Most marriages in Australia involve civil ceremonies where a couple and their family can choose their preferred celebrant and the time, date and location of their ceremony.  

It is important when contacting a Celebrant to check they are a Government appointed Marriage Celebrant with appropriate registration, training and experience and to ask if they are available for your ceremony time, date and venue. 

All Celebrants should provide comprehensive information about their services, costs and inclusions along with the legal requirements for marriage.  Many offer an initial obligation-free meeting to discuss your preferences and ensure that everyone is comfortable working together. 

The best Celebrant is one with whom you have trust and rapport and who can provide evidence of their high quality and value for money services and inclusions.  They can offer ceremony examples and a range of vows, readings, rituals, symbols and music, if wanted, but are flexible too, listening to your needs and appreciating that “one size does not fit all”. 

As your ceremony can set the tone for your entire wedding day, a caring professional will value your ideas and preferences and guide you as required with humour, dignity and professionalism.  They will draft and redraft a ceremony to reflect who you are as a couple and family.

Whether you’d like a small and simple elopement or a larger, more formal, traditional, contemporary or thematic marriage, why not discuss your needs with a well-equipped celebrant so they can craft something unique to suit you, your family and friends.

For more information, please contact Gina Callan at Licensed to Wed.

Hi there and congratulations on your plans to marry! 

My name is Gina Callan and I am a Civil Marriage Celebrant living in Lyons in the ACT.  My professional background is varied but includes many years working as a Registered Nurse and then as a Government Administrator in Health and Ageing, time as a Community mediator, work in disability care, and as a trainer and educator.  I’ve managed complaints, taught first aid, facilitated accredited and non-accredited training courses, and conducted almost 600 marriage ceremonies as well as a range of baby-naming and welcome ceremonies, Commitments and Civil Unions, Renewal of Vows, anniversary and other celebrations as requested.  All the while I have enjoyed tremendously the creative art of writing and facilitating presentations for a range of diverse individuals, families and groups, large and small. 

My proudest achievements, however, are much more personal and focus on my loving family.  I have been married for over half my life to someone who is now an ex-serving defence force member and we have shared many different homes in Australia and overseas, appreciating the varied cultural experiences and people we’ve met along the way.  Over the years we’ve made wonderful friends and raised two gorgeous sons who are now independent and experiencing love, life and much laughter with their own families and friends too. We proudly are grandparents to three young boys and they keep us young at heart and active, healthy and always having fun!

Originally from a country town (Armidale, NSW), I’ve always loved gatherings with family and friends to celebrate life and all its milestones.  These occasions continue to bring great joy and have made me realise the value for others too in celebrating significant milestone occasions and achievements with their loved ones in culturally significant ways, be they marriages, commitments, anniversaries, baby-namings or other special moments of joy and commitment. 

After attending some lack lustre marriage ceremonies over the years and realising that a “one size fits all approach” is not effective, I decided it would be rewarding to work with couples and families to achieve truly meaningful occasions that never missed the mark, so that their special celebrations could be remembered for all the right reasons.  So, I trained and registered as a Civil Marriage Celebrant in 2008, deciding that at the heart of every great wedding day, should be a unique marriage ceremony expertly crafted to suit the needs, desires and personalities of the couple tying the knot. 

The idea that just as people are different, so too should be the style and content of every ceremony, led to the creation of my celebrancy business, Licensed to Wed.  This business has now grown, strengthened and endured and while I have been privileged to facilitate many wonderful ceremonies, I recall particularly one ceremony conducted at the home of a beautiful young and very proud couple of few resources and little family support at a time when the groom was very ill.

The Bride’s mum had recently died and she had no female relatives or close friends to assist with wedding arrangements, but neither she nor her Groom complained about their lot in life.  Rather, they passionately shared with me their simple story of love, laughter and adventures with their three beautiful children, noting their hopes and dreams in marriage for the future. I felt so lucky to not only tell that story publically on their wedding day, but to also tactfully acknowledge lost family and involve each person, including the children in unique and positive ways. 

In addition to legally solemnising the marriage and in the absence of a mother or father of the bride, I was invited to assist in practical ways by helping the bride with her clothing, jewellery and last-minute photos before she married the love of her life. The Groom’s ailing health was also managed with some innovative staging techniques and a real lump in my throat developed when a beautiful ceremony was achieved.  I knew then and there that my decision to become a celebrant was a good one.

My advice to couples and families is to meet early with their celebrant to discuss their specific needs and wants, and to ensure their ideas and views are heeded while legal requirements are also met.  If all parties work together anything is possible.  A caring, professional and experienced celebrant will appreciate that every couple and family’s story is unique, and will use all their skills to guide and assist clients with energy, warmth and passion.  In this way, each ceremony, whether elegant, traditional, relaxed, fun or quirky, will be forever remembered with pride and joy by all involved.

Hi there.  Are you looking for an award-winning Civil Marriage Celebrant? 

I’m Gina Callan at Licensed to Wed and I reckon that the key to a perfect wedding day is having an expertly crafted marriage ceremony facilitated by the right person for you – someone who can reflect your hopes, dreams and preferences as individuals, as a couple and as a family with care and warmth!

Why not come and chat obligation free with me about your particular ideas, needs and wants.  I promise that I am a warm, experienced, relaxed and professional celebrant who will listen and work with you.  I have a great sense of humour and have officiated at 600 marriages, commitments, anniversaries, renewal of vows, Civil Unions and name-giving celebrations.  I specialise in creating unique, light and fun ceremonies that leave clients with happy memories to last a lifetime.

So, if you have no idea where to start, don’t worry as I can offer a wide range of ceremony options to help your initial planning, including great example vows, music, readings and rituals.  If you already know exactly what you want, that’s great too!

Whether you hope for a quick elopement, a light, fun but fantastic occasion, something quirky or a beautiful, elegant bespoke ceremony, I will ensure all legal requirements are met. Most importantly, I will ensure that your ceremony really is about YOU, so you will remember your wedding day experience always!

Great discounts apply to ceremonies held on weekdays (Mon-Thurs) and to quick and simple elopements, and my Fri-Sun ceremonies are great value-for-money, high quality ceremonies, where services and costs are negotiated to suit all involved. Until we meet, happy planning for your wedding day!