Your Marriage Celebrant is a very important part of your wedding day and think of the cost in terms of making an investment, one which ensures that you engage a quality Celebrant and as such, the cost is only one aspect to be considered. Your choice of Celebrant can "make" or "break" your day.
Celebrants costs vary depending on your geographical location and what each Celebrant considers to be fair and reasonable with the services provided. It is certainly the case that your Celebrant spends a considerable period of time with you and on your ceremony and there are many other overheads (i.e. running costs for a micro business including insurances, annual fee payable to the Attorney-General's Department, Ongoing Professional
Development, advertising) your Celebrant has to meet above their time spent meeting with you, creating your ceremony, rehearsal, travel and the ceremony itself.
Having said that, however, you should ensure that when discussing fees, you are told in the first instance of the full extent of what all charges will be.
Some Celebrants structure their fee so that it is all inclusive whilst others may add an extra charge for the use of his/her equipment such as a Public Address system. Some Celebrants
charge an additional fee should your ceremony start later than the agreed starting time, for example.
As stated above, your choice of Celebrant should not be based solely on cost consideration as you are trusting the most important part of your wedding day to the Celebrant you have chosen. It is, therefore, good advice to select one with whom you have an easy rapport and with whom you can plan the exact marriage ceremony that you both want.
Why does a Civil Marriage Celebrant costs vary from a Religious Celebrant?
A Civil Marriage Celebrant has far more flexibility in regard to the time of day and venue options for your wedding and also the ceremony content than offered by a Religious Celebrant. This means that a Marriage Celebrant devotes a considerable amount of time to you and your ceremony and there may be travelling involved; something that is not usually the case for a Religious Celebrant. Another important difference is that your Civil Marriage Celebrant is not being paid a wage by the church or other religious organisation and furthermore, Marriage Celebrants are also required to pay for overheads necessary in running a business.
