Choosing A Wedding Celebrant
July 5, 2007
A wedding celebrant is the person who conducts your wedding ceremony and legalizes your marriage. A professional wedding celebrant can help you choose your style of wedding ceremony, or design one of your own creations. Finding a celebrant you trust and feel a good rapport with is crucial, since this person will direct the most important and memorable part of your wedding day. While many wedding ceremonies are still performed by religious officials, more than half of weddings in Australia are now overseen by a wedding celebrant.
You should begin your search for a wedding celebrant many months in advance. Good celebrants are often booked up well ahead of time. Saturday afternoon is the most popular time to hold a wedding, so if you wish to have yours then, be aware that a celebrant may be difficult to find. It may be a good idea to have alternate times in mind, especially if you wish to book a specific celebrant.
One excellent way to find a wedding celebrant is to ask friends and family for recommendations. There are also organisations of professional celebrants, such as the Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants. Many celebrants have won awards in their profession, and have testimonials that you may read from previous couples.
When interviewing a potential celebrant, ask about issues that are important to you. Perhaps you would like to have family or friends participate in the service, or you’d like to incorporate aspects of your cultural background. A good wedding celebrant will be open to suggestion and will help you plan a wedding based on your preferences. Many celebrants will be able to help you write your vows and select appropriate poetry or readings, as they often have a wide selection of examples to browse. Be sure to ask whether the celebrant has a public address system available, if one is needed. Some wedding celebrants even supply music if requested.
A wedding celebrant’s fee is determined by a number of factors, such as how many times you wish to meet before the ceremony, whether you will hold a rehearsal, and how much planning he or she contributes to the event. Naturally, the more time the celebrant spends on your wedding ceremony, the higher the fee will be. As with any service, however, choosing the least expensive celebrant is not necessarily a good idea. You may wish to meet with several celebrants before choosing one whom you feel comfortable with as a couple.
Keywords: Wedding Celebrants, Weddingblog, Wedding
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