Do celebrants have a backup celebrant in case of emergencies?
Hello. I was wondering what happens if our celebrant is sick or something happens and they can't come to our wedding on the day? Do they usually have a backup celebrant in mind for this sort of thing? And how does it work with the legal side, would our marriage still be legal if another celebrant performed the ceremony? Thank you!
Question Asked: 13/02/2023
Wedding Date: 9/08/2018
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Answered by: 14 Experts
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It is relatively easy for a celebrant to pass a ceremony over to another celebrant in case of illness or accident. While you might miss some of the spirit of the ceremony you have worked on with your chosen celebrant, you will still be legally married. A lot of celebrants belong to associations which mean they can reach out for a replacement if needed. I have two celebrants reasonablly close just in case but have never had to use them.
Yes we do keep in touch with a network of celebrants, so there is always someone to turn to in case of emergency. I guarantee that if there is any unforseen circumstance that prevents me from being there on the day, that another celebrant will be arranged for my couples free of charge.
That is the great benefit about Celebrants, is that it is our responsibility to find you an alternate person. They will arrange to transfer all legal documents between the two Celebrants and all will continue as per normal. The only difference is you will have a different person to conduct your ceremony and lodge all your legals to BDM office.
A good Celebrant will always have a backup plan!!!
In SA some of us have an SOS Facebook chat so we can immediately access other Celebrants in an emergency :)
In the event of the celebrant not being able to officiate - celebrants always have a back up plan. Personally, I have four other celebrants who could fill in for me at a moments notice. All the prep work has been done by myself, however, for legals sake the new celebrant would have to sight hard copies of the couples I.D's and change and sign the necessary paper work for the NOTICE OF INTENTION TO MARRY.
Celebrants are legally qualified and wonderful professionals. We have your back Jan xxx
Hello! Yes, I have a small group of celebrants that I use in case of an emergency. There are times when things can happen but I would always try my absolute best to make sure I would never have to cancel on my couple.
(4) · Ballarat, Daylesford, Ballan, Bacchus Marsh, Geelong & Bellarine Peninsula
Posted: 14/02/2023
Always!
There can be any number of circumstances, and I have Plan A - what we have agreed in principle. Plan B - emergency Celebrant backup. Plan C - emergency site change (to indoors if inclement weather). etc, etc.
Yes it's a good choice to have at least two back up Celebrants
Most Celebrants do have a back up or can call upon a Celebrant Colleague to help out in an emergency situation where the Celebrant is unable to carry out their duties on the wedding day.
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Great question! This of course will be a different answer per celebrant.
I am lucky enough to be surrounded by a wonderful group of celebrant's in the Mackay - Whitsunday region who are able to step up in the case of an emergency that would render me unable to attend on your big day.
Between myself and the celebrant that would be taking over, we will handle ALL the legal paperwork! This means the marriage would be legally binding.
We are that good that your guests wouldn't even know that it is not your original Celebrant!