have you ever said no to doing a couple's wedding?

Unfortunately I have had to suspend a ceremony on the day as one of the party had consumed alcohol and was not very coherant.  It was a dreadful day for everyone.

Luckily everyone was willing to wait for impaired party to come to their senses.

If the bride or groom or your witnesses are under the influence of alcohol or other substances their ability to legitimately give consent to the marriage is impaired.

yes, but for privacy reasons I would not divulge why to anyone else.

it is important that couples are ready for marriage, want to marry in the right environment and for the right reasons.

i keep in touch with my couples even after the ceremony and want them to be happy.

Hello, Luckily for me I have not had to say no to doing a couple's weddin.g - Why do you ask?

Yes! I was asked to 'dress up' in what I considered an inappropriate way. So I suggested to the couple that "perhaps I was not the right Celebrant for them"!

When I asked them "why did they want me to do that?" The response was "we just wanted to see if you would do whatever we asked!"

I am always open to including whatever ideas a couple may have, that is what makes every ceremony unique, however it is important to remember that it is a legally binding commitment and should be respected as such!

No I haven't.   However we must always work according to the law.   Should a circumstance arise that was outside the law in Australia I would have no choice but to say no. 

Short answer is no.  However if a Celebrant "feels" the marriage is not going to be a union of a loving couple (my words) then the ceremony should not proceed.  I am happy ro expand on this concept but I think the overall point is clear.

The only other time I have said no is when I already have a booking for the day.  Aldgate Ceremonies policy is for each celebrant to have only one ceremony per day.  In this way we can provide full attention to the couple.

I refused to do Surprise wedding for the bride, it should be both of them to be agree to married.

The only time I have had to say no was to a couple who wanted to marry at midnight during a New Year's Eve party... my reason for declining was that by law a Marriage Celebrant cannot solomnise a marriage if either party  to the marriage are under the influence of alcohol or other substances, as this may impair their ability to legitimately give consent to the marriage, and it would not be possible under these circumstances to ascertain that this was not the case.    I offered to marry them in the afternoon prior to the party or the next day. 

Hi there

Unfortunately I have had to turn down quite a few weddings though fortunately it was merely due to availability. To date I have not turned down a wedding as a matter of conscience. I have been lucky, to date, that all of my couples have been legitimate and above board. If, however, I didn't feel that all aspects of the procedure were 100% above board and the couple were unable to put my mind at rest, I would be bound by conscience, not to mention my duty as a Celebrant, to turn them down. An example would be where I'd felt that one of the couple did not genuinely consent to the marriage or did not fully understand the gravity and the importance of marriage.

Yes I have said no a few times.  A wedding is one of the most important days in a couples life.  A celebrant and the bride and groom in my opinion have to click.  On the few occasions when I haven't felt that connection I have suggested that perhaps they would be better with another celebrant.  When I meet people it often feels as if I am meeting an old friend, or at least we are laughing together within a few minutes.  I know that when this happens I will be able to support them in any way they need and we are going to have a good Wedding Day.