Planning a wedding?

The main reason I wanted to become a celebrant was so I can go to more weddings. I love them. As far as an events goes- weddings are my favourite.

Having been married before (twice, actually) I know how much fun the day can be, but  I also appreciate how important the role of the celebrant is.

In my first wedding, many moons ago, the officiant went on and on about some tragically sad story that had no relevance to my first wife and me. It’s as though he got started on a line of thought and didn’t know how to stop! As a happily married couple we were oblivious to the rant, but much later after the ceremony family and friends would gently ask, ‘What was he going on about?’ We went back and watched the VHS (yes, it was that long ago) and couldn’t believe the rabbit-hole story he took our guests through.

The celebrant was the pastor of my first wife’s family church and we thought it would be sweet to have someone who knew at least one of us.

We were wrong. Please don’t misunderstand me, we still had a great day and spent the next 20 years together, but it wasn’t quite the experience we were hoping for.

Fast forward 30 years and my current wife and I hand picked the celebrant we wanted and she was perfect (thanks, Sam!). We met online, discussed what we wanted to say and what we wanted her to say and it all ran seemlessly. She fit in with our personalities and she felt more like a guest.

Choosing the right celebrant for you is important to set the tone for your wedding. My suggestion is to have a look at your prospective celebrants online, maybe watch a couple of video’s, then go with your gut. If you ‘feel’ they might be a good fit, give them a call and meet with them.

Again, your gut will tell you who the right celebrant will be.