5 celebrants for a personal, touching ceremony in the Hunter Valley

Highlights. Your ceremony is the heart of the day, and the person who leads it sets the tone for everything that follows. Here are five Hunter Valley celebrants who love getting to know a couple and turning their story into something that feels like them. They are all authorised marriage celebrants, they all work in or near the Hunter, and you can meet any of them before you decide. We list them in no particular order.

What we mean by "personal and touching"

A personal ceremony is built around you: how you met, what you promise each other, the people standing in front of you. A touching one leaves room for the moment to land, whether that is a big laugh, a quiet pause or a happy tear. It is a style, not a score, and it suits couples who would rather hear their own words than a script.

The five

Julie Muir, Newcastle

Julie calls herself an effervescent celebrant, and her site backs it up. Before celebrating weddings she worked in sports event management, and she says that background is why she is so organised and so careful with the detail. Outside work she roller-skates, campaigns for the environment and plans her next overseas trip.

Her ceremonies are aimed at couples who want something heartfelt, with plenty of laughs along the way. She also offers help with vow writing, a marriage-prep questionnaire for the personality-quiz lovers among us, and an MC service for the reception. For every booking she plants a native tree, and she says everyone is welcome, whatever their identity.

A good fit if you want a celebrant who is fun to have in the room and still keeps your vows front and centre.

"Julie was an incredible celebrant, warm, professional, and full of personality. She brought her Irish flair and sense of fun to the ceremony, making it truly unique and enjoyable. We felt completely at ease and loved every moment. Highly recommend!"

juliemuircelebrant.com.au · Instagram · Facebook

Adam Seeney, Married by Adam, Newcastle

Adam became a celebrant after being asked to be part of his brother's wedding, and he says he found a real love for being part of two people's big day. He now lives in Newcastle after years in Sydney's Inner West, and he says he has led more than 500 weddings and has appeared as a celebrant on Married at First Sight.

His whole approach is about making the ceremony a reflection of you, with the fun turned up and your guests involved. He describes ceremonies where the crowd laughs, cheers and has what he calls a good ugly cry, which sets the tone for the party to follow. He is also available as a wedding MC, and he is the only man in this set.

A good fit if you want humour woven through the ceremony and a celebrant who will happily tease you both a little.

"Our wedding day was hands down our best day ever and many guests even said it was the best wedding they’d ever been to. We really think it was down to the perfect fun and casual, yet romantic and respectful, tone that Adam set from the get go. He had our guests laughing and crying (at the right moments) throughout the ceremony. Many even asked if he was a friend of ours as the banter and storytelling was spot on."

marriedbyadam.com · Instagram · Facebook

Meredith Downes, Married by Meredith, Newcastle

Meredith has been writing ceremonies since 2018 and describes herself as the genuine, warm, calm person you want next to you through the whole wedding journey. She likes to think of herself as a marriage mixologist, blending relaxed, meaningful and classy with a good serve of laughter and happy tears.

Her site is built around the planning process too, with a wedding planning guide, a journal and a separate section for elopements. If you want a celebrant who guides you steadily through the paperwork and the planning as well as the ceremony itself, her pages suggest she will.

A good fit if you want a calm, friendly voice leading a ceremony that is relaxed and meaningful.

"We absolutely loved Meredith and we were so so lucky to have her as our celebrant! From our first call with Meredith we knew that she would set the vibe perfectly for our wedding. Meredith helped us both feel so calm and relaxed in the lead up to the day and was an absolute pro on the day. We had so many complements on the ceremony from friends and family, it was just what we wanted, relaxed and fun."

marriedbymeredith.com · Instagram · Facebook

Ashley Ogle, The Hunter Valley Celebrant, North Rothbury

Ashley is based in the Hunter itself, and her site talks about creating elevated ceremonies that still feel deeply real. Couples she has married describe her as warm, thoughtful and easy to deal with, and her pages mention weddings at Hunter venues including Redleaf at Wollombi.

She offers a couples portal and a "co-pilot" experience, where you work through the ceremony together rather than being handed a template. If you like the idea of doing it side by side, with someone who knows the Valley, that is her pitch.

A good fit if you want a local celebrant who knows the Hunter and wants your ceremony to reflect who you are.

"It truly felt like we had a close friend by our side."

thehuntervalleycelebrant.com · Instagram · Facebook

Jaya Bargwanna, Merewether

Jaya describes herself as warm, authentic, inclusive and a little bit cheeky, and says she has led more than 350 weddings. She works with what she calls laidback lovers, and her style is to take your stories, the highs and the funny bits, and tell them back as a rom-com-style tale with the two of you as the stars.

Before she writes anything she sends a few light questionnaires to learn about your relationship, then keeps your values and your vision front and centre. She is based in Merewether and says she travels for love, so the Hunter is well within her range.

A good fit if the story is what matters most to you, and you want it told with warmth and a bit of play.

"Jaya created an absolutely banger of a ceremony for us during our wedding in Feb 2026. She took all the best bits in our relationship and story and tied it together with humour and heart."

jayabargwannacelebrant.com · Instagram · Facebook

Before you book

Questions worth asking any celebrant:

• How do you gather our story, and how many meetings are there before the day?
• Can we see an example ceremony script?
• What is included in the fee, and what happens if our date changes?
• Have you worked at our venue, or will you visit it?

Your Notice of Intended Marriage must be given at least 1 month and no more than 18 months before the wedding, according to the Attorney-General's Department (read 26 September 2026), so most couples book their celebrant well before that.

We chose these celebrants from public information; each is on the Attorney-General's register and shows Hunter weddings. Inclusion is not paid for and we have not tested their services.

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