When you’re looking for a wedding celebrant, it’s important to find someone who not only matches your style and personality but also who understands your vision for your wedding day. To help you find the right celebrant, here are some questions to ask during your initial meeting:
Tom and Trindi had the most beautiful Sunshine Coast wedding with @lynettemaguirecelebrant and Alan Hughes Photography
What is your experience as a wedding celebrant?
You’ll want to know how many weddings they have performed and if they have experience with your specific type of ceremony (e.g., religious, non-religious, cultural, etc) and if you click with them – are you getting a good vibe? If you’re not feeling it, then move on – no celebrant can be all things to all people (even if their ego tells them otherwise). Also, ask how many weddings a year they typically do – most celebrants only do about 5 per year, so if they’ve been in business for 5 years, that’s only 25 weddings.
How do you personalise each ceremony to the couple?
A good celebrant should be able to create a unique and personalised ceremony that reflects your personalities, beliefs, and love story. Ask them how they go about this and if they have any examples of ceremonies they have done in the past. Because I specialise in fun ceremonies I always ask my couples about how much ‘fun’ and ’emotion’ they want and this is one of the guides to what I write for their day.
Tom and Alanna had the #bestdayever @gabbinbarhomestead wedding – such a fun couple and wedding with ALL the wow factors included.
How do you involve family and friends in the ceremony?
If you want to involve your family and friends in your ceremony, ask your celebrant how they can help make that happen. For example, can they include readings, rituals, or other meaningful elements that involve your loved ones? I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve for including the kids, the grandies, the besties – and many of these ideas have evolved from chats with my couples and have become a thing (ask me about shots at the ceremony 😉
How do you handle unexpected situations or last-minute changes?
It’s always good to know how your celebrant will handle unexpected situations, such as weather changes, late arrivals, or any other emergencies that may arise. Ask them if they have a backup plan in case something goes wrong. Professionals know how to deal with these things, there’s nothing wrong with hiring a new celebrant, but the downside is they simply don’t have the lived experiences that us seasoned professionals do. Ask the question…if something does go wrong, you need to know you’re in capable hands.
I love the cheeky look on Melissa’s face – like she just won the lotto! Well she kinda did marrying Rhys who is hopelessly in love with her. #winning Photo by Ash from @jensencreative
What is your fee, and what does it include?
You’ll want to know how much the celebrant charges for their services and what is included in their fee. This will help you budget for your wedding day and avoid any surprises later on. It’s also helpful to know how the fee is paid – usually a booking fee then the balance a month prior to the day, but you might want to pay it off in installments so ask if you can do this (and if there’ll be an admin fee associated for this).
Are you willing to travel to our wedding location?
If you’re getting married outside of the celebrant’s usual service area, ask them if they are willing to travel to your wedding location and if there are any additional costs associated with that. I’ve had couples pay travel and accommodation when there’s no way I can get home in the same day – most couples are willing to do this to get the vendors they really want.
Tharushi and Chanaka – married at Woorim on beautiful Bribie – Photography by @HawthorneCreative
@lynettemaguirecelebrant – what all these weddings have in common
Jeremy and Rachael met 21 years ago when Rachael moved to Landsborough for her first year of high school. They first saw each other at ‘The Hero Stand’. (This is where they would catch the bus to and from Caloundra High School and also the local meeting place/hang out).
Jeremy thought Rachael was too pretty for someone like him (who was up to no good most of the time).
Rachael loved sitting at the hero stand watching Jeremy walk across the grass with his long dark hair sticking out from under his hat, she always thought he had gorgeous mysterious eyes and a cheeky Cheshire Cat grin.
The young people kept bumping into each other and eventually they started visiting each other and would spend hours sitting in their bedrooms (usually his), talking about deeper things than you would expect from most teenagers. Jeremy read to Rachael and they would share books like ‘The Celestine Prophecy ’. Rachael felt she saw a side of Jeremy that was hidden to the outside world and was intrigued and impressed by both his intelligence and spirituality.
Jeremy and his guy gang get their Charlie’s Angels on
Rachael moved from Landsborough back to Caloundra and the young couple started to date, though it was a lot harder to see each other. Jeremy visited Rachael and when he didn’t, Rachael raced home every day after school to call his house phone in the hope of catching him. He was a bit of an errant kid and usually hadn’t been seen in days, so Rach would just chat with his Mum. On weekends Rachael would catch the school bus back to Landsborough hoping to find him somewhere around town, or they would meet up at a party.
The breakup
Eventually Jeremy broke up with Rachael: He thought she was too good for him and knew she deserved to be treated better. He didn’t really want to break up with her, and it was hard on everyone. Rachael’s heart broke and she felt like she wasn’t good enough. Jeremy knew she felt like this and it niggled his conscience from that moment.
The Chapel, Montville is the perfect backdrop for an elegant hinterland ceremony
As a young adult, Rachael moved away to Brisbane but often drove back to the coast and always detoured through Landsborough, the Hero Stand, and past Jeremy’s family home to reminisce, and in the hope that she might catch sight of him. She never did. All she had were the memories of those eyes and that Cheshire smile.
Years later, Jeremy decided to find Rachael to apologise to her, and get closure.
Fairy-tales can come true
That awkward phone call
By this time Rachael was married with 2 children and when Jeremy called, Rachael was closed off and distant (her husband sat right beside her) and the conversation was unnatural. Of course, Jeremy remembered a different girl and questioned if he’d even spoken to the same girl – and he still didn’t have closure.
Hey, do you remember me?
From time to time Jeremy searched for Rachael on social media to no avail. Years passed, and two more babies later, Rachael popped up on Facebook with her old last name (she had divorced). Jeremy found her and messaged her with “Hey, do you remember me?”… of course she did. She’d never forgotten him.
The pair finally became the couple they were destined to be, and four years later, I married them in a stunning ceremony at one of my favourite Sunshine Coast wedding venues, The Chapel, Montville.
Jeremy still thinks Rachael’s too good for him, but he says, “I lost her once, I won’t lose her again.”
A lovely love story – this is where they used to hang out as kids, the hero stand
