There are, however, a number of things you should look for to make this choice a little easier and help you you find someone who is the perfect fit.
What a celebrant does
It’s important to understand exactly what a celebrant does. In Australia, a Marriage Celebrant is someone who is authorised by the Attorney General’s department to solemnise marriages. They are trained and kept up to date with current laws to make sure your union is binding and legal. However, that is only one side of the job. The creative side of celebrancy is where the fun starts. With many couples choosing to distance themselves from traditional ceremonies, modern civil unions are where a celebrant shines.
Celebrants work with couples to design their perfect ceremony. Many will have their own templates, but should be flexible to include elements that you, the couple (and the customer!) desire. Celebrants love to hear your vision and enjoy the challenge of carrying it off on the big day. Experienced celebrants will also be confident to help you craft your wedding vows to one another making sure they flow perfectly and convey exactly what you mean to say.
Celebrants can point couples in the right direction of Relationship Services. They also often know other suppliers in the industry they can introduce you to if you need help. Many celebrants offer additional services such as MCing your reception, or dance classes which can save a lot of stress in the lead up to the day.
Humour should be added to naturally embellish a couple’s story
So, What should you look for?
Do they get it?
The major thing you want to ensure is that your celebrant understands your vision. This is a two-way street and you need to be comfortable telling your celebrant exactly what you want - don’t hold back! Your celebrant should ask specific questions to draw your vision out instead of assuming certain things. Your celebrant should also be able to give you feedback and suggestions surrounding elements of your big day such as readings to break up the ceremony or wording of your “I Do’s”.
Do they look like they’ll fit?
Celebrants come in all shapes and sizes. We are all unique just like you! As such, we all have our own traits that differentiate us. Younger celebrants will naturally have slightly different ways of speaking compared to older celebrants. Tone and pitch of voice will differ with everyone. And each celebrant will have their own flair when it comes to dressing. It’s a good idea to take a look at any photos or videos the celebrant has posted on social media or on supplier websites to get an idea of how they come across when making your short list. You can also request this privately.
When choosing a celebrant, consider if they dress the part.
How do they come across?
Your celebrant should understand that the day is about you, not them. Too many jokes can diminish the personability of a ceremony. Humour should be added to naturally embellish a couple’s story, not for a celebrant to gain favour with the guests. Their tone should reflect the occasion and they should be able to adapt to the feel of the day. If it is stiflingly hot in Summer, those in attendance will be irritable and the celebrant should adjust their tone accordingly. The job is more than just reading words on a page aloud. As a celebrant, you create the experience for all.
Lastly, you should choose someone you get along with. You can tell very quickly whether you are going to like someone or not. First impressions are often correct and you shouldn’t be worried if during your correspondence, you don’t gel, move on! Any celebrant will tell you how important the relationship is as it is teamwork that will determine the success of your day.
