Can AI write an original marriage ceremony?
Posted by Josh Withers | Dec 7, 2022 | The Art of Ceremony | 2 |
Cyberattack on AGD’s MarCel portal
Posted by Sarah Aird | Nov 10, 2022 | Community News | 2 |
Being found is the new advertising
Posted by Josh Withers | Nov 3, 2022 | Marketing and Social Media | 1 |
Remote witnessing of NOIMS – help make it pe...
Posted by Sarah Aird | Jul 28, 2022 | Community News, COVID-19, Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law | 8 |
This is your permission to raise your fees in 2022
Posted by Josh Withers | Jun 9, 2022 | The Business of Celebrancy | 0 |
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Portable PA speaker system purchasing ad...

A massive change to how marriage celebra...
It’s time to change the one month ...

You should charge more, and here’s 10 re...

Wedding rehearsals – a video
When the celebrant gets sick mid-ceremon...

Where I stand during the ceremony. Sarah...

Marketing: if I was starting today

I’ve gone to court for cancelled c...

Which iPad and which apps do you recomme...
How and why you should position your spe...

Ceremony script writing skills. Sarah...
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LatestChange your passwords
by Josh Withers | Feb 2, 2023 | The Business of Celebrancy | 1 |
Depending on who you talk to, International Change Your Password Day is January 20 or February 1. Either way, in Australia we've missed both those dates, and because I'm writing this in Mexico I just saw the tweet from Fastmail reminding me. Regardless of the "national date" consider this your reminder to change all of the important passwords in your world. In my humble opinion, all of the important passwords in your life should be changed annually.
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16 Ways a celebrant can end up in jail for six months
by Josh Withers | Jan 17, 2023 | Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law | 0 |
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Remote witnessing of NOIMs in 2023
by Josh Withers | Jan 4, 2023 | Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law | 0 |
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I’m challenging you to learn Markdown
by Josh Withers | Dec 11, 2022 | The Business of Celebrancy | 2 |
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Can AI write an original marriage ceremony?
by Josh Withers | Dec 7, 2022 | The Art of Ceremony | 2 |
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Cyberattack on AGD’s MarCel portal
by Sarah Aird | Nov 10, 2022 | Community News | 2 |
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Marriage statistics 2021
by Sarah Aird | Nov 10, 2022 | Community News | 0 |
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Are meetings at cafes a business expense?
by Josh Withers | Nov 10, 2022 | The Business of Celebrancy | 1 |
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Top RatedHow to get enquiries to reply to your emails
by Josh Withers | Sep 21, 2018 | The Business of Celebrancy | 1 |
Great question today: Let's talk follow up emails. You've received an enquiry, or worse, have met with a couple. You've sent them an email back, but it's crickets from their end. How do you word your emails to try and elicit a response from them? I don't want to rush them, but at the same time I've got a business to run.
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When to provide documentation to couples
by Sarah Aird | Dec 26, 2018 | Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law | 2 |
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Changing the planned date of the marriage on the NOIM
by Sarah Aird | Dec 24, 2019 | Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law | 0 |
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007 Social Media Challenge: Blog a common reply
by Josh Withers | Oct 14, 2020 | Social Media Content Challenge | 0 |
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Maybe it will inspire some of us to rest
by Josh Withers | Oct 5, 2022 | Free Podcast | 0 |
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Pricing on websites; to list or not to list??? Sarah’s view
by Sarah Aird | Jul 10, 2018 | The Business of Celebrancy | 7 |
Latest podcast episodes
Listen NowTop ten tips for new marriage celebrants
On this special episode, Josh dials in from California to chat with Sarah about their Top Ten Tips for new Celebrants, as requested by Emily. But there are some tips in here for all celebrants, new or not!
- Marketing and Social Media
- The Art of Celebrancy
- The Art of Funerals
- The Art of Ceremony
- The Business of Celebrancy
- Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law
- Community News
Market your celebrant services like Apple markets the iPhone
by Josh Withers | Oct 7, 2022 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
Jano le Roux, a copywriter, has done a deep dive on the marketing surrounding the new...
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Utilise the power of the “Zero Price Effect”
by Josh Withers | Aug 25, 2022 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
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The law of social proof and celebrancy
by Josh Withers | Apr 11, 2022 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
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Do I need more than one domain name for my website?
by Josh Withers | Mar 29, 2022 | Marketing and Social Media | 5 |
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There’s Gold In Them Thar Questions
by Josh Withers | Feb 18, 2022 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
A lesson from Kobe Bryant for celebrants
by Josh Withers | Jul 4, 2022 | The Art of Celebrancy | 0 |
Starting from zero is hard. I've found that creating from scratch, staring at a blank Word document, or an empty notepad, is the hardest work, like pushing a boulder uphill it requires you to muster everything inside of you. It's a question new celebrants pose to us here at the Celebrant Institute every week: how to get started.
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How did I do 27 weddings in one month?
by Josh Withers | May 12, 2022 | The Art of Celebrancy | 0 |
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Why I hate wedding awards: “I am in competition with no-one”
by Josh Withers | Oct 22, 2021 | The Art of Celebrancy | 1 |
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Questions to ask your couples for your review or testimony
by Josh Withers | Aug 26, 2021 | The Art of Celebrancy | 0 |
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The best tablet computer for celebrants, is it the reMarkable?
by Josh Withers | Dec 12, 2020 | The Art of Celebrancy | 4 |
Getting your start in funerals
by Sarah Aird | Aug 10, 2018 | The Art of Funerals | 9 |
Mercy asks: Like you I want to create beautiful funeral ceremonies. Because I think funerals can be beautiful. An assignment in my celebrant course had me visit a local funeral director with a bunch of questions on how they work...
Be a little more like Robbie Williams as a celebrant
by Josh Withers | Sep 25, 2022 | The Art of Ceremony | 1 |
I’ll get the disappointment out of the way for everyone, I’m no AFL fan. Can you blame...
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Where should the celebrant stand in a wedding ceremony? Josh’s view
by Josh Withers | Aug 31, 2022 | The Art of Ceremony | 2 |
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Ted Gioia’s 10 rules for public speaking
by Josh Withers | Aug 21, 2022 | The Art of Ceremony | 0 |
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A ceremony as a series of ‘riffs’, that’s how I’m unscripted
by Josh Withers | Mar 29, 2022 | The Art of Ceremony | 4 |
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Acknowledgement of Country in our weddings
by Josh Withers | Jan 26, 2021 | The Art of Ceremony | 4 |
My iPad lost everything, how can I prevent this?
by Josh Withers | Aug 8, 2022 | The Business of Celebrancy | 0 |
S writes in with a question about data loss and iPads: What are your back up plans when it comes...
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Computer and internet security for a modern marriage celebrant
by Josh Withers | Mar 11, 2022 | The Business of Celebrancy | 0 |
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Rounded prices are better than unrounded for weddings
by Josh Withers | Feb 14, 2022 | The Business of Celebrancy | 1 |
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A story for celebrants finding their tribe like Yeti coolers did
by Josh Withers | Feb 11, 2022 | The Business of Celebrancy | 0 |
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Other avenues for networking and referrals
by Josh Withers | Feb 10, 2022 | The Business of Celebrancy | 0 |
Celebrant legal obligations online
by Sarah Aird | Nov 8, 2022 | Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law | 5 |
Hopefully everyone has caught up on this major change to the way we do our work, but I know from my OPD classes that some people missed it. So here's a super basic update.
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Tips for completing the compulsory OPD
by Sarah Aird | Sep 12, 2022 | CI, Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law | 0 |
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A celebrant must call themselves a marriage celebrant
by Josh Withers | Aug 14, 2022 | Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law | 0 |
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Celebrants can witness NOIMs over the internet!
by Josh Withers | Dec 21, 2021 | Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law | 3 |
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Poll on electronic marriage forms and NOIM witnessing
by Josh Withers | Jul 16, 2022 | Community News | 0 |
Do you sign documents electronically or on paper? Do you witness NOIMs over video? We’re...
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Not-as-ongoing professional development
by Josh Withers | Dec 21, 2021 | Community News | 0 |
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Facebook’s a bit salty at us
by Josh Withers | Feb 20, 2021 | Community News | 0 |
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We have changed membership systems
by Josh Withers | Jul 25, 2020 | Community News, COVID-19 | 0 |
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Look out for a zero dollar invoice for the annual celebrant charge
by Josh Withers | Jul 13, 2020 | Community News | 0 |
How to spy on other people’s Facebook Ads
by Josh Withers | Feb 18, 2022 | Marketing and Social Media | 2 |
If you’ve been wanting a way to spy on what other people in the wedding industry are doing with their Facebook Ads, here’s a very easy, open, and regulated way to do so.
Read MorePreparing for the inevitable re COVID
by Sarah Aird | Dec 23, 2021 | COVID-19 | 2 |
How Sarah is preparing for the inevitable COVID exposure and isolation…
Read MoreMarriage statistics 2020
by Sarah Aird | Nov 24, 2021 | COVID-19, The Business of Celebrancy | 1 |
The marriage statistics for 2020 are out, and I’ve got your summary sorted!
Read MoreMy secret to business success: email
by Josh Withers | Oct 21, 2021 | The Business of Celebrancy | 4 |
Any successful endeavour requires a number of ingredients. An award winning cake recipe will have more than one ingredient, and an Olympic gold medal swimmer didn’t just swim their first lap that race.
There’s a process, there’s time, goal setting, and multiple resources being in the right place at the right time.
In the wedding industry there is so much focus on advertising and marketing, getting the enquiry, but less focus on winning that enquiry over, and worse, delivering an exemplary customer experience from woah to go.
Here at the Celebrant Institute we’ve written numerous articles about the value of creating and delivering a customer journey but today I wanted to hone in on one single aspect that apparently is really lacking in the wedding business: email.
Read MoreHow to start taking better photos at your weddings
by Josh Withers | Sep 27, 2021 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
An element of my social media content strategy I’m quite proud of is that I’ve really worked hard at making better photos, photos that I have made – and therefore own – so that I have photos and video for my own social media channels and blog. If you’re interested in pursuing that art as well, Josh Rose has written a really good guide that I think would help you. It’s aimed at taking better holiday photos, but the advice translates directly to weddings as well.
Read MoreVaccine mandates and weddings
by Sarah Aird | Sep 22, 2021 | COVID-19 | 1 |
Sorry, we don’t have the answers!
Read MoreThe secret to having people share your social media posts
by Josh Withers | Sep 8, 2021 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
When you hear of social media posts going viral, it simply means people are sharing it....
Read MoreHow to get your couples to reply to your emails
by Josh Withers | Sep 2, 2021 | The Business of Celebrancy | 0 |
If you’ve ever played the iconic Australian schoolyard game of handball, you’ll remember that the aim of the game is to intercept the ball on your quadrant/half, then to get it back out as soon as possible. Think about your customer journey and email like a game of handball.
Read MoreBuild my own website or pay a pro? Build a business brand or a personal brand?
by Josh Withers | Aug 30, 2021 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
Suzanne asks: “Looking for advice on professional web design v. self design. Objective to attract biz, be good return on investment and not rubber-stamp like. Also some good advice on logo vs personal service brand.” Two important questions here and they’re both worth addressing.
Read MoreWriting prompts for social media and blogging
by Josh Withers | Aug 29, 2021 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
The Copywriting Course’s subject line generator might be just the gold mine you need to start writring that next blog posts, social media post, or recording that vlog or podcast.
Read MoreBe vulnerable about your growth intentions to actually grow
by Josh Withers | Aug 24, 2021 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
A study has found that adding copy to a new app’s website around the lines of “we...
Read MoreSay, do you remember? Dancing (with new forms) in September?
by Josh Withers | Aug 18, 2021 | CI | 0 |
September 2021 is bringing us new marriage forms, and to be sure that we don’t confuse things, let me quote from the Attorney-General office email sent today. If you haven’t received it, check your spam folder and then tell your email client it isn’t spam, it’s the boss.
Read MoreShould we charge more or differently for public holidays?
by Josh Withers | Aug 6, 2021 | The Business of Celebrancy | 2 |
Continuing a long running series on this website starting with how your price is part of your...
Read MoreWhat does your profile photo say about you?
by Josh Withers | Jul 30, 2021 | CI, The Business of Celebrancy | 1 |
If you’ve taken our branding advice before, you’re using the same headshot profile photo for your social media accounts and your website, and anywhere else you can upload an identifying photo, avatar, logo. But do you know how it’s performing for your brand and marketing?
Read MoreThree practical ways to increase your price
by Josh Withers | Jul 27, 2021 | The Business of Celebrancy | 2 |
I’m not backwards in coming forwards about celebrants raising their price. I’ve given a number of good reasons in the past, but as lockdowns and travel bans continue to fuel the bonfire that is the state of the wedding industry today I was inspired by the idea that we, the wedding industry need not bare the burden that is wedding postponements, we are not wedding insurers, we are professional creatives. We are not wedding insurance. That’s not to diminish your want and desire to be generous and kind to your clients, be that, and more, but you are not their wedding insurance. Their wedding being postponed should not bankrupt you. So assuming you’re already ready to raise your price, if not read this, here’s three practical ways you can increase your price today.
Read MoreLegalities for parties who are vision impaired
by Sarah Aird | Jul 12, 2021 | Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law | 2 |
Tania asks: I have an enquiry from a couple, one party is Visually Impaired. They would have the...
Read More7 Insurances celebrants should have
by Josh Withers | Jul 9, 2021 | The Business of Celebrancy | 1 |
A member has asked about whether the Celebrant Institute membership includes insurance. It doesn’t, and we’ll be honest with you, that’s because we reached out to a bunch of insurance brokers and insuring you lot in such a general way turned out to be so expensive and hard, that it wouldn’t be worth it for you, or for us, to offer such a broad stroke of insurance, when each of your businesses are so unique and personal.
So here’s the seven insurances I think every wedding celebrant should at least consider, and of course you need to do your own research and consider your own circumstances.
Please note that this is general information only and should not replace financial or professional insurance advice. Talk to a licensed insurance broker, business advisor or insurer for detailed advice.
None of this information has been influenced by an outside business and we have received no payments or discounts for offering this information.
Read MoreWise words about reviews, for Billy Joel and wedding celebrants
by Josh Withers | Jul 2, 2021 | The Business of Celebrancy | 0 |
I’ve got a confession to make: I can recall every single bad review I’ve had, and I...
Read MoreThe thing about all of your social media followers
by Josh Withers | Jul 1, 2021 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
Whether you’ve got 10 or 10,000 followers across all the different social media channels,...
Read MoreA week’s worth of content prompts for your blog or social media
by Josh Withers | Jun 14, 2021 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
If you’re feeling a bit stuck on what to post on your blog, or social media, or both, here’s seven content ideas you can easily write right now. Then schedule them up to drop every day, and watch your online personal brand grow!
Read MoreAre you ready if someone tries to hack you and steal your client’s personal data
by Josh Withers | Jun 10, 2021 | The Business of Celebrancy | 0 |
Reading the news today about the meat manufacturer that paid up $11 million in ransom to cybercriminals after having its business shutdown over a hack recently, my mind turned to celebrants.
I hold grave fears that any day now there’s going to be an Australian marriage celebrant breached by a hacker, and all of their clients’ NOIM, Marriage Certificate, Passport, Divorce, Drivers License, details will be leaked, stolen, sold.
Read More“The truth is most of your followers won’t see what you share” on Instagram
by Josh Withers | Jun 9, 2021 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
Instagram has shared a post today about how and why people see what they see on Instagram. I’m not going to speculate on how much of this is smoke and mirrors, or politics, or conspiracy theories. Instead, lets take them at their word and believe what they say.
You can read the whole report here, and I’ll share some excerpts and thoughts on it below.
Read MoreHow to be “out there” and trust the process
by Josh Withers | Apr 13, 2021 | Marketing and Social Media | 0 |
Krystal asks: “I seek perhaps some advice on how I continue to be “out there” without sailing into the boring seas or moving into sharing content on social media that isn’t relevant. Maybe I need to be patient with the process, once my first wedding is over and I’ll feed my future marketing off that.”
Read MoreWhat are the celebrant’s COVID-Safe obligations in NSW?
by Sarah Aird | Mar 9, 2021 | COVID-19 | 2 |
A celebrant asks: RE NSW weddings Covid sign in is doing my head in. Until recently I’ve...
Read MoreOur 1st Birthday Competition
by Josh Withers | Mar 6, 2021 | CI | 0 |
One year ago today Sarah Aird took over the reins of Life Skills Training, and this year we relaunched as the Celebrant Institute RTO with the contract to provide ongoing professional development for Australian civil celebrants, alongside the Certificate IV in Celebrancy, the cornerstone qualification required to become a celebrant.
Read MoreManaging marriage documentation after death of a celebrant
by Sarah Aird | Feb 22, 2021 | Our Guidelines to Australian Marriage Law | 0 |
When a celebrant dies, what happens to their marriage documentation?
Read More12 months defending wedding industry disputes due to covid
by Kathryn Adams | Feb 20, 2021 | The Business of Celebrancy | 0 |
I thought I would spend this fine morning outlining some of the things that I have learned over...
Read MoreIf Facebook shuts your page down, are you prepared?
by Josh Withers | Feb 18, 2021 | Marketing and Social Media | 2 |
Your Facebook page, Instagram page, Google My Business account, your LinkedIn, and god forbid any of you have a Parler account, but they’re all not your property. Running your business on the back of those properties is like going to your local cafe and setting up shop at a table. Putting up a little sign with Married By John Citizen on it, and accepting meetings and enquiries there. It might be ok for the longest period of time (thanks for hosting me, Sisterhood Coffee), but at any time that business owner can ask you to leave and not come back.
Read MoreQuick way to complete the Certificate IV in Celebrancy
by Josh Withers | Feb 16, 2021 | Training | 1 |
A friend asks me today what the quickest way is to complete the Cert IV in Celebrancy, the qualification needed to become a celebrant in Australia. Friends of my friend reckon she’d be a great celebrant and they’d like her to marry them.
Read MoreWhere to focus on your celebrancy in 2021
by Josh Withers | Feb 6, 2021 | The Business of Celebrancy | 2 |
It’s been a weird year behind us as a wedding industry. I don’t want to dwell on it...
Read More
Celebrant Talk Show
- Maybe it will inspire some of us to rest
- Happy Podcast New Year!
- We're not going to charge you more money, it's ok
- Advanced OPD topic on how to skin a rabbit
- Be the CEO your wedding celebrant business needs you to be
- Was the tinsel an acknowlegement?
- Tasmania (BDM) gets the internet
- The one in a hotel room with a lawyer
- Preparing for the aftertime
- I think I've already mentioned this on the podcast
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