How to become a celebrant? It’s easy. You just need to want the best job in the universe, you need to believe that getting and being married is important and awesome, and some public speaking skills wouldn’t go astray.
Here’s our complete guide on how to become a celebrant in Australia.
Before you start studying, filling out forms and paying fees, you need to make sure you want this.
There are more than enough average or poorly-performing celebrants who enter the wedding industry with the boring go-to-market plan of just charging less than everyone else. Trust me, those guys have arrived already and they’re still struggling to pay rent.
What the industry needs is fresh blood who believe that getting married and being married is good. That weddings should be great and that the role of being a celebrant can still grow, develop, innovate and improve.
Celebrancy in the past has been a retirement game, a side hobby, a side hustle. Not anymore. The market is full of vibrant, alive, young and powerful celebrants – if you want to join that cohort then please consider this your welcome. If you’re done with hard work and have no new ideas, consider delivering food for Uber.
If that’s you, if you think you can bring something important, beautiful, meaningful, and new to the wedding industry then we need you more than ever. Get on board!
Are you the right kind of person for celebrancy?
Celebrants need to be a certain kind of personality. Celebrants need to have a warm and welcoming personality along with excellent listening and communication skills. They should have a deep understanding and respect for different cultures and religions. Writing skills will also be highly beneficial as celebrants often write custom ceremonies for their clients.
Additionally, celebrants should be organised and detail-oriented, as there are legal requirements that must be fulfilled. Finally, like any public speaker, they should be confident and comfortable speaking in front of a crowd. If you possess all of these qualities, then you are well-suited to become a successful celebrant.
Check the eligibility requirements, are you eligible?
To become a marriage celebrant, you need to be over 18 years old and you also need to be a fit and proper person. What does that mean? They’re going to run some police checks and make sure you’re an asset to the community, not a douchebag.
You also can’t be in a conflict of interest or benefit to business situation. Examples might include, if you work at a wedding venue, you being a celebrant is a conflict of interest.
A conflict of interest is a situation where your interests or activities would make it difficult for you to fulfil your legal duties and functions as a marriage celebrant in good faith. A benefit to a business is a situation where your registration as a marriage celebrant is likely to result in a benefit to another business you own, control or carry out.
Further, you need to complete the Certificate IV in Celebrancy. It’s just a little course that will cost you a dollarydoos and about 12-18 months of study.
Submit your application to the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department.
You’ll need to get your certificate of completion of your Certificate IV, your ID details, some more dollarydoos, and patience. It will take about three to six months for your application to be approved by the AGD. Emailing and calling them will not shorten that, welcome to federal government efficiency.
Now you get to choose where to go
When you get that letter letting you know you’ve been approved, you are free to start marketing your new business venture, tell the world, and make your mark on our community. We’re all waiting for you to be amazing!
What would I do if I was starting today? I would do this. Plus I would listen to this podcast episode of the Celebrant Talk Show about the top 10 tips for new celebrants.
