WHAT IS MARRIAGE CELEBRANCY?
The Nutshell Answer
Despite being around now for decades, the term celebrancy will still show up with a squiggly red underline when you type it into a Word doc! Suggested spellings include “celibacy” but no, those two are pretty close to being in polar opposite camps.
So then what is celebrancy? Well first we have to define its mother word – celebrant!
A celebrant is, in the simplest terms, one who officiates a celebration. Boom! Done! Easy!
But the role comes with a lot more responsibility than simply looking and sounding good through a P.A. system. It’s not MCing though that can be an assigned task sometimes. In the case of officiating at a wedding, there will be forms to prepare and fill out, procedures to adhere to and to ensure others follow, signatures to gather, scripted speeches to be prepared and given and more.
It’s also a fun job that offers variety at every different occasion.
So, how do you become a celebrant in Australia?
It’s not that hard to get started and with the right course providers you can be guided through until happy completion in relatively little time.
STEP 1:
Study and pass a celebrancy course through a registered training organisation (RTO)
STEP 2:
Apply for celebrancy license (and then pay the required fees). The application is submitted to the Attorney-General’s office.
Both steps should take anywhere between 6 months to a year to complete and as most courses are self-paced, the time frame for the education side of things is up to the student.
That’s the formal education and paperwork side of things.
What is a Celebrant and What Do They Do?
When applying for a licence, what a celebrant is doing is asking to be appointed by the government to oversee, consult on and perform legally binding ceremonies. As well as that, the education enables the celebrant to perform non-legal ceremonies as well.
Some of these ceremonies include:
Civil marriage ceremony
Memorials
Wedding vows renewal
Anniversaries
Formal community-based ceremonies
Graduations
What Makes Someone a Good Celebrant?
First, a celebrant needs to be comfortable in public settings and with public speaking. The events being held might be anything from small and intimate to large and crowded. The last thing a paying customer wants is a celebrant who freezes up when the “spotlight” is on.
Second, a celebrant should be culturally aware and sensitive to various beliefs and traditions. Ceremonies are often rich in culture based on the participants background such as ethnicity and heritage.
Third, a celebrant needs to be able to “read a room” and know the lines that can and can’t be crossed. Humour is often welcomed but levity in a sombre event such as a funeral might not always be appropriate.
So there you have it, the “nutshell” answer to the title of this article. Want to know more about becoming a celebrant yourself? I’ll leave details below.
This article was brought to you by Rose Training Australia, Australia’s leading Marriage celebrancy course provider.
Give yourself the gift of a new career (or even just a side hustle) and enrol today to become a qualified celebrant.
Talk to one of our welcoming team about whether or not a CHC41015 Certificate IV in Celebrancy is right for you.
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