Marriage Celebrant

Aimee Brown

Alison Burrell was inspired to become a marriage celebrant after hearing of a disastrous wedding experience through a friend. “I heard a horrific story about a marriage celebrant and I thought to myself, fancy having that as your memory. I thought I could do much better than that,” she says.

The part-time dental practice manager then enrolled in a celebrancy course through the Academy of Celebrancy Australia.

The course runs over five days at the Learning Resource Centre of Australia in Chatswood and covers everything from the legal aspects of a marriage to practical steps of the service.

“There was quite a bit of work. We had to be able to show them that we understood what we’re doing,” she says. “It covered a lot of legal aspects, such as the Marriage Act, Discrimination Act and the Trade Practices Act.”

Trainer Sue Wells says the course gives participants all the information they need to become a marriage celebrant, including how to deal with difficult or unexpected circumstances.

Wells says: “We’re trying to give these people the right skills to be able to perform a professional marriage to someone. It’s not just about going out there and marrying people; it’s a lot more involved. They do a lot of research on cultural things — they had to design a wedding that took into account different cultures.

“They also learn to deal with conflict and conflict resolution on the day — they are all the sorts of things that do happen.”

The course, which gives participants the necessary certificate of attainment, is just the first step in the process to becoming a marriage celebrant.
Once they have been approved by the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants they are then put on a waiting list to receive formal approval from the Federal Attorney-General’s Department.

Upon this approval, celebrants are fully qualified to conduct weddings. But celebrants can conduct name-giving and commitment ceremonies, and a wedding in the presence of an approved celebrant without formal approval.

How to be a … marriage celebrant
You must complete a nationally accredited training course to prove you have met the criteria, then be approved by the Federal Attorney-General’s Department. More information from the Academy of Celebrancy,
1800 079 801 or celebrancy.edu.au