Difference between a celebrant & a minister

A marriage celebrant is a person who is authorised by Commonwealth law to perform marriage ceremonies, while a priest, father, minister or pastor is a member of the clergy who is ordained to perform religious rites and ceremonies and their authority comes from their state-registered religion.

In general and professionally, marriage celebrants are not affiliated with a specific religion and are able to perform marriage ceremonies for couples of any faith or no faith at all.

Priests, on the other hand, are typically associated with a specific religious denomination and typically only perform marriage ceremonies for couples who are members of that denomination.

A civil celebrant will typically create a custom and personal marriage ceremony for the couple being married, whereas a minister will generally bring their religion's standard marriage ceremony rituals and script.