Want to become a celebrant? Well, ask any of our members, and they’ll tell you it is the best job in the world, so we’re not surprised you’re considering this career. So, if you’re wondering how to become a celebrant, fear not! We have the answers for you.
In Australia, 81% of weddings are conducted by celebrants, and it can be the most satisfying career choice. Although becoming a celebrant is not a hugely complex process, but it does take a decent time commitment, and there are a few steps to gain your registration.
Firstly, you will need to undergo celebrant training, and once you have this qualification, apply for registration and get authorisation. And once registered, you have the option to join a community of celebrants and learn from their expertise and helpful guidance.
The Celebrant Society is one of these dedicated communities that brings together registered celebrants. Find out more about The Celebrant Society and what our community offers (we think we’re pretty great, if we may say so ourselves).
Read on to find out how to become a celebrant in Australia and pursue this amazing career.
What is a Celebrant in Australia?
A celebrant is a person who has been trained and authorised to solemnize weddings and other ceremonies in Australia. Unlike priests who are bound by religious conventions and rites, celebrants have a lot more flexibility to create wedding ceremonies tailored specifically to the couple while ensuring the ceremonies meet legal requirements.
Whether a couple envisions a Star Wars themed wedding or they’re looking for a classy, romantic ceremony, the right celebrant can help ensure that couple’s vision comes to fruition.
How to get qualified and registered
The good news is that, as stipulated in section 39C of the Marriage Act 1961, you can become a marriage celebrant as long as you are 18 years or older. Here are the steps on how to become a celebrant in Australia.
Step 1: Complete a Certificate IV in Celebrancy
The first step to becoming a celebrant in Australia is undergoing training. This involves completing a Certificate IV in Celebrancy from a registered training organisation (RTOs). You can find out exactly what this qualification involves, and where you can study here.
There are various options for studying Certificate IV in Celebrancy including online or in-person. The course covers a wide range of topics, including legal requirements, ceremonial practices, script writing, public speaking, and cultural sensitivity and ethics. This certificate has 810 training hours, usually taking 6-18 months to complete.
Step 2: Apply for registration as a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant
Once you’ve completed your training and got your certificate in your hands, you’re still not a registered celebrant. In fact, you can’t advertise your services or legally conduct marriage ceremonies until you’re registered.
And how do you become registered? Well, that’s where the Attorney General’s Department comes into play. When you apply, you will be required to provide evidence of your qualifications, certified identification documents, reports of two referees, and a consent form for a national police history check. The information you provide will be used by the Attorney General to assess if you are a fit and proper person, as required by the law.
Step 3: How to become a Celebrant – Pay an application fee
Applying to become a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant comes at a cost. During the application, you will be required to pay a non-refundable application fee of $400. However, this fee can vary from time to time as determined by the Attorney General’s office.
Note: Besides the application fee, you will have to renew your registration annually, and if you don’t, you’ll be deregistered (which is really not great, and we aim to ensure that none of our members forget to pay their fee). The renewal charge is currently $170 at the time of writing this article.
Step 4: Get authorised as a celebrant
Once you have completed the online application and paid the application fee, then there’s a bit of a waiting game. Generally, it takes up to three months for the office of the Attorney General to review an application to become a celebrant. For this reason, it is a requirement not to book weddings or advertise until your application is approved.
When approved to be a celebrant, you will be notified via email (exciting!). Once you’ve received this, you’re good to go and can begin conducting legal ceremonies.
How much do celebrants earn? How to Become a Celebrant
This really varies. To give a ball-park figure, a celebrant can cost anywhere from $500 to $5000 – a huge difference. But a $500 celebrant is more likely to do a short, legals only style wedding, and may be newer to the industry. A $5000 celebrant may be providing lots of bells and whistles, is experienced and in demand.
If a couple are after a ‘legals only’ type ceremony, they may not be placing too much importance on bonding with their celebrant. However, our members have done legals only which have been in the privacy of the couples’ home, and therefore the couple may want someone who they feel really comfortable within this space.
Our advice? When starting, you shouldn’t be over-ambitious, as chances of making the equivalent of a full-time wage are harder than they might initially appear. On average, part-time celebrants make up to $10,000 per year from ceremony work. With experience and time, you can make a full-time wage. We suggest joining a top class membership group and continue learning how to be the best celebrants you can be (for example, read common ceremony mistakes for a taster of our advice).
How much you can make depends on a range of factors including your location, experience, and how you market your services. Generally, advertising your services more effectively will attract more couples and help you establish a personal brand. Metropolitan areas often have more people considering non-traditional ceremonies, which can give you a chance to charge higher and even access more clients.
Full-time celebrants can make between 70,000 and 120,000 a year, with some performing funeral ceremonies as well as wedding ceremonies.
What qualities do I need to be a great celebrant?
All couples are different, and every wedding is unique. Therefore there’s a huge mix of personality types within The Celebrant Society, who bring different elements to the job.
However, there are some traits which help, including:
- Professionalism
- Passion
- Self-confidence
- Likeability
- Excellent public speaking
- Outgoing personality
- Sense of humour
- Creativity and good creative writing skills
- Positive mindset
- Versatility and flexibility
- Organisational skills (there’s a lot of admin involved and we’re dealing with legal paperwork, so this shouldn’t be underestimated)
- Cultural sensitivity
We find our most successful celebrants have found their niche, and marketing themselves towards their ideal couples. We run lots of workshops on how to do this, as well as have a wealth of information within our group with hints and tips on how to do this.
How to become an Officiant in Australia?
An officiant is just another name for a Celebrant in Australia, but the term, ‘officiant’ is mostly used in America and Canada to describe a Civil Marriage Celebrant or person performing a wedding ceremony. So yuo become a celebrant in Australia or an Officiant in the States.
And finally, on how to become a celebrant
A career in celebrancy can be fulfilling and rewarding. However, to grow your business and achieve much-desired success, you need more than just completing Certificate IV in Celebrancy and getting registered.
You need to master the art of marketing yourself to your ideal couples, and writing and delivering top class ceremonies for couples.
And if you need any help, please reach out to us at The Celebrant Society.
Join a Celebrant Association or Network
Working ads a celebrant in Australiacan be isolationing, so that is why we recommend joining a celebrant soicety. They are a group of like-minded collegues who can help answer questions and make you feel like part of a community. At The Celebrant Society we help Celebrants start, build and grow successful businesses in a supportive community. We offer guidance, celebrant insurance, representaion, and heaps of discounts and benefits. Click here to find out more about our Celebrant Association and Network.
