For some that are not used to the ways that marriages are conducted in Australia, for example, they may not be familiar with the term celebrants.

What Are Celebrants?

To begin with, it is important to understand that there are different types of celebrants. There are wedding celebrants, funeral celebrants and general celebrants. They have authority depending on their type to perform formal ceremonies. Aside from the wedding and funeral celebrants, some are able to perform ceremonies such as naming of babies or renewing or vows or other special celebrations.

Non Religious Ceremonies

The celebrant’s services are usually chosen when the individuals in need of their services don’t want a religious type ceremony. For example, a couple may opt for a civil marriage celebrant as opposed to a specific clergy that serves a particular religion. This is ideal for the couples who are of different religions and don’t want to focus on either of these. They find that with the choice of a celebrant, it makes for a good compromise. Most often, the celebrants will hold the services outside of a religious setting. For example, those who do not want to be married in a specific church.

Decision Making

When a civil celebrant is being used a lot of the decisions for making the vows in a wedding are left up to the bride and groom. Although there are some legal phrases that must be included in the vows. There is much more flexibility when it comes to the remainder of the vows.

The Expectations

There are general expectations that are placed upon the celebrant. These may vary according to the event that is being overseen, but there are some particular expectations placed on the wedding celebrant, which includes:

  • The celebrant must be able to recognise the significance of the marriage ceremony.
  • The ceremony must be carried out with a high level of professionalism.
  • The wishes of the couple to be married must be carried out as exact as possible within the legal boundaries
  • A celebrant has an obligation to allow the marriage ceremony to be planned by the bride and groom as they see fit without the celebrant injecting their beliefs without being asked to
  • There should be an option for a wedding rehearsal
  • The celebrant must ensure that the entire audience is able to hear the marriage ceremony and this is something that should be planned for before the ceremony.
  • The wedding couple should be able to expect that their wants and needs will be addressed by their chosen celebrant.

Other Celebrants

Although the marriage celebrants are the most widely recognised, there are many that are now using the services of a funeral celebrant. It is not uncommon for the deceased to have not had any specific religious beliefs. Being able to rely on a celebrant takes the burden off of family and friends to have to decide on a specific clergy for the funeral ceremony. Funeral and naming celebrants were not always readily received by the celebrant’s organisations, but that has changed in recent years.

Having the option to choose a celebrant instead of having to rely on clergy has provided a lot of advantages to those who are in need of overseeing of formal services. It allows for choices that are more fitting to the specific occasion.