Explaining a Celebrant to Worried Relatives

Explaining a Celebrant to Worried Relatives

If you’ve decided to have a celebrant conduct your wedding rather than a religious official, you might find that some (usually older) relatives seem very worried about your choice.

It’s easy to become impatient with them if they keep bringing up the subject, but you have to understand that they may be genuinely concerned about your welfare – especially if you’re the bride.

Traditions matter

The thing is, your older relatives may well belong to a generation that places a lot of importance on traditions and ceremony. They may really worry that your marriage won’t actually be legal and that you’ll be left high and dry by your cad of a fiancé (sorry).

You need to reassure them that a celebrant is a licensed professional who is legally able to conduct weddings and other ceremonies and that any ceremony led by one is real. As in legally-binding.

The ceremony isn’t the legal part

People only think of the ceremony at weddings and so they may think that all the palaver is what makes the wedding legal. It’s not, it’s the submitting and the signing of the documents and then the registration of these documents that is legally binding. Your celebrant is actually authorised to do all this for you in the same way as a priest, rabbi or imam is.

Which brings us onto…

The safety of your everlasting soul. You and/or your partner may be atheist, or you may be from two different religions and so rather than trying to combine the two faiths you may have decided to tread a middle path or avoid religion altogether. This can send more traditional people into a real tailspin. You have to be particularly sensitive here, as you don’t want to offend as well as worry your loved ones.

You could say that you want your wedding to welcome everyone, regardless of religion and culture, to reflect the diversity and accepting nature of the times.

Source URL: https://www.tonicollett.com.au/blog/explaining-a-celebrant-to-worried-relatives/

Toni Collett is a Professional Marriage Celebrant located on the Sunshine Coast, creating unique, fun and memorable wedding ceremonies in Maleny, Noosa, Caloundra, everywhere in between!