How to ensure you choose the right Marriage Celebrant?
You have just become engaged, and already feel a little overwhelmed with the planning that is ahead?
I don’t blame you!
For some, it will be the biggest party you’re ever going to throw in your lives and for others, ‘eloping’ or something far simpler suits. In equal parts around the fun, both have their challenges. However, don’t be fooled by thinking planning a micro wedding is easier, because usually, those intimate spaces often have the biggest feels!
First and foremost, I always say it is important to have a serious chat with your partner about what you both value most about your wedding day and to invest a big part of your budget into that.
Now to be clear, the key points throughout this article truly do apply to all vendors involved within your wedding day. Overall, the most important thing is that all the moving parts fit together and align with the beautiful vision you both share. And when it comes to the celebrant component, in my humble opinion their main role is to gently and with consideration towards all, drive the vibe of the precious and sentimental space that is your ceremony, a space that in all honestly, alone has many moving parts.
Obviously the chosen celebrant is to send the pair of you off as official wedded partners, but rightly should also do a few more things, such as:
Have all the legal paperwork completed in an organised and timely manner from start to finish as well as being responsive and promptly to emails and all administration.
Ensure you are both supported and feel comfortable throughout the journey, on the day and afterwards.
Engage your family & friends beautifully by creating and customising the most gorgeous ceremony, onethat reflects you both as a couple. I actually like to refer to the ceremony space as a replica of my couples cosy loungeroom – but an elegant version of course!
Well wow, this is already a lot… so how do you find this golden nugget of a person? It appears they might need a few skills! What else you ask?
To start, they will need to obtain a long list of professional and interpersonal skills, especially when it comes to being approachable, warm, friendly, trustworthy, sincere, and adaptable.
They must be inclusive, open minded and creative because no two couples are the same.
Have excellent grammar skills with the ability to capture all the details to write amazing stories.
Be a confident public speaker with a special knack of creating maximum participation/engagement from small or large audiences with respect, consideration and care towards all.
Coordinating small and large groups around ceremony aesthetics and logistics.
Have impeccable personal grooming because they are attending weddings after all. I always ask mycouple their colour palette and theme and do my best to ‘blend in’ not ‘stand out.’
Now the above points are merely scratching the surface on a skill-based level but there really is so much more to choosing the right celebrant to officiate your nuptials.
Once you both understand the role this person will play on the day, narrow down your search through recommendations and the reading of reviews. Reviews are generally found via, Google, Facebook, on theirwebsite or a directory platform such as @abiaweddings where you will find mine.
In all honesty, your wedding planning journey is all about trusting your instincts, but you must also do your research, meaning the skill set required is simply what each vendor must hold to do the job well. In truth, the essence and heart of your day comes through… wait for it, connection!
Yes, you must all be on the same page and you will know this through feeling a sense of ease, comfort, warmth and excitement when you have an initial meet and greet with your potential supplier. This can beover the phone, face to face over coffee (or wine), or in more recent times, a virtual chat. Some couples willbe lucky enough to feel the connection simply by reading reviews and scrolling the vendors professional websites and social media platforms. This happens a lot!
In a nutshell, you will know you’re about to choose the right celebrant, because you will feel it!
Having said all of the above, I would love to share this review below. It was certainly one of thoseunforgettable moments for me as I read it, along with tears streaming down my face!
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Via @abiaweddings
“I have dreamt of my wedding day since I was a little girl; in that dream I had elements of how my dress would look, what flowers I’d love and what music would be played. I never once really thought about who would marry me, and when my husband and I began planning, we didn’t really carefully consider the celebrant as a ‘more important’ big ticket vendor in comparison to florist and caterer for example.
After this beautiful process of meeting Sommer, talking through our day and having her conduct our marriage ceremony, we cannot believe that we had those initial thoughts. Sommer completely changed our perception of a wedding day – the ceremony was by far our favourite part of the day and Sommer wasby far the most important element!
Without her, there would be no marriage!
Sommer told us when we first met that her goal as a celebrant was, ‘To make ceremonies more memorable!’ and she most certainly does.
Sommer has all the guests feel like they are on cloud 9 after being immersed in her words.
We cannot thank Sommer enough for telling our love story and marrying us. We will be forever in debt. Thank you.”
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And after her wedding day journey had come to a close, my darling bride above – Steph, went on to studyhard to become a Qualified Civil Marriage Celebrant. How special is that!?
Another thing to understand is the wide scope in celebrant fees you will both encounter. This will most probably shock you as it is vast – so again, research, look for qualifications, proven ongoing training and development, memberships to legitimate and respected directories, past experience and also if your venue recommends them on their supplier list.
I might not be the perfect celebrant for every couple, but the words above by Steph, really do outline how the ‘right fit’ can positively impact your wedding day. So, choose wisely, as it really is a very delicate role and I hope by reading this I have helped in some way.
Happy wedding day planning!
Written by Sommer Saunder Marriage Celebrant/MC & Lplater DJ!
