Helpful Hints for Choosing the Perfect Wedding Celebrant
Although it sounds like a cliché, planning a wedding can be one of the most stressful and time-consuming events of your life. It can also be one of the happiest if you are organised and are teamed up with the right people to help make the process easy and stress-free.
As planning for and organising a wedding is a long process, you’ll find that you quickly develop a relationship with key contacts, such as your wedding celebrant. However, don’t forget that choosing the person who will officiate your wedding and oversee your nuptials, is a careful selection and planning process in itself.
Here at Let’s Marry, we’ve made the selection process that little bit easier by providing a list of questions every future bride and groom should ask when choosing a wedding celebrant. Read on for all our handy hints and Brisbane wedding celebrant recommendations.
Can I proof my ceremony wording before the wedding? If so, when?
The precise wording and flow of your ceremony will leave a lasting impact on your guests as well as become a fantastic memory for you as newlyweds. Proofing the ceremony wording ensures:
• There are no unexpected “surprises” on the day!
• You know how the day will flow and exactly what to expect, allowing you to relax and enjoy your day.
• You can customise the wording, so the ceremony reflects who you are as a couple.
• You can rest assured the celebrant won’t confuse you with another couple and will get your love story and names and relevant information 100% correct.
If I take my husband’s surname, who submits my application for a marriage certificate?
To receive your official marriage certificate, there is paperwork which must be completed and submitted to the marriage registry. However, as your celebrant is authorised to sight your official identification, they can submit your completed application form to Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) on your behalf.
This eliminates the hassle of going to the BDM office armed with a stack of identification, or having to have documentation witnessed by a Justice of the Peace then waiting for a postal application to be processed.
We want to write our own vows. Will our Celebrant help us get started?
The hallmark of a good wedding celebrant is having the tools to help you write unique, personal vows. Not just random vows found through a Google search.
An experienced wedding celebrant will be able to provide examples and templates to help make the process easier. They are often able to suggest choice Bible verses or poems to incorporate or use as readings during your service.
What insurance do you have?
This is one of the first questions you should ask any prospective wedding celebrant. A compliant celebrant will have:
Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance.
Hold a copyright licence.
A PA system which meets current legal requirements.
Is there anything I’m required to include in the ceremony aside from legal wording?
The answer to this question should be “no”. However, if your celebrant insists you must include a “giving away”, “exchange of rings”, an “asking”, or insists the ceremony should run for a certain period of time, this demonstrates a lack of flexibility.
Will we incur a late fee if the bride or groom is late to arrive?
Your celebrant should outline how long they feel it acceptable to wait for the bride or groom within the service agreement. As some celebrants perform multiple weddings a day, late fees are included in their contract to deter either the bride or groom from arriving too late. However, we understand that life happens, and lateness may be out of your control. So, you should ask your celebrant for any relevant terms and conditions relating to arrival time.
In the event, you are unable to perform the wedding, what arrangements do you have in place?
At Let’s Marry, we want your wedding day to run as smoothly as possible. That’s why you should ask if your celebrant has a suitably qualified backup celebrant in place in the event they are unable to perform your ceremony due to unforeseen circumstances.
Our Top Brisbane Wedding Celebrant Recommendations
We understand that selecting a wedding celebrant is one of the most important (and often difficult) choices you will make. So, we’re here to make that decision much easier when deciding on the top Brisbane wedding celebrants.
For more information about choosing the perfect wedding celebrant or planning your wedding day, call the friendly team at Let’s Marry on 1300 LET SSS (1300 538 777).