A MACKAY celebrant has shared what it means for her to make someone else’s special day the best as it can be.
Ceremonies by Suzanne celebrant Suzanne Woods said her role was not hard but could be stressful as it could take 10 hours to prepare per couple and would practise for their wedding.
She said by arriving early she could set everything up so she could then greet guests at the ceremony.
“Because it’s a job you could walk away and feel good, you’re happy, you meet beautiful people,” Mrs Woods said.
“It’s a special day for everybody, it’s just a special occasion, it’s just a beautiful job.”
She said she had been a celebrant since 2008 and enjoyed it, which she said it was her personal joy of attending weddings and helping people.
She soon discovered and felt civil ceremonies were more personal than a church service.
“For many years, prior to becoming a celebrant, I just loved weddings, I helped a lot with my own family preparing weddings and then most weddings were performed in churches,” Mrs Woods said.
“And then I went to quite a lot that were civil ceremonies and just thought they were so much nicer, more personal and then I just met a celebrant one day and found out the process to become a celebrant and went ahead.
“I went home straight away and started the process, which is doing a course and then you have got to apply to the Attorney-General’s department.
More stories:
“Some people think it’s very quick, but it does take up to two years to become a celebrant.”
Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants president Anthony Burke said National Celebrants’ Day today was an opportunity to acknowledge the work they did.
“Having a celebrant as part of a wedding, funeral or other life event is a significant responsibility and National Celebrants Day is a time to celebrate celebrants,” Mr Burke said.
“Celebrants are often viewed as someone who just speaks at an event, but the role is much more significant.
“As celebrants, we create moments and memories, look after the legal aspects of weddings, provide support to families in times of need, share joy with a naming ceremony and create personalised ceremonies for all life events.”
Mrs Woods said her work as a celebrant meant she covered marriages, naming ceremonies and funerals.
She was available for all of the Mackay region and said she would go to Airlie Beach.
However, she would suggest to clients other celebrants in the region due to distance, unless the person insisted she came.
Celebrants help register 120,000 weddings and record more than 160,000 deaths across Australia each year, and about 80 per cent of weddings, funerals and memorial services are conducted by celebrants.
Visit Ceremonies by Suzanne for further information.
This content was originally published here.