For the most important day of your life, you need people around you who you can trust and feel comfortable with. That is why having a wedding celebrant is becoming a common choice for engaged couples everywhere. The fact you can handpick who writes and officiates your wedding ceremony is desirable to many couples because they will not then have a stranger conducting one of the most memorable, personal moments of their day.
Here are my top tips for choosing a wedding celebrant.
Make sure you do your research:
Have a look at multiple independent celebrant websites.
Check what services they advertise. Do they offer a service that you like the look of that other celebrants perhaps don't offer?
Search directories like https://www.uksoc.com/celebrant-directory/ for celebrants in your surrounding area. Check out their written bio to get a glimpse of their personality and writing style.
If you are into your social media, search for wedding celebrants on Instagram/Facebook etc.
Attend local wedding fayres.
What to look for when meeting with a celebrant:
Do they seem confident? You are trusting this celebrant with a particularly important part of your day; you need to feel reassured they can pull off your hopes and dreams for your ceremony.
Do they seem organised? Not everyone is super organised, but you need to know that your celebrant has a plan and timescale to get your scripts done and your meetings pencilled in. They should make you feel like everything is under control throughout your planning process.
Does their personality fit yours? You need a celebrant you get along with! You will be talking to this individual a lot both in person and via phone, skype and email, make sure you feel comfortable with them. Remember: one celebrant may be perfect for one couple but not for another.
Are they positive? Planning a wedding should be a fun and optimistic experience, you need someone who finds solutions, not problems.
Are they passionate? Probably an obvious one… but you need a celebrant who has as much excitement for your wedding as you do. It is great to find someone who you can bounce ideas off and develop ideas with.
Do they know their stuff? If you are not sure where to start with your wedding ceremony, you need someone who can guide you and explain/show/demonstrate different ideas.
They need to be a good listener. Do they listen to what YOU want? And respect what your wishes are for your wedding ceremony? As celebrants we are there to listen, get to know you and write your ceremony. Suggesting ideas is fine but you don’t need someone who will take over and overwhelm you.
I hope this helped. It's a big decision, choose wisely and take your time!
