Can I have a friend as my celebrant

I offer many different ways of getting married. 

during COVID we did the legals with the mandated 4 only people and then had a ceremony and reception afterwards.
We told everyone it was a marriage celebration so as to be legal, but we included the same vows, music and readings.
So that practise is a good one, and can be done in either order

As others have said, YES, it can be done, and most if not all Celebrants will happily assist. I have gladly performed many ceremonies in that way.

On the face of it, the Celebrant just has to make the legal announcement commonly referred to as the Monitum, explaining that it is the Celebrant conducting the ceremony and offering a legal definition of marriage, but can then step back and just keep a close watch and ear on the ceremony. If all legalities are satisfied, the Celerbant just steps back in to sign the marriage Certificates and can step away again.

Don't expect a discount from the Celebrant though as there is actually more work (and stress) involved in checking and rechecking the work of the 'co-celebrant' than if the Celebrant conducted it solo, and of course the Authorised Celebrant carries all the legal responsibilities including accepting your Notice of INtended Marriahe 1-18 months before the marriage ceremony, meeting you each privately and individually to ensure consent and later registering the marriage and so lots to be done before and after the ceremony.

Yes, you can have a friend act as your celebrant for the ceremony while an official celebrant (like me!) takes care of the legal side of things. This is a great way to have a deeply personal and meaningful ceremony while ensuring everything is legally sound.

Yes! Many couples love the idea of being married by a close friend or family member while still ensuring all the legalities are handled properly. Not all celebrants offer this service, but I do because I think it’s such a fantastic way to make a wedding truly personal and unique! Since your friend may not have done this before, I offer a special package that includes guidance, tips, and even a fully customised script to help them feel confident and make your ceremony unforgettable.

If this sounds like what you're looking for, I'd love to chat and make it happen. Let me know how I can help! ??

Hi Jessica,

Your friend can absolutely be involved & even co-officiate alongside an authorised civil celebrant. It is essential that the celebrant conduct the legal parts of the ceremony & your friend can conduct the rest. Many celebrants (myself included) are more than happy to work this way & can provide guidance to friends and family members who wish to be involved in/conduct the ceremony. Have a chat with a local celebrant & let them know what you would like to do and take it from there.

Have a wonderful wedding & wishing you all the very best.

Jess.

Yes, your friend can co-officiate. You do need a registered celebrant to perform the legal vows and monitum, which is only a few minutes, and can be easily interwoven into the ceremony. Your friend can simply call upon the celebrant to come forward to say these few words then your friend continues. This is how I do it and it's a fabulous way to include someone very special on your wedding day. 

Hello Jessica , thats something that some celebrants would be happy to help with. I have faciliated exactly that situation in the past. Essentially you would still need to follow all the same legal requirements prior to wedding and build in the formal marriage to the proceedings but your friend could officiate and the chosen celebrant steps in to complete the legal requirements.  Happy to have a chat should that be helpful.

Dear Jessica,

Couple of points here Jessica.  Yes, your friend can act as celebrant on the day. However, she would not be referred to as your celebrant. Your friend would be presenting her address to you and your guests as your 'friend' .  The legals then can be done by a legal and registered Marriage Celebrant on the day or any day prior. This is easily done and personally, I have done it a number of times. 

The alternative to all this is if your friend has the time to study for her Civil Celebrant certificate then she is able to be your celebrant on all fronts.

 Have fun!    Jan 

Absolutely yes, but the celebrant will need to be there to do legal vows and the monitum. They can then do the paperwork.  My suggestion is to get your friend to do the ceremony then get a celebrant to do a registry type wedding at your house with a couple of witnesses 

Yes it certainly can. The best way to do it is to get your friend to deliver the ceremony but the celebrant does everything else with legals, supplying resources to help write the ceremony, logistics, sound, organisation, stage management, etc.