A perfectly centered bride and groom. Image: Nick Evans Photo

When beginning the search for the ‘right’ Marriage Celebrant, most soon to be wed couples will find themselves on a Celebrants website, but aside from finding out what the Celebrant costs and what services they provide, how else can you determine if the Celebrant is the right fit to perform the wedding for you and the love of your life?

Here are some great little pointers to help couples learn everything they need to know about their potential Celebrant, all from a quick visit to their website.

  • A relaxed, happy and connected couple: It is so important for brides and grooms to be relaxed enough to be able to really enjoy their ceremony and share that beautiful connection. The Celebrant plays a vital role in putting nervous brides and grooms at ease so this one is particularly important for any couples that are anticipating that they may feel quite nervous on the day. Look at photos and videos of the Celebrant in action to see if the couple are engaged and enjoying what the Celebrant is saying, if they appear, calm, happy, connected and full of emotion, this indicates that the Celebrant has got the ceremony wording and the delivery of the ceremony spot on!

Eves on the River Wedding Celebrant Ciara Hodge

Brisbane City Celebrants Ciara putting the groom at ease.

A Happy bride and groom with Brisbane City Celebrants Ciara Hodge

  • Specialties: A Celebrants website should almost instantly give you an indication of the kind of ceremonies that the Celebrant specialises in, for example, this may be any combination of fun, simple, meaningful, elegant, traditional, fancy dress, religious or non-religious wedding ceremonies. They may be an expert in beach weddings with sand ceremonies or pagan style weddings with hand fasting rituals. There is such a diverse range of Celebrants available to choose from which makes getting the right one for you and your partner so important yet so rewarding.
  • Testimonials: Read their testimonials particularly the ones from brides and grooms, which carry a lot more weight than reviews from fellow wedding vendors who haven’t had the whole bride and groom experience. Gauge ‘why’ the bride and groom were so happy with that Celebrant, their reasons may be completely different to how the Celebrant describes themselves, and ask yourself, is that an important personality trait or inclusion for your potential Celebrant?
  • Writing: The Language used in the various segments of their website is a good indication of how they write and present their ceremonies. Is their ‘lingo’ similar to yours and does it match the tone you envisage for you ceremony?
  • Celebrants Presentation: Are there photos of them dressed in what you consider to be appropriate Wedding Celebrant attire? After all their choice of outfit may forever hold a place in your precious wedding album.
  • Positioning of the Bride and Groom: Look for photos of the Celebrant performing weddings. Are the bride and groom perfectly centered at the end of the aisle? Are they facing each other without their backs to anyone and sharing a beautiful connection? Or are they looking a little awkward as they face forward looking back at the guests? Or have they been positioned with their backs to the guests for most of the ceremony? If there is a bridal party, are the Bridesmaids and Groomsmen looking fairly symmetrical on either side of the couple? A minor detail but one you may be very grateful for later when you receive your stunning wedding photos.
  • The Kiss: Most couples are very grateful to Celebrants who step out of the camera frame for the wedding kiss. The kiss is a highlight of your ceremony as you ‘seal the deal’ so you may well appreciate not getting photo bombed by your Celebrant for this once in a lifetime shot.

The bride and groom kiss

  • Professionalism: Finally, a professionally presented, informative and up to date website is indicative of a professional Celebrant that prides themselves on presentation.

Eves on the River Wedding Modern Celebrant Ciara Hodge

Images by Nick Evans Photo of Emma and Nicks wedding with Brisbane City Celebrants Ciara Hodge.

Ms Gingham says: I love this article. A great place to start when you’re trying to narrow your potential celebrant list down. Thanks Brisbane City Celebrants!

About Brisbane City Celebrants: We are a modern, happy and passionate Wedding Celebrant duo that simply LOVE celebrating love!