Like most of us I ponder over Facebook to see what is happening. I seem to enjoy knowing who is on holidays, who is eating breakfast, who is having the best lunch, who is in love and who has a new fur baby but most of all I enjoy reading the recommendations that everyone gives.
As few weeks ago, I come across a question a young bride asked in a wedding group page. Why are marriage celebrant fees so high? At first, I did not take too much notice however as wedding season approaches and I sit at my computer doing quotes, I have come to realise that perhaps people don’t know what is really involved in becoming a marriage celebrant.
The marriage celebrant plays one of the most important roles of the day. The journey they take to make your day so special started with them having a love for people and bringing them together. To become a marriage celebrant takes patience, time and money, lots of money. All celebrants must compete a Certificate IV in Celebrancy which must be successfully completed and passed. These courses range from $1200 to $2000.
The next step is to apply for registration with the Commonwealth Attorney General. The application alone is $600.00 however all celebrants must sit for another exam with the department before registration is approved. Once the exam is completed, the wait begins. It usually takes three months to get approved and assigned registration. The registration cost is another $240.00 which needs to be paid each year.
The attorney general requires that all celebrants must complete five hours of professional development each year and this is necessary to maintain their qualifications. There are only four organisations that are registered to provide the training and the cost is about $180.00 per year.
We also need to look at the amount of time and work a marriage celebrant takes to put your own wedding together. A celebrant usually will meet with you for the initial first hour or so, they are also happy to have as many meetings required. It also takes time to write your ceremony and collate the readings and the vows the couple have written to each other.
There is also a cost to the celebrant for all the paperwork they fill in and the wedding certificate they give you at the end of the ceremony. There is also the cost of travel and parking. Most parking stations in the city have high hourly rates. Most importantly we need to realise that celebrants will spend between 15 to 18 hours preparing for your wedding day.
As you can now see, there is lot of work that goes into preparing your wedding. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me.
