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A civil celebrant is an independent self employed professional offering:
* ceremonies for significant life events - for individuals, couples, families or communities
* so as to honour all people - the diversity of their individual talents and skills; gender; race; family, educational, religious, social, cultural backgrounds; life experiences; beliefs; personal, emotional, spiritual, social and other needs
* with the aim of celebrating love and life - upholding and inspiring others to live to the best of human values and aspirations
Civil Marriage Celebrants are appointed by the Austraiian Federal Government to provide dignified, meaningful and memorable wedding ceremonies of equal value to and as an alternative to religious weddings. Such an authorised civil marriage celebrant must adhere to a Code of Practice and other requirements as outlined in the Marriage Act 1961 as amended.
Civil Funeral Celebrants are celebrants who specialise in providing meaningful and dignified civil funeral ceremonies. Such celebrants are usually compassionate and sensitive people, who have training in loss and grief and in working with families to enable them to say farewell to their loved one in a manner that meets their particular needs - honouring their loss and celebrating the unique life of the person who has died.
Civil General Celebrants or Family Celebrants are usually celebrants who offer other ceremonies (such as Anniversary, Birthday, Commitment, Naming, Vow Renewal, House Warming, Pet Funeral) as well as civil marriages and/ or funerals.
Civil ceremonies may include some religious material, at the request of the individual, couple or family. Thus you may be assured that a civil celebrant will respect your wishes whether you want such inclusions or not. Remember most religious rites of passage are the property of a particular religion and thus can not be performed by civil (secular) celebrants, without the approval of the appropriate authority.
Cost of celebrant services
Independent celebrants do not receive any government funding, nor do they have financial and other support from their church as do religious celebrants.
Celebrants set their scale of fees, like other professionals such as doctors, physiotherapists, solicitors, accountants, etc.,
* to cover not only the material costs of offering their services, but also
* to cover their time in research, professional development, planning, transport, delivery and follow-up work in performing ceremonies.
Like other professionals too, the quality of direct service on the day, is really the tip of the iceberg in terms of the knowledge, experience and skill that the celebrant brings to your significant event.
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