The Celebrants Network Inc - BLOG

Despite the impression you may have gained from the latest reality TV show, you are legally required to give your celebrant a completed Notice of Intended Marriage at least one month before the planned wedding, if you want to be married in Australia.

Most couples of course plan their wedding much earlier and are keen to book their celebrant well in advance, especially if they are marrying on a busy Saturday in summer or a popular date like Valentine's Day. Wedding planning is an important part of the preparation for your life together as a married couple and working with your celebrant over a period of time to design your ideal ceremony is part of the fun.

There are some very limited circumstances where the Notice period can be shortened to less than one month.  In situations such as terminal illness, immediate overseas postings and similar cases it is possible to obtain permission for an earlier wedding.  Your celebrant will be able to tell you about these rules how to go about seeking permission.

So don't be fooled into thinking that you can call up your celebrant for a wedding in the morning because you have just met the new love of your life.  It just doesn't happen like that.

Of course, if you are so madly in love that you cannot wait a month to gather your family and friends around you and declare your love to the world, you can ask your celebrant to do a "commitment ceremony" - this is what you saw on TV.  These ceremonies have absolutely no legal basis and the celebrant  makes this clear to everyone present.  Later on, if you both decide you want to marry then you can return to your celebrant, give due notice and have a legal wedding - as large or small as you wish. 

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Although we all have our own unique encounters, it is these life moments that provide the essential basis for empathy and compassion to others. When combining these elements, it made perfect sense to choose a career as a celebrant.

After completing my Certificate IV in Celebrancy in June, I officially became a registered marriage celebrant on 23 August, 2014. Hooray!

Over the years, I have worn a few hats in my time - as an artist, writer, performer, teacher, administrator, coordinator and manager. Now I have chosen to specialise in life celebrations.

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Then as we begin to talk, it turns out that really what a couple don’t want is a ceremony or language that isn’t relevant to them.

They don’t want something that will make them feel awkward or embarrassed in being the centre of attention. Often they don’t realise that apart from the mandatory legal inclusions in a ceremony, there is no set way of doing things. Rather, with the guidance of an experienced, caring celebrant, there is freedom of choice to create a ceremony that makes them feel comfortable.

So whether your ceremony lasts for 10, 20 or 30 minutes, if it is about you and your story - then it can’t help but be the highlight of your wedding day – or as one of the first couples I married wrote:

 “You made us realise that the ceremony was not just something that we “had to have” before our party began, but something that we “could have” and remember all our lives”

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I lived in the North West of Western Australia which is a wonderful beautiful place. For myself and my family it presented opportunity for varied work and living experiences and some great memories.I’ve had the opportunity to work and study in various areas such as community agencies family support services, tourism and administration in the health industry.

Moving back to the city of Perth brought about a lot of change for my family. The more I thought about this the more

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Hi there!  My name is Gina Callan and I am a Civil Marriage Celebrant living in Lyons in the ACT. 

My professional background is varied but includes many years working as a Registered Nurse and then as a Government Administrator in Health and Ageing, time as a Community mediator, in disability care, and as a trainer and educator.  I’ve managed complaints, taught first aid and facilitated accredited and non-accredited training courses. 

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Before becoming a registered celebrant in August of 2011, being a celebrant was not a career which had ever entered my mind.  My pursuits up to then had revolved around sport - being a secondary school Physical Education/Science teacher and later having my own massage and personal training businesses.
 
A girlfriend of mine began a wedding planners course, and suggested I would make a good celebrant.

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I have a diverse career background including retail, chef, SCUBA instructor, Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and Head of Hall of a university student residence for 500 young people. I have a range of qualifications including Cert III Commercial Cookery (chef), Cert IV Celebrancy, Cert IV Training & Assessment, Bachelor of Communication, Master of Management and currently undertaking a Grad Dip in Community Counselling.

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One of my first weddings was an outdoor wedding and the week leading up to the event had been cloudy, there had been afternoon storms and blustery winds. I asked my bride and groom what if it rained on the day.

They were a fairly young couple but just so amazing, mature and sensible.