How to choose the best celebrant (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this article, I discussed what to consider before you decided on a particular celebrant.  This part talks about where to find a good celebrant.

So where to start?

1.Ask somebody who has recently been married.

This is not the same as asking someone who has recently been to a “good” wedding.  The ceremony is the culmination of a substantial process that a good celebrant will lead you through.  A person who was just married will appreciate whether the ceremony was everything they expected.  Did they feel included in the preparation of the ceremony, where they wanted to be?

A person who sees just the ceremony may not appreciate whether the level of romance and humour, simplicity and individuality was as expected.  However, in the absence of somebody who has recently been married, at least this person knows how the final ceremony went and will have valuable advice.

2. Visit Wedding Expos and Fairs.

This is an opportunity to speak to a few celebrants obligation free, and if you wish, even anonymously.

You can get a brief idea of how they talk, what they charge, and what you could expect them to do in a ceremony.  Be wary of a celebrant who won’t give you a good understanding of what they charge.  (In fact, this applies to everything in general life!

3. Look at Celebrant websites

Often websites provide an insight into the type of celebrant.  This is particularly so for those sites that appear less than super professional.  Sites that are not all razzmatazz often give a good idea of how the celebrant would see your wedding.  Is the celebrant humorous, is there an emphasis on flowery romance, and is the grammar correct?

Take the time to look at a few pages, and see what type of wedding you think you will get.

The busiest and most impressive websites are often built and designed by non-celebrant professionals.  Their aim is to get the maximum amount of referrals, irrespective of the matching of client to service.  Look for celebrants that say what they do rather than how wonderful they are.

4. Look at Celebrant Association websites

These associations can refer you to one of their members who is local to you.  They normally can’t truthfully vouch for the quality of the celebrant as none seem to have any sort of a quality assurance process.

However, being a part of an association might give you confidence that the celebrant has colleagues that can help her if she gets into some dilemma or other.

5. Look up the Attorney-General’s celebrant website to find out what celebrants are available in your neighbourhood.  https://marriage.ag.gov.au/marriagecelebrants/civil

Sometimes a celebrant nearby can be just as good as that from a flash website.  And the chances are that if you speak to a few local celebrants, one of them might meet your needs.

6. Visit parks where you know lots of weddings take place.

If you are reasonably well dressed and don’t disturb the wedding, you will get a good view of the type of ceremony each celebrant does.

Most importantly, however you decide to choose who you will check out, don’t take someone that will probably be OK.  Look for someone that will excite you with ideas for one of the most important days of your life.

Part 3 of this article will discuss how to make that final decision between those celebrants you have thought of as suitable.