There is no shortage of celebrants, but that can just make it harder to know where to start looking! Everyone loves a personal recommendation, so ask around. Your friends will have been to weddings, or been married themselves. Everyone remembers a really great celebrant. They also remember a really bad one!

Try chat forums. There are many fantastic on-line chat forums to explore. Brides love chatting about their weddings – who they booked – why they like them – and better still, they log back in after the wedding to give post wedding reviews. If the comments are really great, you can trust them – after all, who has time to make up great comments unless they are really, really happy?

If all of that fails you, there are countless wedding directory websites to trawl. BUT don’t stop there. Google the celebrants that appeal to you. Is anyone writing about them? Does their website tell you about who they really are- their approach, their style? Do they have a blog? Do they use twitter or Facebook? You can learn a lot online!

Match your personalities……

All celebrants (should) have the legal knowledge to perform a ceremony according to law and to complete all paperwork accordingly. Almost all own a PA system through which you can play music and be heard clearly throughout the ceremony. What makes a great relationship between a celebrant and Bride and Groom is trust. You want to able to trust that your celebrant will do everything they say they will. That they will help you in every way that they can – and most importantly, that on the day, that they can handle anything!

Make your decision based upon personality, because on the day – it really is everything. A fabulous celebrant should have a fabulous personality. Believe me, you really don’t want a robot. Think of it like this……

Your wedding is a very expensive party if the ceremony isn’t performed well. Your wedding begins with the ceremony. It is the most important part of the day. It is the reason for everything else.

Choose a celebrant that puts you at ease; the one that you feel will engage your guests and keep them entertained. The right celebrant will go to great lengths to do all these things for you.

If you really connect with your celebrant; if you feel like they understand what you want and can guide you through the process, without stress, and keep you calm and relaxed on the day, then that is the one for you!

Happy planning!

Photos courtesy of Emily Sandrussi

Ms Polka Dot says: What wonderful advice from Robyn – Robyn Pattison Civil Marriage Celebrant! And yes, she always seems happy – even her favourite cocktail is a happy colour and bubbly – pink champagne with a dash of guava! Thank you Robyn!

Robyn tells us: I am quite possibly the happiest marriage celebrant in Sydney! Weddings are my thing! Nothing makes me happier than a really happy couple – every time.