The Title – Life Celebrant

Life Celebrant – A person who leads and guides the celebration of important moments in our lives, including when they begin, milestones along the way and when they end.

Before the civil marriage celebrant program was introduced in 1973 by then Attorney-General, Lionel Murphy, couples had to choose between having their wedding in the institution of a church or in a registry office – part of the institution of government.

The intention was that people who did not wish to be married in an orthodox religious setting should have the opportunity to be married in a dignified manner by a member of their community, as an alternative to marriage in a registry office.

Rather like the army, where you are either in the army or a civilian, it was logical in those days that the new "others" were seen as part of the civil, rather than religious or government arena, hence the title Civil Celebrant.

Now that the role of the civil celebrant is more accepted and has expanded into other areas, such as funerals, baby namings, etc. it needs to be named for what it is – celebrating life’s milestones.

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