November 20 - which just happens to coincide with publication day this week for Dubbo Photo News - is National Celebrants Day right across Australia and its territories.

If you don’t know what a celebrant is exactly, there’s a clue in the word itself: it’s a person who helps the community celebrate, officiate at and or commemorate occasions that are often milestone events in people’s lives, the most popular of which include births, marriages and deaths.

There are also different types of celebrants, including civil, religious, and state and territory officers who conduct marriages, and general (unauthorised) celebrants who conduct non-legal ceremonies like funerals, commitments, reaffirmation of vows and baby naming ceremonies.

Celebrants do not need to be authorised to officiate at events involving births and deaths, but do need special training and federal authorisation to marry couples in Australia.

Several local authorised civil celebrants from Dubbo and surrounds gathered last weekend ahead of their industry’s national day to reflect on their time in the industry and where it may be heading.

Peter Woodward, authorised since 2018, said one of the biggest changes to emerge recently was the increase in celebrant numbers locally.

“I think we had six [civil celebrants] when I started, and it’s now doubled,” he said.

Brides wanting to incorporate new wedding trends into their ceremonies and celebrations has also increased over time, he said.

Helen McLean, who has been marrying couples for over 30 years in Dubbo, said she would love to do a “singing wedding” one day.

“I've done funerals where I had to dance them out. And I loved it,” she said, recalling leading the congregation out of a funeral to the 1981 pop hit “[Hey] Mickey” by Toni Basil - at the express request of the deceased.

Wendy Shepherd, authorised in 2022, said the paperwork required to be completed by marriage celebrants was a lot more than she had expected.

“Of course, there's a lot of admin, and there's a lot of planning and writing the ceremony and liaising with the client. So there was a lot more of that than I thought coming into it, but it's turned out to be the part I really enjoy,” Wendy said.

The newest celebrant in the group is Mandy Ellis from Binnaway, authorised in early 2024. While weddings in the area have been slower than she expected, Mandy also performs funerals and is in demand locally in that space.

“I wasn't planning on doing funerals because I thought I would cry,” Mandy said, admitting she doesn’t cry at funerals but may shed a tear at a wedding.

For this journalist, who has been authorised for 21 years, the biggest change I have observed in the industry over the years is the rise of the “infotainment” aspect of weddings, and the change in conflict of interest provisions that now enable authorised celebrants to do other things like be a wedding MC or provide wedding decor - something expressly forbidden back in 2004.

All of the celebrants at the Dubbo catch up perform funerals. Peter and Helen, both retired, perform a lot of funerals, as does Mandy, while it’s a relatively new space for Wendy and a growing activity for this journalist.

All agree that the work that goes into preparing for any type of ceremony is not clearly understood by the community, who generally only see the end result of the celebrant’s creative efforts.

Each one loves what they do and work hard to ensure their clients get the best possible service, be that a wedding, a funeral or any other type of ceremony. They also actively mentor each other and provide support so they continue to learn and grow their skills and knowledge.

“To keep this connection and networking with your fellow celebrants, it’s important,” Wendy concluded.

Note: Sharon Bonthuys has been an authorised celebrant in Australia since 2004.

Some quick stats…

In late July, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its latest marriage figures, revealing that 120,844 marriages were registered in Australia in 2024.

This was two per cent higher than the 118,439 marriages registered in 2023, but five per cent lower than the record high of 127,161 marriages registered post-pandemic in 2022. More than 55,000 marriages in 2024 occurred on a Saturday.

NSW led the country with 39,659 marriages in 2024 - over 7000 more than Victoria and 16,000 more than Queensland.

Sadly, the ABS did not reveal how many of the 120,000+ marriages were conducted by Commonwealth-authorised civil celebrants as opposed to officiants in state/territory registry offices and courthouses, and representing religious institutions.

In past years, civil celebrants have officiated at approximately 80 per cent of marriages in Australia, and it’s likely this trend continues.

In the Dubbo area, 148 marriages were solemnised in 2024 according to the NSW Department of Customer Service on behalf of NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages. Of those, 128 were solemnised by civil celebrants.

In the region, Dubbo has 12 authorised civil celebrants, 27 ministers of religion across 12 recognised faiths, and one state authorised officer at the Dubbo courthouse.

In surrounding areas there are three authorised civil celebrants in Narromine, and one each in Trangie, Geurie, and Binnaway, and just six religious officiants from recognised faiths in Narromine and Geurie.