OK, first up, the facts:
There are two types of people that can legally solemnise your marriage:
- A Registrar of Marriages; or
- An authorised Marriage Celebrant.
Marriage Celebrants can be broken down into three separate categories:
Ministers of Religious Bodies: Recognised religious bodies nominate ministers and these names are published in the New Zealand Gazette as authorised marriage celebrants;
Organisational Celebrants: Certain organisations that uphold or promote religious or spiritual or humanitarian beliefs can nominate designated celebrants and these people are named in the New Zealand Gazette as authorised celebrants;
Independent Celebrants: These celebrants operate independently of any church or organisation.
The marriage celebrant takes care of the legal parts of the ceremony. This means they must be satisfied that the bride and groom standing in front of them are the people named on the marriage certificate. They must also make sure that the marriage takes place at the venue named on the certificate and that the vows are made in front of them and at least two other people.
They are also responsible for ensuring the marriage registration papers are signed correctly and returned to the issuing Registrar within ten days of the marriage. Further, they must take all reasonable steps to make sure the marriage is registered with Births, Deaths and Marriages.
You should check to make sure that your marriage celebrant is registered as an official marriage celebrant not only at the time the marriage certificate is issued, but also at the time of the ceremony.
The New Zealand Gazette publishes a list of all registered marriage celebrants around March each year; additions and deletions from this list are made during the year on a case-by-case basis. You can check the current list at www.gazette.govt.nz.
The period of registration as a celebrant only lasts a year and must be updated. Check just prior to your wedding to ensure your celebrant’s registration is current.
What happens when your nominated celebrant can’t officiate, either because their registration has expired or he or she is sick? Any other celebrant can take his or her place, provided they are an authorised marriage celebrant.
Now for the more interesting part!
The fun stuff:
Choosing a marriage celebrant might be a daunting task, but once you break it down into steps, it’s not so hard!
Firstly, if you are affiliated with a church or religious group and want to get married in that church or the group’s meeting place, then you will probably need to talk to your church or group to see who your choices are.
If you are using an independent celebrant, the choice can be a little harder. Start by asking around your friends and family to see if they recommend anyone. If that doesn’t provide any ideas, check with Births, Deaths and Marriages or with the New Zealand Gazette.
Once you have narrowed it down to a few choices, give the celebrants a call and arrange to meet them. Your meeting with them should be comfortable and easy – you want to make sure you have a good rapport with the celebrant as they will be a big part of your day. Also look for someone who has a professional approach as you need to feel sure that all of your paperwork will be in order and that they will turn up at the right time on the right day!
When talking with the celebrant, you may like to ask them the following questions:
- How much will you be involved in the ceremony? Some celebrants like to write and deliver the whole ceremony; others like to work with what you have written.
- How do you work with couples? Do they like to have a couple of meetings to get to know your personalities and personal styles or do they just meet with you once before the wedding? It is good to meet with the celebrant a few times – most importantly to find out what they will say at the ceremony and whether it suits you and your vision for the day!
- How much do you cost? Celebrants tend to cost from $350 up to $800. If the celebrant you are speaking with is particularly cheap (or expensive!), you might need to find out why.
- What training have you had? How long have you been a marriage celebrant? This will give you an idea of their experience with everything from public speaking to handling unexpected problems.
- Can we speak to a couple you have married recently? Do you have pictures of the ceremony? References are always good, and if you can see photos you can see how professionally the celebrant dresses when officiating. Remember they will be in a lot of your photos!
- Do you have any ideas for vows or readings that you can share with us? Is that part of your service? Celebrants are usually a mine of information and will quite often have a resource kit of suitable ideas for couples.
Your celebrant is a big part of your day. They should be able to help you relax, yet take a controlling role in the ceremony so that it runs smoothly. They will feel honoured to have been chosen to help you celebrate and should make your day memorable for the right reasons, just like you deserve!
engaged
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