Friend conducting our ceremony

Yes, the authorised celebrant can pronounce you husband and wife as that has no legal bearing.

When a marriage is being solemnised by an authorised celebrant, and the couple wants someone else to be centrally involved in the ceremony, the authorised celebrant should ensure that they have the following minimum role:

• consent to be present at the ceremony as the responsible authorised celebrant
• identify themselves to the assembled parties, witnesses and guests as the celebrant authorised to solemnise the marriage
• be responsible for ensuring that the marriage ceremony is carried out according to law
• say the words required by subsection 46(1) of the Marriage Act in the presence of the parties, the formal witnesses and the guests before the marriage is solemnised 
• be in close proximity to the ceremonial group or part of it, see and hear the vows required by subsection 45(2) and ensure that those vows comply with the requirements  of the Marriage Act 
• be available to intervene (and exercise the responsibility to intervene) if events demonstrate the need for it during the ceremony
• receive and sign the papers required by the Marriage Act, including receiving the NOIM, and sighting the supporting documents each party is required to produce and sign the marriage certificates, and

·       register the marriage with the appropriate BDM as required under the Marriage Act

your celebrant  should be prepared to do that, make sure you ask

Yes they sure can! As you know, your celebrant must do the legal paperwork and say the legal wording, but a lovely gesture for your friend to be involved and conduct the rest of the ceremony. It would be a good idea for your friend and the celebrant to work together to use the valuable experience and advice, if necessary, of the celebrant to create the perfect ceremony for you. A great idea to involve someone special. 

Yes of course! I very recently conducted a ceremony in conjuction with a friend of the family. They read out majority of the ceremony script, including the pronoucement at the end of the ceremony, and I simply stepped in to cover the sections which are required by law to legally marry two people in Australia. 

Whilst the ceremony can be handled in this manner, it is still necessary for the celebrant to also complete all the requirements pre and post-ceremony to ensure the marriage is legal and binding. 

Yes the friend can pronounce them and introduce them as husband and wife. The only mandatory legal things that a celebrant has to do are the monitum, the legal vows and the signing and witnessing of the marriage documents.

How exciting and personal. Will be an even more special occasion!!! I have been honoured to officiate my sister's wedding and also a few friends. Made my heart sing with joy!!!!

100% YES!!!
Its a lovely thing to have a friend do :)

Of course you can. It is great to involve friends and family in your celebration as much as you want. There are a few legal lines which must be said by the celebrant and the couple but everything else is up to you. I am always happy to work with your friends to create a ceremony which helps you all have the most memorable of days.

Absolutely and it's always so lovely to have a friend or family member conduct your ceremony. I've done alot of these types of ceremonies in varying degrees of my involvement. I wrote a blog about it as it explains how it can actually work. Check it out at https://www.bellarinecelebrant.com/blog/can-we-include-someone-else-in-our-ceremony and if you've got any questions, just give me a call! All the best, Sue.

Yes, you can!   And what a wonderful gift to the couple getting married to have such a personal conclusion to their marriage ceremony. 

Keep in mind though, there is absolutely no obligation on the part of any authorised celebrant to participate in a marriage ceremony with another person who is not authorised to solemnise marriages. Your celebrant is legally responsible for all aspects of the marriage, so they need to be comfortable with all the ceremony arrangements, ensuring the marriage is legally valid and conducted according to the celebrant 'code of practice'.  

As long as the 'legals' are covered in the ceremony, almost anything goes!  You can be as creative as you like and include other people to do special readings, tell your love story, lead rituals etc.  And so, with your celebrant you can create a ceremony that is uniquely yours and a reflection of your and your partner's personality!

You can see why it's so important that you do your research to choose a celebrant who is going to help you achieve the type of ceremony you want while ensuring your marriage is legally valid.