In 2023, I've been a Queensland marriage celebrant for over 22 years and there's not a lot that I haven't seen or heard. I've signed the paperwork on boats, planes, cruise ships, rocks, motorbikes and horses' butts. I've played dress up and loved cosplay weddings, learned scenes from movies (Think: The "Mawwiage" scene from Princess Bride), obliged when a couple asked if we could stand waist deep in the ocean for their ceremony ... so, overall, I've enjoyed a pretty amazing career of awesome weddings.
Because I'm naturally creative, I'm always after new ways or ideas that will provide a point of difference for my couples. Many prefer the traditional stuff, but for those wanting something different, this blog shares some ideas in the hope it will inspire you to think outside the box and really make your wedding your own.
Themed weddings are the bomb - that's me as the Incredible Hulk (I think the blonde curls might give it away) Photo: Images by Lou O'brien
1. Give your bouquet to the couple who've been married the longest
Have all the guests stand, ask those who have been married less than a day to sit (obviously the bridal couple), then ask those who’ve been married for less than a year to sit, then five years, then ten years and keep going until only one couple remain standing (You might need to get down to months and days if there’s a few couples remaining standing). But these are your people so without letting on, ask them for the date of their marriage, so you'll no the winner early. Then ask the winners what they what they think is the secret to the longevity of their marriage. Next, give them your bridal bouquet as a congratulations.
Give your flowers to the couple who've been married the longest
2. Are you creatives? Have the guests paint your portrait
Get your favourite picture of the two of you and print it out to a size where it’s easy to see. Divide it into equal sized squares down and across. Supply paints, brushes, water and aprons and allocate a square to each guest (or couple). Your new portrait can take pride of place in your home and will be a wonderful memory of your special day.
Have your guests paint your portrait - lots of fun and lots of laughs
3. Get the groom to make an entrance
Everyone expects a grand entrance from the bride, but what about the groom? Have him share in the fun by arriving in a helicopter (complete with James Bond music, suits and cool sunnies on the boys - What a hoot - no-one expects that), a water ski, boat, horse and anything unique. I've even had a few grooms arrive on a tractor for country weddings.
Have the groom arrive by helicopter
4. Games at the reception
Create your own quiz about your relationship, have the MC read the questions and pit the tables against each other to see who wins.
Have a couple's quiz at your wedding
5. Design your own cocktail
Create your own cocktail, name it and serve it at the reception. I'd call this one the 'Maguire Margarita Magic'
Create and name your own wedding cocktail
6. Hire a local artist to paint your ceremony while it’s happening – what a fabulous way to remember your day.
This is getting to be a thing. You hire an artist and they set up their easel and paints at the wedding and paint you getting married. Depending on who you hire, they probably take it back to their studio to put the finishing touches on it - but your guests get to watch as they paint in real time. Very cool.
Have a local artist paint or draw your ceremony or reception real time
7. Donate to a charity
Rather than giving favours to guests as a thank you, leave them a note saying you’ve made a donation to a charity on their behalf. This idea is popular for those couples keen to work on their social responsibility. Another idea is to donate your monetary gifts to the charity.
8. Are you having a photobooth?
Send guests their photos with your thank you card. It’ll put a smile on their dial! I love this idea because it'll remind them of the fun of your wedding day. I love photobooths and turn into a 3 year old.
Send your photobooth pictures to your guests with thank you notes
9. Want an alternative to the 3-course meal and alternate drop?
Have the food prepped and delivered to the tables so the guests can serve themselves creating a more intimate dining experience. Banquet style meals are becoming very popular.
Create an intimate family atmosphere
10. Want all the guests dancing?
When you send their wedding invitation, ask guests what songs would get them up on the dance floor. Then give the list to your DJ to play to ensure everyone dances.
Make sure your guests enjoy themselves at your reception
Got any awesome creative ideas for your wedding or reception? Let me know, I'd love to hear from you.
Looking for a marriage celebrant and not sure what questions to ask? Check out the 10 questions below to ensure you’re asking the right questions so that you choose the right celebrant to make your wedding day perfect
How long have you been registered?
Does it matter how long someone’s been registered as a marriage celebrant? Well that depends. If they’re newbies (and there’s nothing wrong with that – we all started somewhere), they won’t have the wealth of experience that a more experienced celebrant has. After a while you learn to think on your feet and know the best way to handle issues that might arise. However, if you’re keen on a newer celebrant, you may be able to negotiate their cost down, which is a bonus.
Jodie and Chris married by Tamborine Mountain marriage celebrant Lynette Maguire
How many weddings have you performed?
This question is important because let’s say the celebrant has been registered for five years and they’re done 50 weddings, that means they’re averaging 10 weddings a year, which in turn assumes that they are a hobby celebrant rather than a professional celebrant. Does that matter? Well, that’s up to you. Hobby celebrants are usually cheaper. As a benchmark, the average celebrant does about 5 – 10 weddings per year while professional celebrants can do anywhere up to 150 per annum and this equates to a big difference in experience levels.
Having the right celebrant is half the battle for a great wedding
How much do you charge as a marriage celebrant and what does it include?
Please never choose a celebrant on price alone. Trust me, that’s fraught with danger. There are basically three price points for marriage celebrants (though this is generalised and obviously changes according to regions). These costs are for a big white wedding, not elopements which are generally cheaper:
Up to $500 : The low end of the market - be careful how you choose your celebrant, don't do it just based on price
$500 - $950: This is what most marriage celebrants charge
$950 + : The high end of the market and usually an indicator that you’re dealing with a professional marriage celebrant (as in this is their main source of income)
But there’s other things to consider beside price. For instance, you might find an absolute gem that ticks all your boxes for $450, or you might hire a dud when you’ve paid over $1500 (I’ve heard horror stories). Paying a lot does not guarantee a fabulous celebrant. Do your homework on the marriage celebrants you’re interested in and listen to your gut instinct – that’s what it’s there for. I use gut instinct too, and because of it, have knocked back couples that I got queasy tummy flips. Ain’t nobody got time fo dat!
Toni and Kaine loved their beautiful wedding which was well priced, low fuss and high value
What’s your natural style as a celebrant?
Trying to be someone you’re not will make for a very inauthentic ceremony, and no-one wants that. Be clear on what style of wedding ceremony you want: romantic, emotional, quirky, hilarious, traditional – they all require different personalities. Try to find out the true personality of your celebrant and make sure you ‘click’.
You can do your homework in other ways, for example check the photographs they use to advertise. Most of my photos are of the couple, their wedding party and guests laughing because that reflects my natural style of ceremony. The other thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of people think that couples want all the gooey feely stuff which is just not true, so there’s a little bit of acting in this business!
Beautiful Elly married her man- they wanted fun vibes, DIY, country vibes
What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you at a wedding?
This is where question 1. becomes important. “What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you at a wedding?” is a pretty common question and I’ve got a few hilarious responses (seriously, I should right a book). Not everything always goes smoothly and it’s the way your wedding suppliers deal with what goes wrong that separates the wheat from the chaff. To be more precise, you could ask about your personal ‘worst fear’ at your wedding and ask that, eg. “What if it buckets down half-way through my ceremony?” or “What if someone has a medical issue during my ceremony?” (btw I've had both happen).
You’ll quickly get an idea of how your celebrant will react and whether you’d be happy with the reaction. Whatever their response is, it will help you choose your celebrant.
Jared and Dani wanted a classy, elegant wedding but still wanted loads of fun
As a marriage celebrant do you book more than one ceremony per day?
Some celebrants guarantee they only do one wedding a day and it really amuses me. You don’t need to be an administrative genius to work out the paperwork of more than one ceremony, but what your celebrant should do if she does more than one ceremony a day is work out the time allowed for each wedding and the time between ceremonies that will ensure there’s plenty of time to cater for those things that can go wrong: traffic jams, accidents, etc.
Let your celebrant know that if they do book another wedding on your day that you’d like to be notified so you can figure out if you’re comfortable with the timing and perhaps pre-negotiate a refund or partial refund when you originally chat to them. They might say no, but there’s no harm in trying. Every celebrant should have a good enough network to be able to call on another celebrant in an emergency (eg. covid).
Chantel and Kyle married in their beachside holiday apartment when one of the biggest storms drowned their dry wedding day option on the beach. This is rock paper scissors to see who goes first with vows
Eeeek ... Can you help with my wedding vows!
Most couples are clueless when it comes to writing their own vows because it's not something you do every day, so it’s important that you feel supported by your celebrant and be able to ask for help or be given some resources to help. I have a step by step process that’s almost foolproof for guaranteeing amazing wedding vows – check that your celebrant does too.
Molly and her lady Alexis married by Gold Coast Marriage Celebrant Lynette Maguire
What’s happens if I’m late?
I have a late fee so my couples are rarely late. Some marriage celebrants don’t. It’s good to know what you’re signing up for and if you plan your day carefully, you should be okay. If you’re going to be late, please let the celebrant know as soon as you can, and they’ll advise the guests and other wedding suppliers. Put the celebrant's number into your phone. Try not to be more than 10 minutes late though, it’s pretty rude and if it's hot (or cold, windy or wet) the celebrant has a duty of care to look after the guests, get them in the shade or undercover and out of the rain or wind.
One of my clear favourite weddings - We all had SO much fun at Clare and Robert's country wedding
I’d like to have a beer/champagne before the wedding, as a marriage celebrant, are you okay with that?
The law says that you can’t be intoxicated because you’re actually signing legal paperwork. Some celebrants don’t mind you having one or two drinks before you get married, other celebrants will refuse to marry you, and will go away for a few hours until you’ve ‘sobered up’. Check each celebrant’s rules on this. Because everyone is different with their response to alcohol I tell my couples if they can legally drive a car, they can legally sign the paperwork.
Tash and Teagan, two naturally fun women who adore each other - their wedding was all sorts of amazing, tender and loving, and bloody hilarious too
What happens if the marriage celebrant can’t make it on the day?
A professional celebrant will have a strong network of ‘locum celebrants’ so if something goes wrong, they can easily call a backup. Check that the celebrants you’re chatting to have this. Also, check the reviews of the celebrants you’re keen to talk to, there are a few who take multiple bookings on the same day and time, and then eventually ‘pick’ the one they most want to do, leaving couples scrambling and panicked. (This is across the board for wedding suppliers, eg. a venue may do this, preferring a wedding of 100 guests, and cancelling your booking for 40).
Don't have a meltdown if it rains on your wedding day - you can still have the wedding of your dreams
Lynette Maguire is a popular marriage celebrant on the Gold Coast and also servicing the Scenic Rim, and has seen and heard it all when it comes to weddings in south-east Queensland.
