Backyard soirees, beach sand beneath your toes, barns, bush and wineries, it doesn’t matter where couples choose to tie the knot, the difference between a fancy party and a wedding is not the dress, the flowers or the rings – it’s the celebrant. 

And, on 19 July, Australia celebrates 50 years of civil celebrants. 

It’s a role that began as an alternative for exchanging I-Do’s before a religious authority. 

Since the first appointed civil celebrant, Lois D’Arcy officiated the union of a man and woman to the exclusion of all others in July 1973, thousands have followed in his footsteps. 

Today, there are more than 9,500 Commonwealth registered marriage celebrants in Australia. 

And, while D’Arcy and his fellow officiants married just 3% of couples while the program was in its infancy, today more than 80% of Australians are opting for a civil ceremony. 

Now comes the time I tell you I am one of those 9,500. 

Since 2009 I’ve studied, graduated, practiced, performed, officiated, legalised and laughed my way through more than 100 weddings, namings and other important life events.  

From surprise backyard barbecues turned wedding ceremonies, to estates filled with hundreds of guests and all the grandeur. 

I’ve been privy to being at the heart of a ceremony in which brides arrive by plane, children abandon their responsibilities and dogs decide to steal the show. 

And, with a keep calm and carry-on attitude, I’ve ticked the legal boxes on ceremonies whose ingredients include fainting groomsmen, tides stealing furniture, and all mother nature can muster up, including fires, winds and rain. 

Such is the love of marking life’s most memorable milestones with ceremony, something humans have been doing since the dawn of time. 

Behind the scenes 

Today prospective celebrants must complete a Certificate IV qualification, complete annual professional development requirements and pay an annual registration fee. 

A celebrant will be asked to provide evidence that they are a sound character before they are accepted for the role by the Attorney General, and they must commit to following the guidelines set out in the Marriage Act 1961 to the letter. 

Their accurate recordings can assist ancestry searches as their paperwork is submitted to Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Celebrant milestones 

In 1902 religious ministers performed 97% of marriages.   

By 1970 about 10% of marriages were civil marriages, most conducted in State Registry Offices as short legal marriages for those who could not, or preferred not to, have a religious wedding. 

December 2017, after overwhelming public support, Australia welcomed the introduction of same-sex unions in Australia. 

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a new set of challenges for both couples and celebrants throughout 2020 and 2021, as lockdowns and restrictions took hold. 

On 19 July 2023 Australia marks 50 years of civil celebrants.

Many past and present celebrants are expected to gather to reflect on an occupation that has seen great growth since its humble beginnings.

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