FAQ

Process

  • How do I choose the right celebrant?

  • Choose a celebrant that you have a connection with. The celebrant is the one who kick starts your wedding day, they set the tone. So you want it to be someone who you can have honest conversations with.

    If on the day your nerves get the better of you, they will be the ones there to help you both through it and work with you on different techniques or solutions.

    It is ok to stalk your celebrant, check out their profile, review their socials. If you want, give them a call and have a chat. Make sure their the right one for you.

  • Do I get to meet my celebrant?

  • Depending on the type of booking and your location, you can either have a chat online or in person.

    If you are having a personalised ceremony, your celebrant will need to chat to you to develop your story and this normally takes between 1-1.5hrs and happens 6 weeks out from your ceremony.

  • How do I book?

  • To book your celebrant we will request a 50% non refundable booking fee. The remaining monies are required to be paid at least 90days out.

  • What payment methods do you accept?

  • You can either pay via bank deposit, paypal or credit card.

  • What happens between booking the celebrant and my wedding day?

  • The Celebrant Circle team are here to help you along the way. We are available for questions, recommendations or even any concerns.

    We will keep in contact and provide you with some information to help your day run smoothly.

    At approx. 6 weeks out we will make contact to either write your ceremony or just make sure you are on track.

    At 1 week out we will send you an email to confirm your date, time and location with you.

    One the day we will arrive 1hr prior to set up and again rehearse the ceremony.

Ceremonies

  • What kind of ceremonies are there?

  • Commitment

    A commitment ceremony is a non-legal ceremony. It is often used for those couples who wish to renew their vows. The ceremony can either be personal or generic, depending on the couple.

    Elopement

    Elopement ceremonies are generic ceremonies, they are beautifully written ceremonies, however are not personalised to the specific couple

    Personalised Ceremonies

    Personalised ceremonies are beautifully written tales that tell the story of the couple. They take time to write and perfect and are a shared piece of work with the individual couple to get it just right.

    Find out more!

  • How will I know I will like my ceremony?

  • If it is a generic ceremony we will send it to you 6 weeks prior for your review and feedback, whereby you can make any changes.

    If it is a personalised ceremony, we will book some time with you to write your story 6 weeks before the wedding. After the meeting we will write your ceremony and send it back to you to ensure it is accurate and you are happy with it. This is where you can make any changes.

    Once the ceremony is confirmed we start rehearsing it, to ensure that it is fluent on the day.

    There are some legal requirements in which the celebrant must say during the ceremony, but apart from this we can change the script.

  • How long does a ceremony go for?

  • As long as you want, but normally between 10-30mins depending on the ceremony type and the couple and if you have added extras like poems and rituals.

  • Can I add poems or do a ritual in the ceremony?

  • Of course, you add whatever you like. It is your wedding day. We have shotted tequila, released doves, had Aboriginal smoke ceremonies. We are here to make your day represent you.

    For any rituals or poems, we normally have family or friends complete them, this way the ceremony remains authentic and genuine, except if it’s shotting tequila- we can help with that

  • What if my ceremony is in a public location?

  • You will need to apply to the local council to request use of the public venue. The council may impose some restrictions including time and number of persons.

    There is normally a processing fee to submit your application.

  • What if my ceremony is outdoors should I have a wet weather option?

  • YES, YES, YES! You will need to have a back-up location if your ceremony is outdoors. We would suggest keeping it near the original ceremony location for convenience of your guests.

    We are happy to travel up to 10km radius for change of venue location.

  • Should we do a rehearsal?

  • This is completely up to you, some couple like to know exactly how the day is going to run and others like the surprise and anticipation. If you would like a rehearsal please book it in early.

  • Do you provide a signing table?

  • To ensure you keep with the aesthetic of the theming the signing table will normally be provided by your venue hire company. If you do need one, we can assist you in arranging one.

  • Can I play my music through your speaker?

  • Yes, we ask that you organise one of your friends or family to play the music for you on the day as we will be busy ensuring your ceremony runs smoothly.

    We recommend you create separate play lists and download your music so you are not streaming it.

    Please ensure you advise of the phone type so we can ensure we have the right connections

  • Do we write our own vows?

  • Again this is up to you, you don’t even have to vows if you don’t want. There are some legal scripts in which we require you to say an apart from that you don’t have to say anything you don’t want to.

    If you want to do vows, you can use previously scripted vows or create your own personalised ones.

    We can help you with all of these and give you some examples.

  • Do I need witnesses?

  • Yes you will need two witnesses to solemnise your marriage.

Master of Ceremonies

  • Should I book an MC?

  • The MC of a wedding has traditionally been a family member or friend, we are finding that more and more couples are opting away from this to allow their friends and family to enjoy the day. It can be very nerve racking for someone who is not experienced in the role and find that a lot of them don’t relax until after their MC duties are completed. This is why most couples now are opting to have a professional MC the night and ensure everything goes to schedule.

  • What does the MC do?

  • The MC will work with you to develop a run sheet, the run sheet will include any formalities for the night and ensure that the wedding keeps on schedule.

    They will also ensure that your guests are kept informed, like any major event people like to know what’s going on and what they can expect for the night.

    If you want we can come up with some fun games for you to play to keep it lighthearted and fun.

Legal Requirements

  • How quickly can I get married?

  • You will need to complete a Notice of Intended Marriage form (NOIM) at least one month from the date in which you wish to get married.

    If you need to get married within one month you can apply for a shortening of time. A shortening of time will only be granted if one of the following categories are met (as defined in the Marriage ACT);
    These are limited to:

    1. employment-related or other travel commitments
    2. wedding or celebration arrangements, or religious considerations
    3. medical reasons
    4. legal proceedings, or
    5. an error in giving notice
  • What is the NOIM?

  • The Notice of Intended Marriage form. It must be completed by both persons wishing to marry. The NOIM requests personal details from you including;

    • Full Name
    • Address
    • DOB
    • Parents names
    • Previous Marriages
    • Identification

    You can check out the NOIM here.

  • How is my wedding made legal?

  • After your wedding day, we will submit your legal paperwork to Birth, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) in the state in which your ceremony was conducted. Depending on the State it normally takes around 2-6weeks for BDM to process your marriage.

  • How do I get a copy of my legal marriage certificate to change my name?

  • To change your name, you will need to request a copy of your marriage certificate from Births, Deaths and Marriages in the State your ceremony was conducted. The prices vary for these in each state and can take 4-6 weeks depending on the State. The Marriage Certificate we hand you on the day of your marriage is a commemorative certificate.

Cancellations and Postponements

  • What happens if my celebrant is unable to make it?

  • There are sometime unavoidable circumstances that may prevent a celebrant from performing your ceremony. In this case we have you covered with a range of celebrants that can step in, we will have your paperwork on file that we will be able to send over to the new celebrant to ensure your day still runs smoothly.

  • What if I need to cancel or postpone?

  • You will be provided with a contract upon requesting a quote which has all the terms and conditions.