What’s a celebrant or officiant?
What is a Celebrant or Officiant? - “a person prepared to go the extra mile!”
A celebrant or officiant in New Zealand is a person who orchestrates and conducts a formal but generally non religious ceremony, albeit a marriage, funeral, life celebration or even a renewal of vows or coming of age. Alternatively you can find organisational celebrants who are attached and restricted by the organisation or religion they follow.
Historically couples only ever got married in a place of worship or a courthouse, the options
were as limited as that. Thankfully the world has relaxed its constraints, allowing more flexibility for couples to become legally married in a less formal setting. Each county has its own rules and understanding of the process for a legal marriage and it is important that you do your own due-diligence before committing to a venue and vendors in your choice of country location..
An independent Celebrant in New Zealand for example, can apply to legally perform a marriage and/or civil union at a couples request and their choice of location. The couples are however responsible for obtaining and paying for the license themselves.
In Australia the celebrant is also legally responsible for the paperwork, whereas in the UK the celebrant at this stage (2020), can not perform a legal marriage at all. In this instance the couple are required to do their paperwork at the courthouse, before their celebration. The UK does have limited licensed properties and locations where marriage can take place, whereas in New Zealand couples have total freedom to choose their preferred locality in any place that has a registered address or GPS.
There are many types of celebrant and it is best to know what kind of ceremony you want to hold before choosing a celebrant by demographics, as they may not be the right person for the job, if they do not specialize in something you wish to include, like hand fasting for example.
It is suggested that you contact several celebrants and interview them with relevant questions about your requirements to find that perfect personality match. Once you hit it off it will be easy to discuss options moving forward and for them to create a heartfelt ceremony that captures your past, dreams and future. Be careful not to let price be your decision maker. The ceremony really is the thing that everyone will be talking about and it’s better to invest in someone with experience, who you can feel confident with.