Desmond Stow - Weddings From The Heart

Desmond Stow - Weddings From The Heart

You are certainly able to become a celebrant but you can not preside over your own wedding. You need to be independant to hear the vows, declare the required marriage statements and sign documents as a person separate from the persons marrying. 

Desmond Stow - Weddings From The Heart

HI there, yes you can have your ceremony in a church or for that matter any place of your choosing. However if you wish to have a civil celebrant conduct your wedding ceremony you may find that some churches only allow their own ordained ministers to conduct the ceremonies in theor chapel. Occasionally a church will give permission for a civil celebrant to conduct the ceremony but not that frequently. You do need to be aware that some denominations (one in particular that I have had to deal with) will promise permission until not long before the ceremony - early on the day of the wedding or at the rehearsal - and then say to you that they thought the person conducting the ceremony was one of their clergy. They then have said that the couple could still have it in the chapel but the local priest is required to do it. So, if you are happy to have a religious ceremony you can most definitely have it in a church. If you want a choice of a non-religious or civil ceremony you may need to consider some of the very beautiful chapels available ay wedding venues and other locations around your city.

Desmond Stow - Weddings From The Heart

Hello, this is an excellenet question which highlights the role of marriage Celebrants in the communtiy. Primarily marriage celebrants who are registered by the Federal Attorney General's office are Civil Marriage Celebrants. They are registered to allow people who have little or no religious affiliation to have a person to perform a quality and meaningful ceremony for them without religious content. 

However, some couples because they still wish to acknowledge their parental traditions, choose to have some religious content in their ceremonies or base their ceremony on a traditonal religious service. It is fine for a Civil Marriage Celebrant to perform a ceremony under these circumstances. However we are not allowed to 'push' a religious philosophy at, or onto a couple who are marrying. These things must be instigated by the bride and groom if desired in their ceremony.