Chris Temov Marriage Celebrant Perth

Years ago, many celebrants were able to get away with fairly boring, purely 'legal' ceremonies without a lot of fun, emotion or consideration of the couple's needs and wants (some ceremonies are still are like this) but thankfully times have changed.

It's important to find a celebrant who is prepared to give you the time to tell them what you have always dreamed of for your special day. 

Legally, there is a need to include a couple of things within the ceremony, but the rest of it is totally up to you and the celebrant to design. A good ceremony should be uplifting, sincere and exactly what you want. Most good celebrants should be able to ask you what you want and offer you suggestions throughout the process. 

Just like the saying 'Everybody's different', couple's tastes in ceremonies are also different. Some couples want a 'laid back' ceremony, while others prefer something a bit more 'traditional', some like things a bit 'light hearted' while others like to explore the 'pure emotion' of the day. You need to find a celebrant who is prepared to spend time with you, to guide you and to listen to you.

I pride myself of being one of the few 'full time' marriage celebrants in WA who is also able to offer each of my couples a genuinely personalised ceremony. I spend most of my time getting to know what your needs will be on the day, your personality and also your 'story'.

I find out if you're comfortable in front of a group of guests or if you prefer to stand back a bit,  I then design a ceremony that'll make you feel the most comfortable on the day. 

I think it's important that each couple gets to celebrate their individuality, so find a Celebrant who will help you craft a ceremony that you'll be proud to call your own.  Try to avoid the 'cut & paste' ceremonies, this isn't what you're paying for!

Each celebrant sets their own prices based on the time they spend on your ceremony, their experience and (believe it or not) ... their Ego!  There is no 'standard' fee, but prices are often range from $450 (usually a new celebrant) up to $900++. Personally, I feel midway is a fair price to charge. On top of this, most celebrants will often charge an additional travel fee if ceremonies are performed outside the Perth metro area (for Perth based celebrants).

The costs should reflect the amount of time a celebrant invests in meeting the couple, researching and preparing a full ceremony, arranging ceremony music (optional), a rehersal and performing the ceremony of the day as well as looking after your document lodgement.

Some celebrants don't include the preperation of all of the legal documentation, I include all of this as part of my service, making the legal process easy & seamless. I get together to help you prepare all of your paperwork, certify your ID and documentation and make sure that everything that needs to be done, is done correctly. 

If you're on a limited budget and are happy to pay for a ceremony at the lower end of prices, you may have to expect that your celebrant is just starting out or may be a 'part time' celebrant, and while this is not a bad thing, it's just something to take this into consideration.

If you're prepared to pay for a higher priced celebrant, it's important to determine the amount of time the celebrant is going to invest in your ceremony (usually around 10 hours per ceremony). It is also important to determine if your celebrant is prepared to spend time developing your 'individual' ceremony and not simply provide a 'cut & paste' ceremony. If someone is going to charge you a lot of money to provide you with a professional service, it MUST be professional.

Don't just pay for someone's ego, their 'online' presence or the testimonials on their website (these are difficult to verify), FB testimonials seem to be a bit more reliable.  There are a lot of great celebrants in Perth and many will be within your price range. With the right amount of investigation, you'll find the best fit for you.

I believe it's important to make sure you're getting value for money and above all, you should feel comfortable working with your celebrant.

They must understand YOUR needs.. after all, it's YOUR wedding.  

All celebrants need to undergo a number of ongoing training courses intended to bring all celebrants up to a pre-determined standard and to ensure that Celebrants maintain a high level of professionalism, but are they all the same?

As with all individuals, each Celebrant also has their own unique personality and it's this part that makes the process of finding the 'perfect' Celebrant for you, the fun bit. 

We all have certain people that we get on with and this is what will help you find the perfect Celebrant for your ceremony. Besides you, the Celebrant plays the most important part of your ceremony, without a Celebrant (or minister) you can't get married, so it's important to make sure you feel absolutely comfortable with the one you choose. 

Make sure the Celebrant you eventually choose, has your interests at heart and is not just there to 'self promote or grandstand'. They need to understand you both, your family and friends and to deliver a ceremony that is totally yours.