an outdoor wedding ceremony setup with a wooden arch adorned with pink and white flowers and greenery. rows of chairs with floral decorations line the grassy aisle, set against a backdrop of rolling hills and a clear sky.

Celebrants – what is their role?

A great question and one I was unsure of myself until I decided that I wanted to become a wedding celebrant. The role encompasses naming ceremonies and funeral services too, but weddings are the most exciting! In basic terms a celebrant is the person who can do all the legal parts for your marriage.


The part you don’t see is the process that a wedding celebrant goes through to be able to do the fun parts. To legally be able to marry someone in New Zealand you have to complete an in depth process of referee statements, character references and interviews. The Department of Internal Affairs processes any celebrant applications and provide them the ability to conduct legal weddings. Each year I have to go through a renewal process and answer some of the most bizarre wedding law questions you can think of – such as how many nautical miles you can be offshore in NZ waters to get married – 12 is the answer in case you ever need that at a pub quiz!


The part I am sure you are most interested in is – how do you find one and what is their role at your wedding?


A celebrant is essential if you are wanting to legally be wed, they ensure you say the right statements, “I AB take CD to be my legally married wife/husband/partner” and everyone required signs on the correct line – the bride, groom and two witnesses. The final task for the wedding celebrant is to send a copy of the completed and signed documentation to Births, Deaths and Marriages department as a record of the wedding.


It can be my job to guide you through the whole ceremony or I can step in for the legal proceedings. A celebrant can not allow another guest to lead the part where the couple state they will take the other as their wedded spouse or witness the signing of the wedding particulars. Guests are welcome to do readings, sing or play an instrument. A nominated person can MC the wedding celebration, bringing in the celebrant for the legal proceedings.


It’s important to research your celebrant and check they are suitable for the wedding you want to undertake. Read reviews, talk to other people and search the internet to find what you like. Celebrants all have their own style and may be willing to adapt to your requests at differing levels – this is your day make sure you get it right! You can meet a celebrant and not use them, it’s ok I won’t take offence or if you do like my vibe get me booked in quick – its amazing how popular dates get grabbed quickly.!


As a celebrant there is quite a lot of work behind the scenes to get your ceremony the best it can be for you – sharing as much information with me as possible can make it a whole lot easier. This also means that even if you only see me for between 2 and 3 hours I’ve spent just as much time writing the script, the ceremony plan and checking in with you. The creative and logistics process behind a ceremony is the part I really enjoy, it’s the behind the scenes that ensures everything runs smoothly and makes the day flow with no surprises.


With Raise a Glass Celebrants you can be sure I will make your wedding ceremony unique and special to you.