5 simple ways to get good celebrant quotes

Celebrants are sole traders. This means they work on their own. There’s a good reason for that. The Commonwealth Attorney General appoints celebrants as individuals and therefore, for legal reasons, they can’t employ staff to conduct weddings on their behalf.

Because each celebrant who quotes for your wedding on ServiceSeeking.com.au pays a fee to submit the quote, your request for quotes may not attract too many takers – unless you provide the type of information that a celebrant needs.

So here are 5 simple tips:

• Give the date of your wedding. Because they work on their own, a celebrant needs to know that they are free on the day. Not giving the day of your wedding may discourage celebrants from quoting.
• Give the time your ceremony will start. Celebrants need to know the time because they may have other weddings already booked on that day.
• Give the place of your wedding. It is important to give the suburb and if possible actual venue to make sure that celebrants local to where you are getting married as well as celebrants willing to travel will quote.
• Describe the type of wedding you have in mind. Many celebrants have a range of service levels so if you’re planning an elopement with just 2 witnesses, or a small intimate wedding say so. Otherwise a celebrant may quote for their highest (and most expensive) level of service.
• Don’t suggest that all you need is one hour of celebrant time. Suggesting that only an hour of time is needed could put celebrants off because they will assume you have an unrealistic idea of what a reasonable fee is.
  The amount of time required on the day is driven by the type of wedding, where the ceremony is held and how punctual you are. Celebrants are also required to arrive at least 20 minutes before the agreed start time in order to set up, but most arrive earlier than that.
  It also takes time to pack up and leave. Celebrants also have to complete legal paperwork with you, spend time meeting with you and preparation of the ceremony and registration of the marriage afterwards can require 10-20 hours of celebrant time.

Organise your celebrant now.

About Author Jennifer Cram

Jennifer Cram is a high-credentialed Brisbane marriage celebrant, known for her creative approach to the development of unique, personal, and creative wedding and commitment ceremonies. Appreciated by couples for the meaningful simplicity of the ceremony and by photographers for her attention to the visual aspects, Jennifer devotes many hours to ensuring that each ceremony reflects the love and the values of the couple and the warmth of their relationship with family and friends. In the 2009 and 2010 she was voted one of Queensland’s top celebrants at the Australian Bridal Industry Academy Awards with a rating of 99.62% by couples she had married.