On 14th March I delivered a training session for the members of the Professional Celebrants Association Inc. I spoke about the differences between Australian, UK and US weddings. A PDF file of my powerpoint presentation is included here for your information. Please bear in mind - the presentation was targeted at celebrants, not members of the public. Ongoing training and skills development is vitally important in the celebrancy industry if we are to continue to raise standards and keep members of the public informed about their options for ceremonies.

Click on the link to take you to the PDF file. http://o.b5z.net/i/u/10015595/i/UK_US_and_Australian_weddings.pdf

Many celebrants do supply a signing table and chairs at their ceremony, but we as an industry are not mandated to supply such equipment. I do not supply these things because I regard them as a public liability insurance risk that I do not need in my business. Anything that could potentially injure my clients is kept well out and away from my work as a celebrant.

I am becoming very frustrated by the comments on one of my celebrant network forums in relation to the supply of wedding decor at ceremonies. It would appear that celebrants (particularly those new to the industry) just "don't get" the risk management issues involved in supplying wedding decor (tables, chairs, carpets, arches, topiaries etc) at their ceremonies. When the risk management issues are highlighted to these people, they still seem to be taking a "thanks for the advice, but she'll be right, mate" approach. Good luck to them!!!

When I was training as a celebrant in 2003, my trainer was very vehement in her advice on this issue. She related the story of a celebrant who supplied an ornate signing table and chair as part of their level of service, but did not have public liability insurance. At one wedding, a large bride broke the chair and fell to the ground, injuring herself and her dignity as well as damaging her wedding gown. Subsequent civil legal action ensued in relation to public liability issues, and the celebrant was forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars in damages to this client.

So many celebrants are without insurance and so in those instances, providing things at ceremonies that potentially extend the risk to clients or their guests (not clients, but associated) is not good practice. A "she'll be right, mate" attitude has no place in a professional business providing services to the community.

I recently had a very unsavoury experience dealing with a client who left it until the very last minute to obtain a birth certificate. At first, he tried to talk his way around having to show me a birth certificate, and when I insisted it was the law that I see his (he was born here so must, by law, show his birth certificate to be able to marry), he became verbally abusive.

At one point he accused me of "not doing enough" to help him get his birth certificate - something I can't understand because I had provided him with the application forms for the interstate registry in his state of birth, as well as other relevant information for him to be able to apply for the certificate. He certainly knew six months ahead of the wedding that he needed to provide his birth certificate.

To cut a long story short, the interstate registry rushed through his application and his birth certificate arrived two days before the wedding. The marriage took place and this man is now married. He subsequently did apologise to me for the things he said in anger, which I appreciated. At the end of the day, I have a job to do that involves following the law. I cannot cut corners at any time or I could end up committing an offence and end up in jail - something I have no desire to do.