I’ve been Googling “How much does a marriage celebrant cost in Queensland?” I’m not 100% convinced that Google is looking in the right places, just this once.
I know celebrants who charge $500 and others who’ll cost you $3000. Price isn’t usually the most important factor in choosing someone to shape the most important day in your relationship. Nor is it necessarily an indicator of the quality of the celebrant. Read on for more insight on celebrant fees and charges.
While I’m certainly not the cheapest celebrant in Brisbane, my couples get original, unique weddings that are truly priceless.
Choosing your celebrant rarely comes down to price alone; - it’s about finding someone you trust enough to tell your secrets to, believing they can produce a perfect day with exactly the right blend of humour, intelligence and romance that you’re looking for.
What Google says a celebrant costs in Queensland
The first result comes from a company that specializes in quick and cheap ceremonies conducted in a city hotel. They tell you some celebrants can cost over $1000! (with exclamation mark, as if it’s outrageous). If you just want the piece of paper with no sentiment I’m sure it’s fine. However, for this or the registry office you will need to make your way into the city twice; to an initial appointment with all your ID documents and then again for the ceremony. Most celebrants will come to yours.
The next result from my Google search was Easyweddings, a site that is free for couples to use but the vendor pays a monthly premium to be listed. They tell you $400 - $1500 with the average being $780. The Easywedding article also quotes a celebrant as saying that each wedding they do takes about 15 hours. That is a pretty conservative estimate, but maybe that too is an average. Some celebrants have one price whether it’s just the legals, or a full-service wedding.
Why not skip the long drive and the government red tape; book a call with me to talk about your hopes and dreams!
What does a registry office wedding cost in Queensland?
The Brisbane Registry charge
(in July 2024):
Monday to Friday (business hours) $384.10
Saturday (day time) $499.40
Friday & Saturday evenings $658.50
The registry provide short, generic ceremonies and lovely views across the city. It's not very personal, but you will be married afterwards.
Why does a celebrant cost so much for 20 minutes work?
I hear that a lot. I wish it were just 20 minutes work.
Every wedding, whether it’s a 5 minute "Legals Only" at the kitchen table, or a 45 minute extravaganza with 2 unity rituals and a 3 hour car ride, takes the same amount of time in admin for the legal paperwork. Meetings, emails, phone calls, legal paperwork and registering the marriage. Some celebrants leave it to you to order (and pay for) your official certificate afterwards but to make it easier, I’ll do that for you.
Every wedding I conduct has the same 4 hours basic admin so that was my starting point. Then there’s business expenses. Registrations, insurance, software, internet, printing, fuel etc … general business overheads.
I arrive in plenty of time. Set up my PA, check the sound and put on some background music. I have all the documents ready at the signing table and greet your guests. I'm are usually at the venue about 2 hours. Often longer, rarely less.
If we think you need a rehearsal, it's included. We we always have a final meeting in person before the big day to make sure you're feeling confident and excited.
Of course, you might decide to go custom! For custom ceremonies there are more meetings and inclusions. There's a whole other blog post about what we do behind the scenes.
How I calculated my prices
Simply the Best means
EVERYTHING we say on the day will be original material written especially for you. It will take me at least an additional 20 hours work over and above the basic admin. The big bonus is you'll get to hang out with me more while I get to know you :)
The base price is $1400 with a discount if the ceremony is within 20km of Rothwell and increasing as you get further from Brisbane. My hourly rate is way less than a plumber.
Just I DO IT! is my DIY style ceremony. For me it means about 10 hours work on top of minimum admin and includes everything the top package has except hours and hours of creative writing. You receive a workbook with 10 options for every “element” of your ceremony to customize. This one starts at $700 with a discount for locals.
A Legals Only doesn’t take any extra time so for $350 (inc. local travel) I’ve covered my costs. This is a "paperwork only" legal marriage without guests and a ceremony. If you’d like to check out what you need and what you get for a Legals Only - book a quick chat and I'll spill all the tea.
To find out the difference between Legals Only and when you have a friend doing the ceremony but need me for the legal bits, read this post.
The prices on my website are based on where you're having your wedding, so there are no hidden travel costs.
Why do Queensland Celebrant Costs Vary so Much?
Newly qualified celebrants will always come in at budget pricing to get some runs on the board before realising just how much work it is.
A lot of celebrants do all their meetings online and get you to fill out lengthy questionnaires to glean the information they need to write for you. It streamlines the process and takes less of their time. Personally, I don't believe I can write from my heart to yours if we barely know each other. The legal bits - the compulsory few sentences - take about 5 minutes. Everything else we do and say is up to you.
If you're Googling "what does it cost" I'm guessing you're trying to sort out your budget and a lot is going to depend on whether you prioritize your ceremony over things like matching satin robes for the bridesmaids. I'm pretty cynical about all the things couples are told they have to spend money on.
If you’d like my hit list of “THINGS YOU DO NOT NEED!” it can be found alongside some other helpful resources.
I've been around the block a few times now and I can assure you people will remember how they felt, not whether all the chairs had bows on them. If you'd like to hear some more of my outspoken ideas, or chat about what will make your own dreams come true, book a call on the button below and I can answer any questions you might have about this roller-coaster journey you're embarking on.
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