Wedding Celebrant
A ceremony that sounds like the two of you, run by someone who is comfortable in front of a crowd.
Your ceremony is the bit everyone remembers
The photographs come later. The food comes later. The ceremony is the ten or fifteen minutes when everyone you care about is sitting in one place, paying attention, and it needs to be handled properly.
Jonathan Usher has spent more than thirty years working in front of audiences of every size, from a dozen people in a living room to several hundred in a marquee. He knows how to hold a room, how to read one, and how to keep things moving when the weather turns or the bridal party is running twenty minutes behind.
As a registered marriage celebrant he brings that same steadiness to your day. Calm, clear, warm, and entirely focused on the two of you.
What Jonathan brings
Presence.
No mumbling into a folder. Every word is delivered so the back row can hear it.Timing.
Knowing when to let a moment sit and when to move on is a skill. It is also the difference between a ceremony that flows and one that drags.Composure.
Rain, wind, a forgotten ring, a microphone that dies. Jonathan has worked through worse in front of bigger crowds.Humour, used carefully.
A ceremony can be funny without being a comedy routine. Jonathan reads the room and pitches it right.
What you get
An unhurried first meeting, in person or online, to work out what you actually want
A ceremony written specifically for you, not adapted from a template
Guidance on vows, readings, cultural elements and the legal wording
All legal paperwork prepared, witnessed and lodged with Births, Deaths and Marriages
A rehearsal at the venue if you would like one
A quality PA system where the venue does not have one
Unlimited contact in the lead-up. Ask as many questions as you need to
And if you want more than the ceremony
Jonathan is an experienced MC and one of New Zealand's most highly skilled magicians. Plenty of couples book him for the ceremony and then have him carry the day through the reception, keeping speeches on time and working the room between courses.
Close-up magic during the photographs is a particularly good fit. It keeps guests entertained during the one part of the day when there is nothing else for them to do.
None of this is compulsory. If you want a straight, sincere ceremony and nothing else, that is exactly what you will get.
How it works
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Get in touch
Send through your date, your venue and roughly how many guests you are expecting. Jonathan will confirm he is free and give you a price.
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Meet up
An hour or so, over coffee or online. This is where the ceremony really gets designed. Bring your ideas, or bring none at all.
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Sort the licence
You apply to Births, Deaths and Marriages for a marriage licence. It needs to be done at least three working days before the wedding, and Jonathan will walk you through the form and name him as your celebrant.
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Draft and refine
Jonathan writes the ceremony and sends it to you. You change whatever you want.
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Rehearse
if you want to Optional, but useful for larger bridal parties or venues with a tricky layout.
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Checklist
The day Jonathan arrives early, checks the sound, greets your guests and gets everything under way on time.
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Afterwards
The paperwork is lodged for you. Your marriage is registered and you can order your official certificate once it comes through.
Where Jonathan works
Based in Dunedin and Central Otago, Jonathan regularly travels for weddings across:
Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula · The Catlins · Wānaka · Queenstown · Cromwell, Bannockburn and Clyde · Alexandra · Oamaru and the Waitaki · Southland and Te Anau
Anywhere else in the South Island by arrangement. Travel costs are agreed up front, with no surprises on the invoice.
What it costs
Every wedding is different, so every quote is specific. Price depends on your date, your venue, how far Jonathan needs to travel and whether you want a rehearsal, MC services or entertainment on top of the ceremony.
Send through your details and you will have a firm figure back, with nothing hidden underneath it.
Questions people ask
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Yes, but only a small part of it. New Zealand law requires each of you to say a short declaration and to state that you take the other as your legal wife, husband or partner. Everything around those words is yours to shape.
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Almost. Your marriage licence names a place, so it needs to be decided before you apply. Jonathan can advise on wording that gives you a wet-weather backup.
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Yes. Vow renewals, commitment ceremonies, blessings and naming days are all welcome.
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For a Saturday between November and March, as early as you can. Other dates are usually more relaxed, but the good venues and the good suppliers go the same way, so it pays not to leave it.
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Only if you ask for it.
Let's talk about your day
Send through your date and venue and Jonathan will come back to you quickly.
Phone: 021 462 442
Email: jonathan@hocuspocus.co.nz