Why does a marriage celebrant charge so much?

Occasionally celebrants are asked the question by marrying couples “Why does a Marriage Celebrant charge so much?”

The hidden costs are part of every business. What are you actually paying for when you purchase a beautiful wedding gown?

Here are just some of the expenses many celebrants may incur to run their celebrancy business.

These costs must be reflected in their fees if the celebrant’s business is to remain viable.

• Government registration fee (when registering as a new celebrant);
• Government annual registration fee;
• Annual Professional Development training by an accredited training provider (compulsory)
• All legal documents – self printed or purchased from government printer;
• Professional Association annual fees;
• Copyright, Public indemnity and Personal liability insurance annual fees (sometimes included in Professional Assoc. fees);
• PA system including batteries;
• Stationary;
• Printing – home or professional;
• Other equipment – signing table with decorations, chairs, ‘thank you’ gift for B and G
• Outfits suitable for the occasions – suits, ties, frocks, gowns, jackets, shoes etc;
• Materials given to B and G to help them in planning their ceremony;
• Maintenance of reliable transport including petrol, to travel to rehearsals and ceremonies;
• Set up and maintenance of their websites and other social media;
• Phone costs – mobile and landline;
•Computer and other devices – software and hardware;
• Internet fees;
• Advertising – online, magazines, handouts, signage, yellow pages, business cards, listings with other wedding industry businesses;
• Wedding Fair costs

And the most valuable cost to their business, which is often not reflected in the fees …. the Celebrant’s TIME to respond to enquiries (enquiries don’t always translate into paying clients for the celebrant), meet with couples (possibly several times), prepare, attend and conduct ceremonies, finalise and submit documentation for every ceremony. Other celebrants could probably include in this list many other costs to their business!