How to choose the right Marriage Celebrant for your Wedding Ceremony

Your wedding plans are in full swing and you need to find and secure your booking with a marriage celebrant that you are comfortable with, so how do you go about finding not just an average celebrant but the right one for you?

It is imperative to ask yourself this when you embark on finding a celebrant to create your ceremony as you will most likely be working closely with them for some time leading up to your wedding day.

This decision is up to the couple but should not be made lightly. It is the one thing on your special day that must be right. Family and friends should look back on your ceremony for years to come, with great memories of your big day. A great celebrant that presents well does not cost that much more than an average celebrant - but the difference really shows through when it comes down to performing on the day.

I believe a great celebrant will have two qualities that separate them from the rest. They need to love what they do, and they need to care about providing the best service they can to the couple. A great celebrant makes all the difference to the overall success and outcome of your wedding day. The celebrant is a combination of many things including being the facilitator, providing and accepting ideas and encouraging couples to participate in the creation of their ceremony, so together you can create a ceremony that accurately depicts you and your love for each other.

The ceremony that you create with the celebrant has the power to change lives and enhance the quality of relationships. The guests that attend your wedding ceremony are after ceremonies of meaning and substance where the history of the couple, how they met, stories that brought them together over time are conveyed throughout the ceremony so that they walk away feeling happy and uplifted, and know they have truly celebrated the love, commitment and friendship of the couple they are close to.

Great celebrants are worth the extra money – they can offer a broader service to you that are both professional and friendly. In most cases, the difference between an average and great celebrant is not apparent until after the ceremony when you and your family have time to reflect on the day’s events.

A few things to keep in mind when choosing your celebrant:

• Meet with them before you book them. This is to ensure that you and your partner feel comfortable with the celebrant.

• Ask questions and offer suggestions, they will work with you to create your perfect wedding ceremony.

• Ensure a professional PA system is provided so your guests can hear the ceremony.
• Ask for a rehearsal. This is an important part of the overall success of your ceremony and allows you to be more comfortable with proceedings on the big day.
• Last but not least, make sure they are a celebrant who does not book multiple weddings in one day. (Ask them how many they do on a day and how many hours they leave between weddings). You want a celebrant that can dedicate the day to you and your partner, not one that is anxious about getting to the next wedding!

It’s not all about price when choosing your celebrant. “The disappointment of poor performance lingers on well after the happiness of saving a few dollars.