Best 23 celebrants in Victoria
Reviewed by verified married couples from Melbourne & Victoria.
Getting married in Melbourne, Geelong, the Mornington Peninsula, Mildura, Horsham, Ballarat or elsewhere in Victoria? We've got the list of the state's top celebrants, to help make that wedding planning decision so much easier.
Elisa Westein Celebrant | @immersephotographyaustralia
How to find the right marriage celebrant for you
With more than 8500 wedding celebrants Australia-wide, it can be really overwhelming trying to select the perfect one. When choosing a celebrant, be sure to read their verified customer ratings and reviews, check for reputable industry awards they may have received, ask your family and friends for recommendations and, most importantly, meet with your preferred celebrant before saying "I do" to booking their services.
After meeting with a celebrant you'll know fairly quickly whether they are the right match for you, so pick the one who connects and complements your personalities best.
There is a lot more required of a celebrant than simply reading from a piece of paper. You want a professional who is organised, an exceptional public speaker and, ideally, travels with a quality PA System, so guests can actually hear you announcing your eternal commitment to each other.
At ABIA, we strongly advise against cutting costs when looking for someone to officiate at your marriage ceremony. The right celebrant should be able to take care of the formal legalities of getting married and likely have everything under control at your wedding ceremony, and most couples find that peace of mind is worth a little extra investment.
The following shortlist of ABIA-awarded celebrants will help you find Melbourne, and Victoria's, most sought-after professionals — essentially the experts when it comes to hosting a memorable wedding ceremony.
How was this list of Victoria's top marriage celebrants determined?
At ABIA Weddings, it is important to us that all wedding couples plan their special day with confidence, based on the recommendations of recently-married couples and their own real experiences. So, this list is solely based on the feedback of real customers who voted for their marriage celebrant in the prestigious Victorian ABIA Wedding Awards. Of particular note, this list is not a compilation of businesses with the most Instagram followers, or those who paid to get their name on a list.
Since 1996, ABIA have asked real brides and grooms to rate their wedding vendors out of 100% for:
- Quality of Product and Experience
- Quality of Service and Communication
- Value for Money
- Attitude of Staff and Friendliness
The Victorian marriage celebrants below are those that attained a combined rating of more than 95% in these categories, in order of achievement, and were announced as winners at the recent Victorian ABIA Wedding Awards.
Melbourne Celebrant Danielle | Ashleigh Haase Photography
Meet the Top Celebrants of Victoria
#1 - Elisa Westein Celebrant
Melbourne
It was writing her own wedding vows — recalling her first kiss and all of the special times she and her husband had shared together — that inspired Elisa Westein to become a marriage celebrant.
Now the Melbourne-based celebrant and mother-of-four strives to recreate the experience for other couples in her own fun, open-minded, professional way, guiding them through the process of creating engaging, heartfelt ceremonies unique to them, and helping to ensure everything runs smoothly on the big day.
Image courtesy Elisa Westein Celebrant
#2 - Sally Hughes Celebrant
Melbourne
Quick-witted and creative, Sally Hughes is as well known for presenting interactive ceremonies — filled with confidence, humour and warmth — as she is for her impeccable organisation skills and her stylish appearance.
Her background in theatre performance means that not only does she understand how to read a crowd and ad-lib when the opportunity presents, she also knows how to stage ceremonies. She positions the wedding party in the best place for photographs, she ensures that guest seating is properly placed, and will do everything from liaising with suppliers, to pinning flowers and chatting to Gran, to help the day run to plan.
@jeromecole
@lostinlove_photography
With a background in teaching, it goes without saying that Melbourne Celebrant Danielle is enthusiastic, attentive, professional and highly-organised. She also believes that each ceremony should be a celebration of a relationship and uses her unique skillset to work closely with her couples to create and deliver wedding ceremonies that are personalised, heartfelt and fun.
To date she’s conducted well over 400 of them in Melbourne, the Yarra Valley, the Mornington Peninsula, the Dandenong Ranges, country Victoria, interstate and beyond.
#4 - Chess Winter Marriage Celebrant
Melbourne
Chess Winter prides herself on having conducted a host of memorable, high-profile celebrity weddings, and on always ensuring that no matter how big or small a wedding celebration might be, that it becomes a cherished memory.
The South Yarra celebrant draws on her background in entertainment and events to create individually-crafted ceremonies that reflect the style, background and wishes of each couple, whether they seek an intimate micro-wedding or a gala-style celebration.
#5 - Kate Haley Marriage Celebrant
Melbourne
With more than 20 years’ experience in the wedding industry, Kate Haley knows what it takes to create a truly memorable celebration, whether modern, laid-back or traditional. The Heathmont-based celebrant’s aim is to make each one a truly unique and personal representation of her couple, and an experience that their family and friends will talk about for years to come.
@ariaphotographyaus
@josie_lee
Being Australian-born Chinese, Katrina Lai is capable of adeptly navigating both Western and Chinese cultural norms, so considers multicultural weddings among her specialties. Though her extensive experience as a public speaker and MC also allows her to conduct vibrant, seamless ceremonies, and host celebrations, for all marrying couples in an around Melbourne.
@rightclick.moments
#7 - Celebrant Kelly Della Bosca
Melbourne
Having returned to Australia recently, after 23 years overseas, Kelly Della Bosca has a flair for blending the needs of different cultures and couples with varying requirements.
In her caring, understanding way, the Berwick-based celebrant assists each pair with writing poignant wedding vows, makes herself available for all rehearsals and devotes herself to delivering a stylish, memorable wedding ceremony that is both professionally presented — incorporating the latest digital audio equipment — and enjoyable for all in attendance.
#8 - Kate Ritchie Ballarat Marriage Celebrant
Ballarat
Since 2008 Kate Ritchie has been working with couples to create beautiful ceremonies, combining her talent for easy communication and organisation with her background as a vocalist, performer and public speaker. This experience, allows her to present weddings in diverse and creative ways, meaning that as well as writing a ceremony to suit each of her couples, she can also present it in a manner that truly reflects them.
@david_bailey_photograph
#9 - Cherished Moments Celebrated - Sharon Osman
Melbourne
Light-hearted ceremonies that remember the past, celebrate the present and shine a light to the future are Sharon Osman’s specialty, and the highly-experienced celebrant, based in Narre Warren North, has been delivering them for more than 15 years.
Her focus is on the personal needs of her couple, whether theirs is a traditional ceremony or a multicultural wedding and, having performed more than 700 ceremonies, she’s well-placed to offer memorable celebrations filled with meaning, love and fun.
#10 - Jessie Belle Ceremonies
Geelong
#11 - Bradleigh Andrews Civil Celebrant
Melbourne
He’s based in Melbourne, but Bradleigh Andrews will travel far and wide to conduct wedding ceremonies. His philosophy is that each one should be different, and he goes out of his way to help his couples achieve the wedding ceremony of their dreams.
Images courtesy Bradleigh Andrews Civil Celebrant
#12 - Donna The Celebrant
Horsham
Combining her public speaking experience and media background Donna The Celebrant prides herself of creating magical, memorable wedding experiences.
The Horsham-based marriage celebrant officiates weddings in Melbourne, Geelong and the Wimmera, Grampians and Ballarat regions, offering her unique blend of personalised guidance and support to couples, and assisting them with everything from legal paperwork to crafting heartfelt vows, MC services and ceremony styling.
Images courtesy Donna The Celebrant
#13 - Nicole Penning Civil Celebrant
Geelong
#14 - The Ivy Aisle Ceremonies
Gippsland
Jorgia Brown of Dare to Love Ceremonies describes herself as, “A story-telling, happiness-addicted, love-loving, marriage celebrant certified with all the things I need, including a killer dad joke repertoire”. She applies those traits to celebrations of all styles, from big weddings with all the bells and whistles, right through to sweet, simple elopements.
Michael Briggs Photography
@singlesoulau
Meaningful, personalised, handcrafted wedding ceremonies are Pam Green’s speciality, whether casual and funny, relaxed and romantic or formal and elegant. The Eltham-based celebrant only conducts one wedding per day, to ensure her couples receive her undivided attention, and aims to take some of the stress away with her professional, organised, friendly and resource-ready approach to crafting each love story into an unforgettable ceremony.
@allie.claire.creative
#17 - Wendy McRae Celebrant
Melbourne
Wendy McRae understands that all couples have different ideas for their wedding day — some couples know exactly what they want, others know very little and welcome advice and suggestions — and she takes a relaxed, personalised approach to all of them.
She begins with a complimentary, obligation-free consultation, so that she can get to know prospective couples, and individually crafts ceremonies to suit those that connect with her. The Dingley Village-based celebrant embraces diversity and designs and performs sincere, friendly, creative ceremonies that she delivers using her unique blend of professionalism, organisation, communication and theatrical expertise.
Images courtesy Wendy McRae Celebrant
#18 - Kellie Eddy Civil Celebrant
Traralgon
#19 - Married by Keyorra
Melbourne
#20 - Jan Goodieson Mildura Marriage Celebrant
Mildura
Having performed hundreds of marriage ceremonies, Jan Goodieson knows how to deliver simple, relaxed, elegant, romantic, meaningful, light-hearted wedding ceremonies that carry a couple and their guests through the rest of their day with a warm glow. Even with her years of experience, she still views each ceremony as something fresh and exciting, and loves putting together bespoke, ‘out of the box’ ceremonies from scratch, supported by her quality PA system and professional approach.
@photography_productions
#21 - The Homegrown Celebrant
Drouin
When it comes to the logistics of weddings Simon McCuskey, of Simon MC, suggests marrying couples hand over to a professional so that they, and their guests, can focus on celebrating. To that end, Simon conducts marriage ceremonies and hosts and manages events throughout Melbourne, with the intention of ensuring that each wedding is one that couples, friends and family remember “with glee” forever.
Images courtesy Simon MC
Given her name, it’s hardly surprising that Michelle White, of Michelle White Weddings, thinks every day is a nice day for a ‘White wedding’, and she’s dedicated to celebrating love in all its glorious forms, creating unique and personalised ceremonies that tug at the heart strings for the couples of the Mornington Peninsula.
Images courtesy Michelle White Weddings
If you're getting married in the Garden State, you can find all of your Victorian wedding vendors with a quick search of the ABIA Directory. Access it to discover reviews, ratings and recommendations left by newlywed couples for the vendors they used for their own weddings. Included are wedding suppliers and services ranging from hair stylists to florists, videographers, photographers, wedding cars, MCs, entertainment and bonbonniere ideas. Plus, there's all sorts of other wedding inspiration and information within the ABIA website. Read about planning a sustainable wedding, locate the best Australian honeymoon destinations, research multi-day wedding coordination, discover some amazing destination wedding venues and sign up to an online digital wedding registry which allows couples to politely request monetary contributions from their guests toward honeymoons, holidays and memorable experiences — ABIA is essentially the ultimate Australian wedding planning platform.