"Judge others by their questions, not their answers." ~ Voltaire ~

The Questions You Should Be Asking

Before You Hire Your Celebrant

By Sharon L Norris

Here is a list of essential questions you should ask civil celebrants before you commit to engaging one for your wedding.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

·          What celebrancy qualifications do you have, or experience in lieu of formal qualifications?

·          How long have you been a marriage celebrant and how many weddings have you performed?

·          Do you abide by a Code of Practice or Conduct that outlines your obligations and responsibilities as a celebrant?

·          Are you a financial member of at least one peak celebrant body representing the celebrancy profession in Australia?

INSURANCE

·          Do you have Public Liability Insurance that covers you for personal injury or damage to property that may inadvertently occur at a ceremony as a result of your celebrant activities?

·          Do you have Professional Indemnity Insurance that covers you for any professional or legal mistakes that may occur in relation to the ceremony (where applicable)?

FEES & CHARGES

·          What is your standard fee for the type of ceremony I have outlined and what does this include in terms of service?

·          Does your fee include the use of a PA system so our guests may hear the ceremony?

·          Does your standard fee include the cost of a rehearsal or do we need to pay extra for a rehearsal?

·          Are there any other additional costs I should be aware of before I commit to a booking?

·          Do you offer any discounts on your fees? If so, what are they?

SERVICE

·          Do you offer an obligation-free appointment to meet you to discuss your services before a booking is made?

·          How many meetings can I expect to have with you in relation to my ceremony?

·          Do you dress to suit the style of my particular occasion [i.e. formal, informal etc]?

·          Can I have input into the development of my ceremony?

·          Can I include elements in my ceremony that may be unusual and perhaps not necessarily traditional?

·          Do you write ceremonies especially for your clients or do you offer me a choice of pre-written ceremonies that you personalise?

·          Will you show me a draft of the ceremony before the day so that I know exactly what is to be said, and by whom, so there are no nasty surprises?

·          If I were to make a booking with you for my ceremony, how many other ceremonies would you already have in your diary for that day or be prepared to accept on that day?

·          In the event that you accept my booking and are unable to perform my ceremony on the scheduled date due to illness or injury, will you arrange for an alternative celebrant to take over for you, without any further cost to myself

© 2008 Sharon L Norris      http://www.sharonlnorris.com.au/      All rights reserved.

This article is provided as general information for prospective marriage clients. It may also be used as a teaching tool for celebrants. However, this article is covered by copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the express permission of the author and copyright holder. The author protects her web-based intellectual property through the use of Copyscape internet plagiarism search tool.