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‘How much do Celebrants cost in Melbourne’ is on the mind of every couple when they begin planning their own wedding.
The short answer is; the cost of a Melbourne Wedding Celebrant or Marriage Celebrant (which is the same thing just different name) will vary from person to person.
That’s because there are lots of different things impacting the cost; the type of ceremony you want, the experience of the Celebrant, the travel and what they’re offering you.
It’s essential to ask the celebrant you’re interested in the following questions…and since you’re here and asked so politely, I’ll give you my answers too.
Keep in mind, like most things, cost is usually an indication of quality. However, there are options you can choose that may help you save money.
The aim of a wedding ceremony it to be legally married (in most circumstances) at the end of it. However what that ceremony looks like, sounds like and the length it takes is going to vary.
There’s three different ceremonies that the majority of couples choose when getting married. I call them a Legals Only, Elopement and The Big Day; below is a definition of each and the general cost.
A Legals Only wedding ceremony is like buying a seasonal box from your favourite organic store; you’re not going to get the exotic fruit from South America, but you’ll get a good meal out of it.
The Legals Only is where a celebrant meets up with yourself and two witnesses at either your home, a café or bar and simply goes through the legalities with you. (to understand the legalities, see my blog about What Does A Celebrant Do?)
No-one dresses up, no story or ceremony about it – it’s the bare bones, but you’re legally married afterwards. If you’re already contemplating a registry style wedding at town hall, this could be the winner for you because the celebrant will come to you.
The Celebrant price of a Legals Only is roughly $550 and may dcrease/increase depending on travel demands. My Legals Only Price starts at $550
An Elopement wedding ceremony is like going to Aldi; you want an adventure and one that’s discounted.
Here is where you get to pick your location with 2-10ppl, all dressed at your best and have a ceremony around getting married. There won’t be a story shared and it will be short and sweet, but it’s a decent step up from sitting in your living room saying your vows.
The Celebrant price of an Elopement is around $770 and may decrease/increase depending on travel demands. My Elopement price starts at $770
The Big Day is like shopping at Woolies, Coles or even Amazon; you’ve got choice! The world is your oyster and can be found in aisle 1 on the left.
This option is chosen by couples who want to personalise the whole day; pick their favourite venue, have a cocktail list, get the band on stage and have everyone laughing and then crying in the ceremony. The day is about having a huge party with family and friends and doing it your way. A great Celebrant brings their sound system, a personalised ceremony and helps you organise that part of the day – this is the option most couples choose.
The Celebrant price of The Big Day varies widely from $800 – $2000*
My price for this ceremony is around $1650
Zoe and Alex chose ‘The Big Day’ and loved celebrating with all their friends and family.
Pic by Ali Bailey
While there are many different reasons for this, the main reason is “Preparation”.
A Legals Only doesn’t take much preparation, just the legal documents and the ceremony.
The Elopement will require a little more preparation, organising what they’ll say and the documents.
The Big Day requires lots more preparation, it takes around 5-7 hours simply to prepare the story and then another hour practicing the delivery.
I break down the time spent in preparation for you here in this blog 6 Questions About Celebrants.
The experience with celebrants impacts the cost because it usually correlates with their demand. The longer a celebrant has been officiating, the greater their skill and the more couples want them; this is a little simplified, but has validity and why reviews are important.
If a celebrant is in more demand they will charge more because they only have a set amount of days they can give or days that couples want to get married on.
Saturday afternoons are still the most treasured time slot – so if you’re looking at saving some money, you could choose a Thursday afternoon and ask for a discount…couldn’t hurt to try.
My previous experience helped get us out of a ring failure. Could have been an awkward moment, but is now a great memory.
If the Celebrant you want lives in the same city then it’s likely your Wedding won’t encounter further travel fees. Anything 100kms out of a major city may begin to attract higher prices to cover their cost of petrol and possibly even accommodation.
If you’ve chosen a remote location, it may be worth trying to find a local celebrant who wont charge you extra fees. However, if you love your celebrant, you can fly them to Greece and they will give you the best damn wedding possible – so just ask me and I’ll be there!!
This is my sexy sound system; even the guests behind me are excited for how nice it is!
Pic by Shaun Mckenna
A Wedding Celebrant provides their assistance with the legal documents, which you can read more about on this blog (What a Celebrant does at a Wedding). They can also prepurchase a legal marriage certificate so after the wedding, VIC BDM will simply mail it to you.
A Celebrant will also provide their sound system, especially because it’s a legal requirement that your vows are heard by your witnesses. The Marriage Celebrant may also help you prepare your personal vows by viewing them before the day (click here to learn how to write personal vows).
All in all, a Celebrant should be the one to help you prepare the wedding ceremony, including the legal documents and guidance on how the ceremony will flow.
The price you’re willing to put on a Celebrant is purely personal and depends on what experience you want everyone to have at your Wedding.
This is the person who you’re giving permission to control 30minutes of your Wedding day infront of your friends and family.
A great Celebrant will set the perfect tone for your day, so take heed in the saying “You get what you pay for”
Want to talk with a Melbourne Marriage Celebrant
Click here to organise a time
Planning your wedding and need a Melbourne Wedding Celebrant – Look no further, you’ve found me! I’ll guide you through the whole process; vows, paperwork, story writing and stand by you on the day to deliver the ceremony you desire. Let’s talk!
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