Work with couples, not for them: what celebrant Mike Larkan has learned about the wedding business

Mike Larkan has been around weddings since he was a teenager. He played guitar in a wedding band, spent years as a DJ, picked up the microphone as an MC, and then built a long career presenting the weather on Channel 10 in Melbourne. These days he’s one of Melbourne’s best known celebrants, and he’s picked up plenty of wedding supplier tips along the way.

Mike got into celebrancy almost by accident. Back in 2012, while he was MCing a reception, a few couples asked if he’d MC their weddings too. It got him thinking. He hadn’t been to a wedding ceremony in years, so he went along to a few to do some homework, and somewhere in the middle of it he realised this was a job he could do.

Mike’s first “wedding” was a story in itself.

After telling his mate Mick Molloy he’d just become a registered celebrant, Mick suggested his first ceremony should happen on Triple M. So in 2013, Mike “married” a pair of competition winners live on air, on the station’s rooftop, in front of invited listeners. (He married them officially the following year.)

We asked Mike what he’s learned along the way. Whether you’re a celebrant, a photographer, a florist or a venue, there’s plenty here worth taking into your next couple meeting.

It’s their day, so listen first

When we asked Mike how he keeps every ceremony feeling fresh, his answer was simple.

“I meet with the couple that I am marrying and listen to what they want. What I want is irrelevant. I give guidance and ideas, always remembering it is their day.”

After years in the industry, it’s easy to slip into a routine. You know what works, you’ve got your favourite setups and your go-to suggestions. But couples aren’t booking you to get your usual. They’re booking your experience so they can have their version of the day.

A good habit to steal from Mike: open every first meeting with questions rather than a pitch. Find out what matters to them before you start offering ideas. Your expertise lands better once they feel heard.

Work with couples, not for them

This was one of Mike’s most honest answers, and it’s something plenty of suppliers will recognise.

“Bigger weddings aren’t always better – there are more moving parts. And when there is a bigger budget, brides can think that you are working FOR them, not WITH them.”

When the budget grows, the relationship can quietly shift. Couples start to see you as someone following orders rather than a professional guiding them through something they’ve never done before. That’s when things get harder for everyone, including the couple.

The fix starts early. Set the tone from your first conversation that you’re a partner in the planning. Be clear about how you work, what you need from them and when. On big weddings with lots of suppliers involved, clear communication matters even more, because every extra moving part is another chance for something to slip.

Don’t forget the guests

Mike has a view on ceremonies that any supplier can learn from.

“I try to ensure that the ceremony is a vital part of a couple’s wedding day. Often guests only look forward to the wedding reception, and they have to sit through the ceremony. I attempt to make the ceremony fabulous for the couple AND their guests.”

He often gets guests involved in the ceremony, and says he’s regularly told that a 30-minute ceremony he officiates “feels like it’s ten minutes because it is fun, funny, romantic, uplifting … but never boring”.

The couple’s memory of their day is shaped by how their guests felt. If guests are bored, cold, hungry or confused about where to go, the couple notices. And here’s the bit that’s easy to overlook: today’s guests are tomorrow’s couples. Every wedding you work is a room full of people quietly deciding who they’d book for their own day.

When things go wrong, keep going

Presenting live TV taught Mike a lesson he still uses every time he stands in front of a crowd.

“If you make a mistake, you just keep going, most times no one notices. Also, learning to ad-lib is very helpful, as well as memorising scripts. And it is important to talk to an audience or crowd, not at them.”

Of course, some days test that more than others. Mike once had a couple booked for a beach wedding with rain forecast. He contacted them a few days out and suggested they switch to their wet weather option. The groom, originally from England, wasn’t budging. He was a fan of Home and Away and had his heart set on the kind of beach wedding he’d seen on the show.

It poured. Guests stayed in their cars, the musicians packed up before the ceremony even started, and Mike and the wedding party got soaked. Mike put the paperwork away so it wouldn’t be ruined and arranged to get it signed at the groom’s office on the Monday. When he turned up, he was told the groom had caught a severe cold over the weekend and would be off for the week.

Then there was a wedding at Melbourne Zoo, where the couple had paid extra to feed the giraffes straight after their ceremony. The bride arrived very late, and by the time the ceremony wrapped up, feeding time was over and the photos were gone. In Mike’s words, “The groom was not impressed!”

There are two useful lessons in these. First, raise concerns early and clearly, then respect the couple’s decision and protect the things you’re responsible for. Mike couldn’t stop the rain, but he did save the paperwork. Second, if a couple has booked something time-sensitive, flag it with them beforehand and build a buffer into the timeline, so everyone knows what’s at stake if things run late.

Keep up with what couples want now

Mike has noticed real changes in what couples ask for. More couples are choosing to repeat their vows after him rather than reading them from a card. Many want less religion in their ceremonies, and more and more don’t want to marry where their parents did. He’s seeing mums and dads walking their daughter or son down the aisle together, and more dogs stepping in as ring bearers.

These might seem like small details, but they matter. If your packages, photos and wording still reflect how weddings looked ten years ago, couples will notice. Take a fresh look at your storefront and marketing every so often and ask whether it still speaks to the couples booking today.

Learn how to educate couples without overwhelming them

Be where couples are looking

Mike has used Easy Weddings to promote his business for more than a decade.

"I know that numerous couples love the idea of a 'one-stop shop'. It is much easier for a couple to look at their choices and make decisions for their biggest day all in one place. I have promoted myself through Easy Weddings for more than a decade and will continue to do so. They support vendors as well as couples in this wonderful industry."

Mike Larkan

Couples planning a wedding are juggling a lot. Being easy to find, compare and contact in the place they’re already searching makes their decision simpler, and makes it more likely that decision is you — if you’re not listed yet, you can get in touch with our team here.

Still loving the job

After all these years, Mike still gets excited about the work, and he sums it up in a way that ties his whole career together.

“I get to meet happy couples who are getting married. I am a journo and I get to write their wedding their way. And I am a presenter and my job is to present the best wedding possible.”

And if you were wondering whether he’s thinking about slowing down: “I am not stopping any time soon.”