Your celebrant is a professional, authorised by the Australian Government – the one component of your wedding that you can’t do without. No celebrant, no marriage. For other ceremonies a professionally created and led ceremony adds a great deal to the occasion.

• A high level of knowledge and skill regarding applicable legislation, creation and conducting of marriage and other ceremonies, cultural considerations
• Deep background knowledge of the history and meaning of every part of the marriage ceremony which enables me to identify and provide alternatives that avoid the many overt and subliminal inequities between bride and groom that are so embedded in the traditional ceremony
• Responding to your emails and phone calls from your first enquiry to after the ceremony – often out of normal business hours
• Meeting face-to-face – often out of normal business hours
• Follow up emails and calls to remind you of deadlines and legal requirements you need to fulfil in order that the ceremony can go ahead
• Research related to your ceremony inclusions
• Providing advice about how to deal with unusual situations regarding name changes, legal documentation etc that might arise
• Writing, proof-reading, editing and modifying the ceremony according to your wishes
• Travel time and mileage to and from rehearsal (if you have a full-caste rehearsal)
• Waiting before the rehearsal
• Conducting the rehearsal, often outside business hours
• Creating and printing the marriage papers or certificates for other ceremonies
  
• Creating, printing, and assembling the keepsake copy
• Travel time and mileage to and from the ceremony venue
• Set up and waiting time before the ceremony
• Packing up after the ceremony
• Submitting your marriage papers by registered mail
• Overhead costs – advertising, insurance, stationery, certificates, Celebrancy library, PA, vehicle costs  

• I do not overbook, so ample time is allowed between ceremonies
  
• I will ensure that the ceremony is respectful, relaxed, creative, inclusive and participatory and is delivered with dignity and style in accordance with mutually agreed plans.
  
• Unlimited consultation during the planning phase - I take the time to listen to you and make every effort to understand and accommodate your needs (basically, as long as it is legal we can find a way to do it).
• I acknowledge how busy you are and do what I can to save you time
  
• Access to ceremony-specific resources in the secure area of my web-site to assist you with making choices and to assist you in avoiding the common mistakes that can ruin a ceremony.
  
• Advice about music, rituals, venue characteristics, how to ensure your choices won't compromise your photographs, and much more
  
• Attention to detail.
• All of the following for all ceremonies with the exception of Warm and Wonderful Weekday Weddings - my lower fee Registry Office Alternative-style weddings)
• Writing and editing of a unique and fully personalised ceremony based on the information you give me
  
• Final draft of the ceremony is provided to you to check and sign off on.
  
• A professional and personalised copy of your ceremony in print, beautifully presented.
• Quality, personalised certificates.
• Post-ceremony I will actively seek your feedback

My Fees

My fee is typically the least expensive cost in your wedding, and extremely good value for money, considering that it not only covers my performance of your marriage ceremony, but also overseeing the contract (one that is not easily broken), that takes you into a legally recognised state (marriage), in the processes ensuring that you (and I) abide by an Act of Parliament (the Marriage Act) and that I adhere to a legally binding code of practise in addition to developing a unique and romantic ceremony that engages your guests – and that the majority of the time spent on this process is after hours and at weekends. By comparison, a plumber will charge nearly $300 just to attend your premises on a weekend, without what will be charged for any actual work done.

There is no industry-mandated fee schedule for civil ceremonies. Many celebrants charge less than I do, but this may be because

• they are new to the industry and are undercutting to get some experience.
• they have a one-size-fits-all approach and therefore they devote less time to the creation of an individual ceremony
• they quote low but have add-on costs for things that you have expected to be included in the base price
  

A non-refundable booking is required when a ceremony is booked to secure the day/date/time. The balance of the fee is required to be paid 21 days prior to the ceremony.

Cyber arrangements

If your schedule is a very busy one, or you live at some distance and are planning a ceremony in the Brisbane area, I am happy to work with you via email or phone. International enquiries welcome.

Contact Me