The life of an international celebrant: Josh Withers

Inside Josh Withers’ worldview on ceremonies, couples, and why the place does not matter nearly as much as the purpose.

When you ask celebrant Josh Withers about the most memorable weddings he has officiated, he does not launch into a list of destinations or famous clients. Instead, he pauses. You can almost see him flipping through a mental scrapbook of moments: sunrise in Dubrovnik, red dirt in the Northern Territory, icy winds in Iceland, and countless hidden corners of Tasmania.

“I have been invited into so many wonderful and weird and unique weddings around the world,” he says. “And each one sticks out for its own reasons.”

There was the quiet dawn ceremony on the famous steps in Dubrovnik’s Old Town, where Cat and Chris exchanged vows with no microphones, no décor and no crowds. Just two people framed by ancient Croatian stone.

There was the day he stood with Stephanie and Kieran on the vast red plains near Uluru, breathing a marriage into existence beneath a sky so wide it felt like a witness in its own right.

And then there is Tasmania. After years of travelling to Freycinet, Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair and the peak of Mount Wellington for ceremonies, the place eventually settled into his life. “It became my favourite Australian destination,” he says. “That is why I am a Tasmanian wedding celebrant today.”

But ask him which wedding stands above all the rest and he gently redirects.

“I started trying to list every cool place and every cool couple, but the real answer is simple. The standout weddings are the intentional ones.”

What being a celebrant really means

Like many celebrants, Josh began his career by copying other people’s ceremonies. “It was a fool’s errand,” he says. “The only ceremony I am any good at creating is a Josh Withers ceremony.”It is why he avoids scripts, keeps rehearsals minimal and encourages couples to write personal vows. It is also why he spends so much time travelling.“People do not book me because I am local. They book me because of my worldview and my way of creating ceremonies.”

As for the celebrant’s place in the day, he explains it simply.“The celebrant is the conductor. Invisible when they should be, present when they must be, holding the emotional architecture of the moment. A good celebrant lifts the whole day. A boring one puts everyone to sleep before the reception even begins.”

The ingredients of a great ceremony

Ask Josh to distil the recipe for a meaningful ceremony and he gives four words.

Honesty. Authenticity. Vulnerability. Intentionality.

Honesty is telling the truth about who you are.

Authenticity is having your wedding, not a replica of someone else’s.

Vulnerability is allowing your community to love you.

And intentionality is knowing what matters and building the day around that.

“It means having everything you want and not a single thing more or less,” he says.

For someone who has stood at the front of countless ceremonies, walking into his own was an entirely different experience.

“I love our wedding day and would not change much,” he says. “But if I am honest, I would rather have eloped. And instead of one reception with 45 people, had 25 dinners with each of them.”

He and his wife, Britt, always dreamed of eloping in New York City, their favourite place in the world. But at the time, the idea felt unfamiliar to their families and even to the New York wedding market.

“So we married at home instead. That experience became the seed for The Elopement Collective. It was about creating the kind of elopement we wished existed.”

There is one moment that still lives vividly in his mind.

“I will never forget seeing Britt walking down the aisle. Getting married is the best thing ever. It changed my life for the better, and I highly recommend it.”

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