Celebrant or Family Member?

A wedding day should be one of the best days of your life and who would you want to share your big day with you?  I´m sure part of the answer to that, is your family. So do you want them to lead your wedding, and more to the point, do you have a Plan B if on the day, they can´t be there for you? Will you choose a Celebrant or Family Member?

A wedding takes a lot of planning!

A wedding takes a lot of planning, indeed for a destination wedding you may have planned up to three years in advance.  There will be many reasons for your decision to have a  family member lead your wedding ceremony.  They will be closest to you and will know you very well.  They will have been with you through good times and bad and have shared in all your stories.  It may be that you don´t want to spend too much, and in this climate, that is understandable. So, lets break it down.  

The core part of your day!

What do you consider to be most important part of your day, the core part of your day?  For some it may be the getting ready, having their hair and make-up done by a professional, putting on a fabulous dress or suit, and then the after party where they get to celebrate with family and friends.  What about the ceremony?  This is where you make your promises, you commit yourselves to one another and where you exchange your vows.  Is this not the core part of your day?  The the part everyone has come to witness, a couple in love, making their promises, declaring their love for one another in front of all those they love and share their life with.  Will it be your Celebrant or family member be able to write your ceremony, deliver it with confidence in front of those attending on the day? 

Confident to deliver on the day?

Are they being polite and saying yes because that is what you want to hear, will they really be able to deliver? When it comes to your wedding ceremony, the last thing your family want is for you to be disappointed.  They may really prefer to be part of the congregation on the day, watching and enjoying your day with you?  Could you do for them, what you are asking them to do for you, do you realise just what is involved?

Leading your Ceremony!

A Professional Celebrant spends a substantial of time, money and effort on training to become a celebrant and on their continuous professional development.  In other words, they never stop training and learning, wanting to be the best at their job and being the best at leading your ceremony!  They will have practiced and mastered the art of public speaking, holding the attention of others and being able to tell stories whilst holding the guests’ attention, that is what they they will be doing whilst leading your ceremony.

Picture this…!

The day arrives, the alarm goes off and – picture this, the phone rings, its Your Person, they have called to say they have lost their voice and can´t make it, what do you do?  You may have spent a fortune or not but that´s not the point, without the ceremony, there is no wedding, it´s just you in a fabulous dress going to a party!  You have no one lead your celebration of love, the central, and core part of your wedding day.  What happens next?

Using a professionally trained celebrant, they will have asked you to sign a contract.  They will have set out exactly what would happen on such an occasion.  These occasions are rare but do occur.  It could be through illness or it may be due to car trouble on the day.  All professional Celebrants belong to a professional organisation such as The Fellowship of Professional Celebrants.  They work closely with a group of others whom they rely upon and call upon on just such an occasion.

As your celebrant, if were I to call you, I would already have the solution in place, and calling to explain that though I were unable to attend, my colleague (let´s call her Sally-Ann), will be attending, in my place due to illness. She would already have the ceremony and would be on her way.  I would be telling you all about her and what she will be doing for you.  I would have explained everything to Sally-Ann in minute detail and you would have no cause for alarm.

Fantastic Day!

Your family know you better than anyone and if they can carry it off then of course you should have them lead your ceremony.  What could be more intimate than having a brother or sister lead your fantastic day!  Them sharing their love with you on the day, I think that would be amazing.  All I am asking is that you consider the immense pressure you are putting on their shoulders and to make sure you have a Plan B just in case! A celebrant or a family member, its a big choice to make!

If you you are looking for a celebrant in your area, then The Fellowship of Professional Celebrants and The Celebrant Directory are two of the best places to begin that search.

I love to celebrate life´s most important moments and would love nothing more than to share your wedding day with you.  Click here to book a free consultation to find out how I can help you make your wedding ceremony zing!  

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