Choosing your celebrant is the most important decision you will make when planning and organising your ceremony. The choice you make will affect the outcome of your ceremony more than any other decision. Your celebant can either help you realise your dream of the perfect occasion, or destroy it. Therefore you you need to understand that you are shopping for a service, so you need to check out the celebrant in the same way you would check out any other type of service-provider.

In order to feel confident about your ceremony and nutured by the process of developing your ceremony, you need to ensure that you choose a celebrant who CARES, and you should free confident and comfortable with the celebrant's

• Customer focus
• Attitude
• Responsiveness
• Ethics
• Skills

Draw up a short list based on your research about the celebrants in your area. Gather information from others who have seen the person at work, or have had them as their celebrant as well as from the celebrant's own promotional material, advertisements, brochures, websites, and so on.

From this list draw up a short list of celebrants and then contact each one on the list and talk to them. Make careful notes so you can compare - this is a recruitment process, so recruitment process methods work well.

Some questions you can ask:

• Are you available at the time and place we plan to hold our ceremony?
  
• What are your celebrancy qualifications? (Skills and training are important. Experience is also important but it is sometimes hard to gauge whether someone who claims 10 years experience has really had 10 years experience or one year 10 times, or indeed 1 ceremony 500 times)
• Do you use a standard ceremony, give us a choice of prewritten ceremonies, or write a unique ceremony?
• What process do you use to gather information from us about our needs and wants? (You also need to get a sense of how well they will get to know you during the process)
• Will you have a meeting with us before the day?
• Will the special needs we have (specify them) be met and how?
• What sort of resources and information will you provide us with and what sort of support will give us as we work through the decisions that need to be made about our ceremony?
• What is your fee and what is included in your fee?
• Are there any add-on costs?

Celebrants perform a wide range of ceremonies. If you have something in mind, consult with a celebrant.

Ceremonies for Couples

Wedding

Weddings can only be performed by a Marriage Celebrant authorised by the Attorney-General. Marriage Celebrants can be Civil Marriage Celebrants (CMC) or Religious Marriage Celebrants (RMC).

Civil Marriage Celebrants are appointed by the Federal Government, and have an authorisation number with the alphabetical prefix A. They perform civil or secular ceremonies, although, at the request of the couple, some religious references or content, such as a prayer, may be included. Religious Marriage Celebrants can be aligned or nonaligned. An aligned Religious Marriage Celebrant is a member of the clergy attached to a congregation of a religious denomination recognised as a mainstream religion by the Australian Government, for example, Anglican, Roman Catholic and Jewish clergy. These celebrants are appointed by the State Registering Authority, rather than the Federal Government, and the alphabetical prefix to their registered number denotes the state, eg. Q1234 if registered in Queensland. These celebrants can only marry within the state that they are registered and can normally only marry people of their own faith.

Non-aligned Religious Marriage Celebrant are appointed by the Federal Government on the basis of their role as a member of the clergy within a religious denomination that is not considered to be main line by the government, eg Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Assemblies of God, Jehovah's Witness. The alphabetical prefix to their Authorisation number is A and they can perform marriages anywhere within Australia. However, they are restricted to marrying members of their own faith. A wedding requires legal documents to be lodged at least one month and one day before the day the ceremony takes place, and legal documents signed at the ceremony by an Authorised Marriage Celebrant and two adult witnesses.

Renewal of Vows/Reaffirmation of Vows

A ceremony during which a married couple reaffirm their commitment to each other and to their marriage. It cannot be a repeat wedding.

Commitment

A ceremony during which a same-sex or heterosexual couple affirm their commitment to each other and to their relationship. The ceremony has no legal standing but can be a beautiful affirmation of love.

Engagement (Betrothal)

A declaration of intent to marry

Ceremonies for Transitions

Funerals

A funeral ceremony may take any form. The funeral Director will assist with the organisation and arrangements, however you are free to choose the celebrant. You may also work with a celebrant to plan your own funeral. Registering your wishes in advance with the celebrant of your choice can ensure that your wishes are carried out.

Interment/Scattering of Ashes

May take place at any time after the funeral

Memorial

A ceremony to remember and pay tribute.

Unveiling

Unveiling of a permanent memorial, such as a headstone

Companion Animal Funerals

A funeral ceremony for beloved pets.

Divorce

Separation, formal statement of continuing commitment to children of the marriage, new beginnings

Housewarming/House Blessing

A ceremony to make your house your own and formally state all you wish for those who live in it and those who visit

Family and Milestone Ceremonies

Naming

A secular alternative to a religious christening

Birthdays

Honouring milestones for any age.

Anniversaries

An opportunity to celebrate and remember past events

Coming of Age

Ceremonies can be held at 13 (entry to adulthood), 18 (legal majority) and 21(traditional majority).