Written by Michael Lee | Consumer Research, Brighton Savoy
Last researched and updated: August 2026
Choosing your marriage celebrant can have a much bigger impact on your wedding than many couples initially realise.
The celebrant is often the first person to formally address your guests, they set the tone for the ceremony, help tell your story, guide you through the legal requirements of getting married and, importantly, help you feel comfortable during one of the most memorable moments of the day.
Brighton Savoy has a particularly long connection with Melbourne weddings. For more than five decades, weddings were a major part of the Brighton Savoy’s hospitality business, giving our team the opportunity to see numerous marriage celebrants conduct ceremonies in real wedding environments.
For this 2026 guide, we have combined that historical experience with current research into Melbourne celebrants, their ceremony styles, services, pricing where publicly available, current business information and independent customer feedback.
There is no single celebrant who will be right for every couple. Some people want warmth and storytelling. Others want humour, multicultural experience, a relaxed ceremony, a celebrant who can also MC the reception or someone comfortable incorporating religious or cultural elements.
That is why our list focuses not only on who we recommend, but also on what each celebrant may be particularly well suited to.
Best Wedding Celebrants in Melbourne: Quick Picks
| Rank | Celebrant | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keren Loyer | Warm, personal and multicultural ceremonies |
| 2 | Mike Larkan | Experienced high-profile celebrant and MC |
| 3 | Julie Byrne | Flexible ceremony and MC packages |
| 4 | Sam Lavery | Fun and entertaining ceremonies |
| 5 | Benn Stone | Celebrant, MC and DJ packages |
| 6 | Paul Bonadio | Humorous but heartfelt ceremonies |
| 7 | Sally Hughes | Award-winning storytelling |
| 8 | Matt Finch | Polished contemporary ceremonies |
| 9 | Charis White | Highly personalised storytelling |
| 10 | Katrina Lai | Bilingual and multicultural weddings |
| 11 | Alana Tran | Calm and thoughtful ceremonies |
| 12 | Sonia Thomas | Civil or Christian-inclusive ceremonies |
| 13 | Nat Sproal | Contemporary, relaxed ceremonies |
| 14 | Celebrations by Rosalie | Elegant and romantic ceremonies |
| 15 | Jenny Chiu Weddings | Chinese and multicultural weddings |
This is an editorial guide rather than an objective league table. The celebrant who is right for you depends heavily on personality, ceremony style, budget, cultural requirements, location and how involved you want your celebrant to be.
How We Chose Melbourne’s Best Wedding Celebrants
Brighton Savoy hosted Melbourne weddings for more than five decades, giving us substantial exposure to celebrants and other wedding professionals working in real ceremony and reception environments.
However, the wedding industry changes continually, so previous experience alone is not enough for a current guide.
For this 2026 update, we considered:
- current activity in the Melbourne wedding market
- experience as a marriage celebrant
- ceremony style and differentiation
- personalisation and storytelling
- current independent customer feedback
- public review depth where available
- MC and other wedding-day services
- multicultural and bilingual capability
- inclusive ceremony options
- pricing transparency
- professional website and business information
- service areas across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Inclusion in this guide does not mean Brighton Savoy has personally observed every celebrant conduct a recent 2026 wedding. Where information relates to current packages, awards, pricing or services, we have reviewed publicly available information from the celebrant or relevant industry sources.
You can read more about Brighton Savoy’s background and our approach to publishing at our About Brighton Savoy page.
15 Best Wedding Celebrants in Melbourne for 2026
1. Keren Loyer – Best for Warm, Personal and Multicultural Ceremonies
Keren Loyer takes our number-one position because she represents many of the qualities we think couples should look for in a marriage celebrant: warmth, personality, professionalism and an ability to make a ceremony feel genuinely connected to the couple rather than copied from a template.
Keren has been working as a celebrant since 2009 and has conducted hundreds of wedding and other ceremonies. Her approach centres on getting to know each couple and creating something personal, warm and enjoyable.
One of Keren’s particular strengths is her understanding that Melbourne couples often bring together different families, cultures, traditions and expectations. She has experience incorporating cultural elements into personalised ceremonies rather than assuming every Australian wedding should follow one format.
That can be particularly valuable for multicultural or interfaith couples who want to honour family traditions while still creating a contemporary Australian wedding ceremony.
Best suited to: Couples wanting a warm, family-focused, personal or multicultural ceremony.
Style: Warm, positive, personal and inclusive.
Brighton Savoy verdict: Keren is an excellent choice for couples who want the ceremony to feel genuinely human. Her long experience, personable style and comfort working with different families and traditions make her our overall choice for 2026.
2. Mike Larkan – Best High-Profile Celebrant and MC
Many Melburnians will immediately recognise Mike Larkan from his long television career, but there is much more to his wedding work than simply having a familiar face conduct the ceremony.
Mike has been working as a marriage celebrant for more than a decade and also works extensively as a master of ceremonies. His long background presenting live television and speaking to audiences gives him something particularly useful at a wedding: the ability to engage a crowd while remaining relaxed when things do not go precisely according to plan.
His ceremony offering is personalised. Mike works with couples to understand their story and can assist with vows, readings, ceremony ideas and music. Professional sound equipment is also part of his celebrant service.
Mike’s MC experience makes him particularly attractive to couples who would prefer one confident presenter to help carry the atmosphere from the wedding ceremony through to the reception.
Best suited to: Couples wanting a confident, engaging celebrant who can also MC the reception.
Style: Upbeat, relaxed, humorous and professional.
Brighton Savoy verdict: Mike’s television background gets people’s attention, but his real advantage is live-event experience. He is particularly well suited to larger weddings where confidently engaging a room matters.
3. Melbourne Celebrant Julie Byrne – Best Flexible Package Range
Visit Melbourne Celebrant Julie
Julie Byrne brings extensive experience to the role, with her website stating more than 17 years as a celebrant and more than 1,200 couples married.
Her background as a teacher and communicator also translates naturally into ceremony presentation.
Julie is particularly transparent about package pricing. At the time of our August 2026 review, her website listed:
- Legals only: $550
- Elopement: $795
- Micro wedding: $1,050
- Ultimate Ceremony: $1,425
- Ultimate package including MC: $1,925.
Prices and inclusions can change, so couples should confirm the current quote directly.
Best suited to: Couples who want clear choices from simple legal ceremonies through to celebrant and MC services.
Brighton Savoy verdict: Julie’s range makes it particularly easy to see how the level of ceremony service affects price.
4. Sam Lavery – Best Relaxed and Entertaining Celebrant
Sam Lavery is a full-time Melbourne marriage celebrant and MC whose positioning is very clear: weddings should be personal, relaxed and enjoyable for the guests as well as the couple.
His ceremonies place considerable emphasis on humour and personality without losing the significance of the occasion.
Sam services Melbourne as well as major wedding regions including the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula.
He is a strong option for couples who worry that their ceremony could become overly serious, lengthy or disconnected from the atmosphere they want for the rest of their wedding.
Best suited to: Couples wanting a fun ceremony with plenty of personality.
Style: Relaxed, humorous and engaging.
Brighton Savoy verdict: Sam is a natural fit for couples who want guests laughing, listening and feeling involved rather than waiting for the reception to start.
5. Benn Stone – Best Celebrant, MC and DJ Package
Visit Melbourne Cityside Celebrant
Benn Stone of Melbourne Cityside Celebrant stands out because his offering extends well beyond the ceremony.
He works as a full-time celebrant, DJ and MC, which allows couples to use the same person across several important parts of the day.
That can simplify communication between the ceremony and reception and can be particularly appealing to couples who would rather not coordinate separate celebrant, MC and DJ suppliers.
Benn is also one of the more transparent celebrants when it comes to current pricing.
At the time of our August 2026 research, his published celebrant options included:
- Paperwork-only wedding: $550
- Short and Sweet Ceremony: $1,090
- Inclusive Marriage Ceremony: $1,390
- Exclusive Marriage Ceremony: $1,890
- MC service with a booking: $690
- combined DJ and MC package: $1,590.
His website states that prices are excluding GST unless otherwise specified, so couples should confirm the final price directly before booking.
Best suited to: Couples who want fewer suppliers and one experienced person managing multiple parts of the wedding.
Brighton Savoy verdict: One of the most practical options on this list for couples looking for an integrated ceremony and reception service.
6. Paul Bonadio – Best Funny Wedding Celebrant
Paul Bonadio operates as A Stand-up Celebrant and has one of the most distinctive propositions in Melbourne’s celebrant market.
Paul has performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, but importantly he does not position a wedding ceremony as a stand-up comedy routine.
Instead, he combines humour with sentiment and storytelling.
Couples can even influence the balance between laughs and emotional moments through his ceremony options.
Paul services Melbourne and major regional wedding destinations including the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Geelong.
Best suited to: Couples who want guests laughing without turning the ceremony into a comedy show.
Style: Funny, creative, informal and heartfelt.
Brighton Savoy verdict: An excellent choice for couples with a strong sense of humour who still want the ceremony to retain emotional weight.
7. Sally Hughes – Best Award-Winning Storytelling Celebrant
Sally Hughes is one of Melbourne’s most established and recognised marriage celebrants.
Her current website lists multiple Australian Bridal Industry Academy honours, including three Australian Celebrant of the Year wins and five Victorian Celebrant of the Year wins.
Awards should never be the only reason for choosing a celebrant, but repeated recognition over many years can provide another useful signal of consistency and industry reputation.
Sally’s style combines storytelling with a relaxed, polished ceremony delivery.
Best suited to: Couples wanting an experienced storyteller with substantial industry recognition.
Style: Polished, warm, personal and engaging.
Brighton Savoy verdict: Sally is a particularly strong option for couples who value extensive celebrant experience and a proven ability to tell their story well.
8. Matt Finch – Best Polished Modern Celebrant
Matt Finch describes himself as a modern-day celebrant, and his approach centres on creating ceremonies from information and stories supplied by the couple rather than relying on generic wedding language.
He has been marrying couples for more than a decade and places considerable emphasis on keeping people calm, helping with vows and ensuring couples can review and edit their ceremony script before the wedding.
That collaborative approach will appeal to couples who want substantial input into what is ultimately said about them in front of their families and friends.
Best suited to: Couples wanting a contemporary but polished ceremony with considerable input into the script.
Style: Professional, creative, organised, genuine and relaxed.
Brighton Savoy verdict: Matt offers a good middle ground between highly traditional celebrancy and the more theatrical or comedy-driven end of the Melbourne market.
9. Charis White – Best Story-Led Ceremony
Charis White focuses strongly on telling a couple’s story in a ceremony that feels warm, natural and personal.
Her celebrancy business works across both weddings and significant life ceremonies, and her current website highlights more than 500 five-star reviews across her celebrant work.
Her approach is particularly attractive for couples who want the ceremony to carry real emotional meaning without sounding overly formal or scripted.
Best suited to: Couples who place storytelling and personal connection ahead of spectacle.
Style: Warm, thoughtful and story-driven.
Brighton Savoy verdict: A strong choice for couples who want their relationship story to be the centre of the ceremony.
10. Katrina Lai – Best Bilingual and Multicultural Celebrant
Katrina Lai is an Australian-born Chinese marriage celebrant and MC with a particularly strong offering for multilingual and multicultural weddings.
She can incorporate English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Hakka and also provides reception MC and coordination services.
For families where parents or grandparents are more comfortable speaking a language other than English, having a celebrant capable of naturally moving between languages can make the ceremony considerably more inclusive.
Katrina also understands Chinese wedding traditions such as the tea ceremony, which may be useful for couples combining Australian civil ceremony requirements with family traditions.
At the time of our August 2026 research, her website listed personalised ceremony experiences from $1,980, while ceremony-to-reception packages started from $4,200.
Best suited to: Chinese-Australian, bilingual and multicultural weddings.
Style: Warm, organised and energetic.
Brighton Savoy verdict: One of Melbourne’s strongest options when language and cultural inclusion are central to the wedding rather than an afterthought.
11. Alana Tran – Best Calm and Contemporary Celebrant
Not every couple wants a celebrant with an enormous stage personality.
Alana Tran provides a useful alternative. Her approach centres on calm, thoughtful and meaningful ceremonies where attention remains firmly on the couple.
She describes her approach as detail-driven and intentionally avoids performance or tradition simply for tradition’s sake.
Alana works across Melbourne and the Yarra Valley and can also provide MC services.
Best suited to: Couples wanting a calm, considered and contemporary ceremony.
Style: Thoughtful, composed, warm and understated.
Brighton Savoy verdict: An excellent alternative for couples who want emotion and meaning without a highly theatrical ceremony.
12. Sonia Thomas – Best for Civil or Christian-Inclusive Ceremonies
Sonia Thomas brings a different background to this list as both a civil and religious marriage celebrant.
She is also a Christian pastor and teacher and says she has more than 35 years of public-speaking experience.
This may make Sonia particularly useful for couples who want an Australian civil marriage while also incorporating Christian prayers, blessings or other faith-related elements.
Her current services include full ceremonies, micro weddings, elopements and vow renewals.
Best suited to: Couples seeking a civil ceremony with optional Christian elements.
Style: Warm, supportive and structured.
Brighton Savoy verdict: A useful inclusion because she gives couples a genuine option between a completely secular civil ceremony and a traditional church wedding.
13. Nat Sproal – Best Contemporary and Relaxed Celebrant
Nat Sproal has developed one of Melbourne’s strongest contemporary celebrant brands by deliberately moving away from stiff, overly traditional ceremonies.
Her style combines storytelling, humour and emotional moments while keeping the ceremony relaxed and natural.
Nat’s current service information also provides an unusually transparent explanation of what goes into a premium celebrant service, including bespoke scriptwriting, legal paperwork, vow assistance, planning support and professional PA equipment.
She says a personalised ceremony can involve around 15 to 20 hours of work behind the scenes, which is useful context for couples wondering why established celebrants can cost substantially more than a simple legal ceremony.
Best suited to: Couples who dislike formal, generic or traditional ceremony styles.
Style: Contemporary, relaxed, story-led and fun.
Brighton Savoy verdict: Nat is a particularly strong choice for couples who want their ceremony to sound like them rather than like a traditional wedding script.
14. Celebrations by Rosalie – Best Elegant and Romantic Ceremony
Rosalie Humbert provides an option for couples who prefer a romantic, intimate and elegant ceremony rather than the more high-energy style of some contemporary celebrants.
Her background in human resources has helped shape a people-focused approach, with particular emphasis on drawing out the stories and details that make each couple different.
Her current Easy Weddings profile shows more than 100 reviews and identifies her as a 2026 Five-Star Awards winner.
Best suited to: Couples wanting a romantic and polished ceremony.
Style: Elegant, intimate, warm and personalised.
Brighton Savoy verdict: A good option for couples who value romance and warmth over comedy or a highly informal ceremony.
15. Jenny Chiu Weddings – Best Chinese Multicultural Wedding Specialist
Jenny Chiu offers one of the broadest multicultural wedding services on this list.
She works as a civil marriage celebrant, MC and wedding planner and speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Her wedding services extend beyond the legal ceremony into traditional Chinese wedding elements including tea ceremonies and fetch-the-bride celebrations.
This makes Jenny particularly valuable for couples who need someone who understands not only the language but also the practical flow and meaning of Chinese wedding traditions.
Best suited to: Chinese-Australian weddings and couples combining Asian and Western wedding traditions.
Style: Multilingual, organised, culturally informed and polished.
Brighton Savoy verdict: One of the most comprehensive choices for couples who want their cultural traditions woven naturally through both the ceremony and wider wedding celebration.
How Much Does a Wedding Celebrant Cost in Melbourne in 2026?
There is no standard Melbourne marriage celebrant fee.
The price can vary considerably depending on experience, ceremony complexity, location, personalisation, travel, rehearsals, date and whether the celebrant is also acting as your MC.
Based on current Melbourne market pricing and published celebrant packages reviewed in August 2026, a useful broad guide is:
| Type of service | Indicative Melbourne price |
|---|---|
| Legal paperwork / very simple ceremony | Approximately $500–$800 |
| Elopement or small ceremony | Approximately $700–$1,100 |
| Experienced personalised wedding celebrant | Approximately $900–$1,500 |
| Premium or highly personalised celebrant | Approximately $1,500–$2,000+ |
| Celebrant + MC | Often $1,800–$3,000+, depending on package |
| Celebrant + MC + DJ / coordination | Can exceed $3,000 depending on inclusions |
These are indicative ranges rather than fixed industry prices.
For example, Melbourne Celebrant Julie currently advertises a $550 legals-only service and a $1,425 full ceremony, while Benn Stone currently lists ceremonies from $1,090 through to $1,890 before applicable GST. Katrina Lai’s personalised ceremony offering starts from $1,980.
Your celebrant represents only one part of the total wedding budget. You can compare other typical wedding expenses in our 2026 Australian wedding cost guide.
Why Can One Celebrant Cost $600 and Another Cost $2,000?
It can be tempting to look at a 20 or 30-minute ceremony and wonder why celebrants charge considerably more than their apparent time at the wedding.
However, the ceremony itself represents only part of the work.
A personalised celebrant fee may include:
- initial meetings
- legal documentation
- Notice of Intended Marriage administration
- identity and eligibility checks
- relationship questionnaires
- researching and writing your story
- writing the ceremony script
- helping with vows
- rehearsal or walk-through
- travel
- professional PA equipment
- arriving well before the ceremony
- liaising with photographers and venue staff
- conducting the legal ceremony
- lodging documentation after the wedding.
Some premium celebrants also limit the number of weddings they accept so they can devote substantially more preparation time to each couple.
What Does a Marriage Celebrant Actually Do?
A good marriage celebrant has two distinct jobs.
The first is creative: helping you build and deliver a ceremony that reflects your relationship.
The second is legal.
In Australia, only an authorised marriage celebrant can legally solemnise your marriage. The celebrant is responsible for ensuring that the marriage complies with the Marriage Act 1961 and associated requirements.
The Australian Attorney-General’s Department provides the official rules for getting married in Australia. You can read the current requirements at Get Married – Australian Attorney-General’s Department.
Legal Requirements for Getting Married in Australia
For most couples marrying in Australia, some of the key legal requirements include:
- you must be legally eligible to marry
- you must freely consent to the marriage
- the marriage must be conducted by an authorised marriage celebrant
- a Notice of Intended Marriage must generally be given to your celebrant at least one month before the wedding
- the Notice can generally be lodged up to 18 months before the wedding
- your celebrant will need appropriate identification and evidence of your date and place of birth
- if previously married, evidence that the previous marriage ended may be required
- your celebrant must meet separately and in person with each party before the marriage is solemnised
- two witnesses aged at least 18 must be present at the wedding
- the required legal wording must be used during the ceremony.
Since changes introduced in 2024, the Notice of Intended Marriage can in appropriate circumstances be witnessed remotely using audio-visual technology, although particular requirements apply.
For current official information, see the Notice of Intended Marriage information from the Attorney-General’s Department.
Your celebrant should guide you through the process, but couples should not leave the legal paperwork until the last minute.
How to Choose the Right Wedding Celebrant
The person with the most reviews, awards or Instagram followers is not automatically the right celebrant for your wedding.
You are choosing someone who may be standing within a metre or two of you while you exchange some of the most personal words you will ever say in public.
Personality compatibility matters.
Before you start contacting celebrants, think about the kind of ceremony you actually want.
| If you want… | Look for… |
|---|---|
| Lots of laughter | A celebrant comfortable with humour and live audiences |
| A romantic ceremony | A strong storyteller with a warm delivery |
| A short ceremony | Someone offering concise or elopement-style packages |
| A multicultural ceremony | Experience incorporating multiple family traditions |
| A bilingual ceremony | A celebrant who genuinely speaks the required languages |
| A calm ceremony | A measured, understated delivery style |
| A lively reception | A celebrant who also provides MC services |
| One supplier for ceremony and entertainment | A celebrant offering MC and DJ packages |
15 Questions to Ask a Wedding Celebrant Before Booking
A good introductory meeting is partly about whether you get along, but it should also answer practical questions.
- Are you available for our wedding date and location?
- What exactly is included in your fee?
- How personalised will our ceremony be?
- Do you write each ceremony individually or work from templates?
- How many meetings are included?
- Can you help us write our vows?
- Do you provide a professional PA system?
- Can you manage our ceremony music?
- Is a rehearsal included?
- Are travel charges included?
- What happens if you become sick or cannot attend?
- Do you have a backup celebrant arrangement?
- Can you incorporate our cultural, religious or family traditions?
- Do you also work as an MC?
- What are your deposit, cancellation and postponement conditions?
We also recommend asking to see the celebrant in action where possible. Videos can often tell you more about voice, pacing, personality and audience interaction than photographs or written reviews.
Should You Book a Celebrant Who Is Also an MC?
There can be genuine advantages to booking one person for both roles.
The celebrant already knows your names, story, family dynamics and wedding style. They also know many of the key suppliers by the time the ceremony finishes.
Using the same person as MC can create a smoother transition into the reception and removes another supplier from the coordination process.
Celebrants on this list who also offer MC services include Mike Larkan, Sam Lavery, Benn Stone, Katrina Lai, Alana Tran, Julie Byrne and Jenny Chiu.
However, being a great celebrant does not automatically make somebody the right MC. The reception requires different skills, particularly timing, supplier coordination, introductions, speeches and crowd management.
Choosing a Celebrant for a Multicultural or Interfaith Wedding
Melbourne is one of Australia’s most culturally diverse cities, and many weddings bring together families with different cultural, linguistic or religious backgrounds.
A skilled celebrant should not simply insert a cultural ritual into a standard ceremony and consider the job finished.
Discuss:
- how names should be pronounced
- whether parts of the ceremony should be bilingual
- which family traditions matter most
- whether cultural rituals need to occur before, during or after the legal ceremony
- whether religious blessings will be included
- how traditions will be explained to guests unfamiliar with them
- how parents and grandparents will participate
- whether interpreters are required
- how long cultural components may add to the ceremony.
Celebrants such as Keren Loyer, Katrina Lai and Jenny Chiu are particularly worth considering where multicultural elements are important.
Brighton Savoy also publishes guides to Melbourne’s many cultural wedding traditions. Visit our Melbourne multicultural weddings guide to explore the broader series.
LGBTQ+ and Inclusive Wedding Celebrants
Marriage in Australia is not determined by the sex or gender of the couple.
For LGBTQ+ couples, choosing an inclusive celebrant should involve more than seeing a rainbow logo on a website.
A genuinely inclusive celebrant should be comfortable:
- using your correct names and pronouns
- avoiding unnecessary gender assumptions
- recognising different family structures
- adapting traditional wedding language
- creating ceremony wording that actually reflects your relationship
- working respectfully with your families and wedding party.
Ask the same questions you would of any celebrant, but do not hesitate to discuss language and expectations during the initial meeting.
How Far in Advance Should You Book a Melbourne Wedding Celebrant?
There is no universal rule, but popular celebrants can book well ahead for peak Saturday dates.
Once your venue and wedding date are confirmed, there is little advantage in waiting if you already know which celebrant you want.
As a practical guide:
- Peak Saturday wedding: consider enquiring 9–18 months ahead
- Friday or Sunday: there may be greater availability
- weekday wedding: often easier to secure closer to the date
- legal minimum: the Notice of Intended Marriage must generally reach your celebrant at least one month before the wedding.
Availability can change rapidly, particularly for spring and autumn weddings.
Does Your Celebrant Need to Attend the Wedding Rehearsal?
Not always.
For a simple ceremony with an experienced venue team, a full celebrant rehearsal may not be necessary.
However, a rehearsal can be valuable when:
- the wedding party is large
- children are involved
- multiple cultural rituals are planned
- the ceremony has complicated entrances
- several readings or performances are included
- the venue layout is unusual
- the couple feels anxious about the process.
Ask whether the rehearsal is included in the quoted price or charged separately.
Do You Really Need a PA System?
For most medium or large weddings, yes.
Guests should be able to hear the vows and ceremony without straining.
This becomes particularly important outdoors, where wind, waves, traffic, aircraft, nearby functions and general background noise can make an unamplified ceremony surprisingly difficult to hear.
Ask your celebrant whether their package includes:
- a professional PA system
- a wireless microphone
- a microphone for readings
- backup batteries or equipment
- music playback if required.
Planning the Rest of Your Melbourne Wedding
The celebrant is only one part of the supplier team.
If you are still planning other parts of your wedding, Brighton Savoy has detailed 2026 guides to:
- 100+ wedding venues in Melbourne
- how much a wedding costs in Australia
- best wedding photographers in Melbourne
- best wedding caterers in Melbourne
- best wedding hair and makeup artists in Melbourne
- multicultural weddings in Melbourne
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is the Best Wedding Celebrant in Melbourne?
There is no celebrant who will be best for every couple. Brighton Savoy’s overall 2026 choice is Keren Loyer, particularly for couples seeking a warm, personalised and culturally aware ceremony. Mike Larkan is our second choice and is particularly strong for couples wanting an experienced celebrant who can also MC.
How Much Does a Wedding Celebrant Cost in Melbourne?
A personalised Melbourne wedding celebrant commonly costs around $900 to $1,500, although simple legal services may start around $500 while highly experienced or premium celebrants can charge $1,500 to $2,000 or more.
Celebrant and MC packages may cost considerably more.
What Is the Cheapest Way to Get Married With a Celebrant?
Some celebrants offer a legals-only or paperwork-style ceremony with the minimum required components.
Current examples reviewed for this guide include services around $550, although pricing and inclusions can change.
When Should We Book Our Celebrant?
If you want a particular celebrant for a popular Saturday wedding, contacting them 9 to 18 months ahead can be sensible.
The legal Notice of Intended Marriage generally needs to be given to your authorised celebrant at least one month before the wedding.
Can a Wedding Celebrant Also Be the MC?
Yes. Many Melbourne celebrants also offer professional MC services. This can simplify the wedding because one person already understands your story, families, venue and run sheet.
Can a Celebrant Legally Marry Us Anywhere in Australia?
A Commonwealth-authorised marriage celebrant can solemnise marriages throughout Australia, provided the legal requirements are satisfied.
Can an Australian Celebrant Marry Us Overseas?
An Australian marriage celebrant’s authorisation does not allow them to legally solemnise an Australian marriage in another country simply because they are an Australian celebrant.
Some couples complete the legal marriage in Australia and then have their celebrant conduct a symbolic ceremony overseas.
Do We Need Two Witnesses?
Yes. Two witnesses who are at least 18 years old must witness the marriage ceremony and sign the marriage documents.
Can We Write Our Own Wedding Vows?
Yes. Personal vows are extremely common. Your celebrant can usually help you write them. However, Australian marriages also require certain legal wording during the ceremony, which your authorised celebrant will explain.
How Long Does a Wedding Ceremony Usually Last?
Many personalised civil wedding ceremonies run for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, but they can be shorter or considerably longer depending on readings, cultural rituals, music, family participation and the couple’s preferences.
Should We Meet a Celebrant Before Booking?
Yes, where possible.
A celebrant may have excellent reviews but still not suit your personalities. A short meeting or video call can tell you whether the conversation feels natural and whether their style matches the ceremony you imagine.
Final Verdict: Choosing Your Melbourne Wedding Celebrant
The best marriage celebrant is not necessarily the funniest, most famous, most expensive or most reviewed.
It is the person who understands the ceremony you want and makes you feel comfortable enough to be yourselves while delivering it.
For 2026, Keren Loyer is our number-one choice for couples seeking a warm, personalised and culturally aware ceremony.
Mike Larkan takes our second position for his combination of celebrancy, live-presenting experience and MC capability.
For a contemporary relaxed ceremony, Nat Sproal is particularly strong, while Sam Lavery and Paul Bonadio stand out for couples who want humour and energy.
For bilingual and culturally complex weddings, Katrina Lai and Jenny Chiu offer specialist language and multicultural capabilities.
Before booking anyone, meet them, discuss how you want the ceremony to feel, understand exactly what the fee includes and make sure you feel comfortable handing them the microphone on one of the most important days of your life.
Sources and Further Information
Current service, pricing and business information was reviewed from celebrant websites and relevant industry sources in August 2026. Australian legal marriage requirements were checked against the Australian Attorney-General’s Department.
- Keren Loyer Celebrant
- Mike Larkan
- Nat Sproal Celebrant
- Sam Lavery The Celebrant
- Melbourne Cityside Celebrant
- Paul Bonadio – A Stand-up Celebrant
- Sally Hughes Celebrant
- Matt Finch Celebrant
- Charis White Celebrant
- Katrina Lai
- Alana Tran Celebrant
- Sonia Thomas Wedding Celebrant
- Melbourne Celebrant Julie Byrne
- Celebrations by Rosalie
- Jenny Chiu Weddings
- Australian Attorney-General’s Department – Getting Married
- Australian Attorney-General’s Department – Notice of Intended Marriage
Editorial Disclaimer
Celebrant availability, fees, packages, inclusions, awards, service areas and other business information can change without notice.
Prices quoted in this article were publicly displayed or otherwise available when researched in August 2026 and should be treated as indicative only. Always obtain a current written quotation directly from the celebrant before booking.
Brighton Savoy does not receive a fee from a celebrant simply for being included in this editorial guide unless a commercial relationship is specifically disclosed.
Information concerning Australian marriage law is general information only and is not legal advice. Couples should confirm current legal requirements with their authorised marriage celebrant or the Australian Attorney-General’s Department.
