What’s the difference between a traditional and civil ceremony?

80% of weddings in 2018 were conducted by a Civil Celebrant. 

Generally speaking a traditional ceremony is conducted by a Minister of the Church (and usually in a Church) making it a religious ceremony, whereas a civil ceremony is conducted by a Registered Marriage Celebrant and is non-religious. However, you may have readings, prayers and rituals within your ceremony.

A Civil Ceremony provides you with a lot more personal flexibility in your ceremony.  There are 3 legal components that a Civil Marriage Celebrant must conduct throughout your ceremony, The Monitum, Legal Vows and Signing of the Register.  All other components are completely up to you and your Celebrant will assist you with this.

a civil ceremony can be traditional and the fact that the majority of weddings are civil means we incorporate what ever traditions you may choose.

A civil ceremony is simply a non-religious legal marriage that is performed by an authorised celebrant instead of a minister of religion of any denomination.

A traditional wedding is harder to define as there are up to 14 components of a 'traditional' wedding that include the processional, giving away, vows, readings, rituals...the list goes on.

Of all of these components, there are actually three things that you need to make your marriage legal.

1. The monitum that needs to be said by your celebrant
2. The couples legal vows
3. The signing of the marriage documents by the couple and two adult witnesses

Everything else is personal preference

Fortunately, your celebrant will be able to discuss the parts of the ceremony with you and your partner and help you plan your perfect ceremony.

A traditional wedding as such was performed by a priest in a church. A civil ceremony is performed by a celebrant, anywhere of your choosing eg beach, park, garden etc. There are legal elements that are required for each type of ceremony, but with a civil ceremony you can also choose what to have included - which may not be the case for a church wedding. When talking to my couples about the physical layout of their ceremony I refer to "traditional" as being me at the front facing the guests, one slightly in front of me on the side and the other on my left side. 

Hi

What you have in your ceremony is entirely up to you and it can be traditionally based even for a civil Marriasge ceremony. The difference is that in a civil ceremony the celebrant is registered by the Attorney General and must say certain words in a Marriage Ceremony. If you are thinking of a marriage in a church, these are considered to be traditional and you may not be able to choose what you want in your ceremony. In most cases religious celebrants are authorised under their churches right to conduct marriages. However there are those who were once considered to be civil marriage celebrants who refuse to conduct same sex marriages under religious grounds and have been exempted are now classed as Religious Marriage Celebrants

Traditional means something well known and accepted from the past. When talking about weddings, this is often a religious ceremony, not only Christian but any religion that has a long history of ceremony that has meaning and value to the people who follow that faith. A civil ceremony has no basis in a religious faith. It can have meaning and values but not in terms of God or scripture or religious terminology. A couple may not have a strong religious affiliation and yet they may place value on the traditon and significance offered by a religious ceremony.

Civil ceremony is about being wed in the eyes of the law. A traditional is in the church. 

I hope that answers your question. 

There are many options these days for your ceremony! Civil ceremony commonly refers to a ceremony performed outside a church by a marriage celebrant. You can still include traditions in this style of ceremony - provided you cover the legal requirements under the Marriage Act ,it’s really up to you both what you would like included . Traditional commonly refers to a religious based church ceremony. Your celebrant can support and guide you through all the options and most are very flexible and happy to help you plan your special day the way you both want. Best wishes and happy planning! Robyn :)x

A traditional ceremony could be referred to as one conducted in a church whilst a civil ceremony is an alternative that is non-religious.  This said celebrants can offer traditional ceremony components at a civil ceremony.  Celebrants are flexible with locations and the way the ceremony is prepared and conducted.  Best wishes, Andrew Sinclair Brisbane Celebrant