How much does My Celebrant Buddy cost?
My Celebrant Buddy - a Co-Pilot service that lets someone you love lead your ceremony - starts at just $890 + 89 GST.
Every package includes a legal Celebrant for your legals, plus full support for your Celebrant Buddy.
My Celebrant Buddy Packages and Pricing
My Celebrant Buddy offers three wedding ceremony packages, ranging from $890 (plus $89 GST) to $1190 (plus $119 GST), depending on when your legal paperwork takes place.
That's pretty incredible value, right? I keep costs low because dresses are expensive, cakes are expensive and, well, life is expensive.
Option A – $890 + $89 GST
Legally Married Before the Big Day
All the legal requirements are taken care of by an authorised marriage Celebrant in the week before your wedding. This means you're legally married before your wedding day.
Your friend or family member can then lead your ceremony as your Celebrant Buddy at your wedding.
Option B – $990 + $99 GST
Legals Done Separately on Your Wedding Day
The paperwork and legal obligations takes place either before or after your ceremony, meaning you'll officially be married on your wedding day.
Popular timings for the separate legal ceremony include in the morning, during a first look, at photos, or at your reception.
Option C – $1190 + $119 GST
Legals Done During Your Ceremony
An authorised marriage Celebrant is present for the duration of your wedding ceremony.
Immediately after the ceremony, you, your partner, your legal celebrant and your two witnesses will sign the marriage documentation.
| What's included? | Option ALegals before the wedding | Option BLegals on the day | Option CLegals in the ceremony |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $890 + GST | $990 + GST | $1190 + GST |
| When you're legally married | In the week before your wedding | On your wedding day, before or after the ceremony | During your wedding ceremony |
| Authorised marriage celebrant for the legal requirements | Included | Included | Included |
| Training, guidance and ongoing support for your Celebrant Buddy | Included | Included | Included |
| Legal celebrant present for your whole ceremony | No | No | Yes |
| Type of ceremony your Celebrant Buddy leads | Commitment ceremony | Commitment ceremony | Legal marriage ceremony |
All prices are in Australian dollars. Available Australia-wide. Prices current as of November 2026.
So Wait, What's the Difference Between Option B and Option C?
Great question. I get it a LOT.
Option C is where the Celebrant is present during your entire ceremony.
Option B is when a Celebrant completes the legal paperwork and obligations at a certain time during your wedding day (i.e. in the morning, at the reception, etc).
For Option C, the Celebrant is locked in for the exact time and duration you've set for your ceremony.
For Option B, the Celebrant's arrival may depend on what other weddings they have booked that day.
| Option BLegals on the day | Option CLegals in the ceremony | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal celebrant at your ceremony? | No, they attend at a separate time | Yes, for the whole ceremony |
| When you sign | Before or after the ceremonyPopular times include in the morning, during photos or during the reception | Straight after the kiss, during the ceremony |
| Celebrant arrival timing | Flexible; arrival may depend on their other bookings that day | Locked in for your exact ceremony time and length |
| Who leads the ceremony | Your Celebrant Buddy | Your Celebrant Buddy, with the legal celebrant for the legal parts |
Not sure which option is right for you?
Don't stress! The biggest difference is simply WHEN your legal marriage takes place and whether you'd like your legal celebrant present throughout your wedding ceremony.
I'm more than happy to talk you through the options and help you work out what's best.
What Does the Legal Celebrant Actually Do?
Regardless of which package you choose, an authorised marriage Celebrant will take care of the legal requirements.
Here's a general breakdown of what happens with each option.
-
Legal paperwork is completed in the week before your wedding.
When it's time to complete your legal marriage (typically in the week before your wedding), your authorised marriage celebrant will meet with you, your partner and two witnesses.
They'll conduct the short legal marriage ceremony, including:
Reciting the Celebrant Monitum.
Having you and your partner say your legal marriage vows.
Overseeing the signing of the required marriage documentation.
You'll then be legally married before your main wedding celebration.
-
Legal paperwork is completed before or after your wedding ceremony, on the same day of the wedding.
Your authorised marriage Celebrant will meet you on your wedding day at an agreed time to take care of the legal paperwork and obligations.
Popular timings include during a first look, at the reception or while you're having your wedding photos taken.
The legal obligations include:
Reciting the Celebrant Monitum.
Having you and your partner say your legal marriage vows.
Having two witnesses present.
Overseeing the signing of the required marriage documentation.
Keep in mind that your local celebrant's arrival time may depend on other weddings they've booked that day.
-
Legal paperwork is completed during your wedding ceremony.
Your authorised marriage celebrant will be present for the duration of your wedding ceremony.
At the appropriate point during the ceremony, they'll step forward to recite the Celebrant Monitum. Generally, they'll take the mic for around 30 seconds halfway through the ceremony, then hand it straight back to your Celebrant Buddy.
Immediately after the ceremony, you, your partner, your authorised marriage celebrant and two witnesses will sign the marriage documentation.
This option brings everything together in one ceremony, with both your Celebrant Buddy and legal celebrant playing their respective roles.
After the ceremony, all of the paperwork is sent to the relevant local Births Deaths and Marriages offices to be processed.
An Important Note About Options A and B
With Option C, your legal marriage happens as part of your ceremony. With Options A and B, the legal side is done separately (i.e outside of your wedding ceremony), so your Celebrant Buddy leads what’s known as a commitment ceremony.
Don’t worry, you’re still 100% legally married. It just means your Celebrant Buddy needs to let your guests at your ceremony know three things:
• They’re leading a commitment ceremony.
• They’re not an authorised marriage celebrant.
• Your legal paperwork and obligation have been (or will be) completed separately by an authorised marriage Celebrant.
Want to find out more about what your friend or family member can and can't do as a Celebrant Buddy? Check out my page Can a Friend Marry You in Australia?.
About Paul – The Founder of My Celebrant Buddy
I started My Celebrant Buddy hungover. No joke.
I'd been a Celebrant for many years and had so many couples asking me if their friend or family member could lead their ceremony. I'd even conducted a few Co-Pilot Ceremonies in my earlier years, where I simply handled the legal obligations.
And that's when – after a late night with several hundred beers – I turned this into a fully fledged Co-Pilot service (that's before the term Co-Pilot was a thing in the wedding industry!).
It started off in Victoria and has now gone Australia-wide. I have a number of trusted celebrants that I work with across this great sunburnt land.
I've officiated at more than a thousand marriages and have been a celebrant since 2016. And I still love it. Crazy, right?
Here's a look at a few real-life examples of how My Celebrant Buddy has helped a friend or family member lead a wedding ceremony:
You can check out more of my story here.
Who Will Be My Legal Celebrant on the Day?
If you're getting married in Victoria, it'll generally be me, Paul!
I've been a celebrant for more than ten years, which means I've been doing this for roughly a quarter of my life. (Oh boy, I've just scared myself!)
If I'm unavailable, I have a few trusted celebrants I regularly work with.
If you're getting married elsewhere in Australia, I have a network of trusted local celebrants I work with. I'll send you a list of potential celebrants to choose from, in case there's someone you'd prefer over another.
Just a quick note: these celebrants are there specifically to take care of the legal requirements. Anything to do with developing your wedding script, planning the ceremony or helping your Celebrant Buddy prepare is handled directly by me.
Celebrant Pricing FAQs
-
It's definitely worth going through this again, because I do get the question a lot.
Essentially, for Option C, the legals are completed during the ceremony.
For Option B, the celebrant takes care of the legal paperwork and obligations at some stage during your wedding day, such as in the morning or at the reception.
-
Absolutely!
In Victoria, it'll generally be me. In the case that I'm not available (either I'm at a wedding or I'm watching Melbourne play at the MCG), I have a number of trusted celebrants I use, in particular a good friend of mine called Nath.
If you're getting married somewhere other than Victoria, I have a network of Celebrants all across this great land. You can choose the specific one that suits you. I'll send through a few options.
-
Yes, your friend can lead a commitment ceremony without an authorised Celebrant present, provided your legal paperwork and obligations are completed separately by an authorised marriage Celebrant.
-
Oh boy. The age-old question. How long is a piece of string?
I'm hesitant to answer this because there's so much variation, but here goes...
As a rough guide, newer or part-time celebrants will often charge around $900–$1,000. More experienced celebrants, with five or more years under their belt, can charge anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 or more.
With My Celebrant Buddy, packages start at just $890 + GST for the whole service.
That's a pretty different way to approach your wedding ceremony, isn't it?
-
Once your wedding is complete and all the legal documents have been signed, your authorised marriage Celebrant takes care of submitting your marriage paperwork to the relevant Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry.
This includes your marriage documentation and the relevant supporting paperwork.
Your Celebrant is required to lodge these documents within 14 days of your wedding.
The Registry then processes your paperwork and officially registers your marriage.
You'll receive a ceremonial marriage certificate on the day (the one you sign with your witnesses), but this isn't the official certificate you'll need for things like changing your name or providing legal proof of your marriage.
-
A commitment ceremony happens when there is no legal celebrant present, or the legal requirements have been taken care of at another time, and you have a friend or family member lead the ceremony.
A legal wedding, in the context of My Celebrant Buddy, is where an authorised marriage celebrant is present and your friend or family member leads the personal and fun parts of the ceremony, including the story, rings, vows, kiss, etc.
-
You better believe it!
I've created a full learning management system where your friend or family member (or whoever you choose) can complete the lessons at their own pace.
The lessons are nice and quick, and will only take a few days to complete.
-
Life is busy. I've made the training modules quick and easy. They'll only take a day or two to complete. You could probably knock them over in an afternoon if you wanted to.
At the same time, they'll help you build a fully fledged ceremony from top to bottom, and also incorporate your written ceremony with the specific package your couple has picked.
Plus, your Celebrant Buddy can always reach out to me anytime if they need a hand with anything.
-
Lots of great stuff! Here's a quick overview. You can find out more specifics over at How Does a Co-Pilot Wedding Ceremony Work in Australia?
The full list and description is about three-quarters of the way down the page.
The training modules include:
Gathering Info for the Script
A Ceremony Script Example
How the Legals Work
Master Script Template
A Ceremony Walkthrough
Going for the LOLs
Positioning. Positioning. Positioning.
Music, Mic & PA
Your Couple's Vows
The Rehearsal
A Final Checklist
-
That's also a great question!
I've included more information about becoming an authorised marriage celebrant over here.
-
Once your marriage has been registered, you can apply for your official marriage certificate through the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry in the state or territory where you got married.
The application is generally completed online. You'll need to provide identification and pay the relevant certificate fee.
If you're getting married in Victoria, you can apply directly through Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria.
If you're getting married elsewhere in Australia, you'll need to apply through the relevant state or territory registry.
Just a heads-up: the official marriage certificate isn't included in my package price. It's an additional cost paid directly to the Registry.
And that's it! Once you've received your official certificate, you can use it as proof of your marriage and, if you wish, to update your surname with relevant organisations.
Photo credit - CLAIREDAVIE / Caity & Ducan / Courtney Laura
Ready to Have Your Favourite Person Lead Your Wedding?
You choose the person. They lead the ceremony. I'll take care of the training, guidance and legal arrangements.
Whether it's your best mate, your sibling, your mum or someone else special, My Celebrant Buddy makes it possible to have someone you love play a starring role in your wedding.