By booking me, Rachael Schepers, as your celebrant, you, as the Customer, agree to the following Terms and Conditions.
I agree to:
All Ceremonies
1. To provide celebrant services in a professional manner at all times and in accordance with the standards of a member of the Celebrants Association of New Zealand.
2. Work with you to create a personalised ceremony that aims to incorporate your wishes and your unique values and character.
3. To give you information and guidance to help you to make choices about your ceremony that will meet your needs and expectations.
4. To make myself available via email, social media, text or phone to answer any questions or to discuss your ceremony.
5. To conduct a rehearsal where requested and/or required.
6. To arrive for the ceremony at least 20 minutes prior to the commencement time and depart no earlier than 20 minutes after the ceremony, or at other times agreed with you.
7. To attend and conduct the ceremony at the agreed time, date and place.
8. If I am unable to conduct the ceremony for any reason, I will advise you as soon as possible and all reasonable efforts will be made, in consultation with yourself, to arrange for the ceremony to be completed by another registered Celebrant.
9. Where I am unable to conduct a ceremony I will compensate the replacement Celebrant or refund my Celebrant fee at a negotiated rate that is not more than my usual fee, plus any additional services and costs already paid for such as travel costs. The negotiated rate may take into account any work already completed which I may make available to the replacement Celebrant.
10. To respect your privacy and confidentiality.
Weddings
1. Once I have received your deposit payment, I will provide you with a login to my website, nelsoncelebrant.co.nz, where you will a have a personal Customer page with resources and forms for entering information.
2. I will send a link to a draft copy of your ceremony approximately 1-2 weeks before your wedding date. Please note that a draft cannot be completed until such a time as all forms on your Customer page on my website have been filled in.
3. I will observe and practice any and all applicable New Zealand laws, ensuring that marriages will be solemnized according to the legal requirements of the Department of Internal Affairs.
4. I will send a copy of the signed Marriage License forms to the Department of Internal Affairs for the registration of your marriage, no later than 3 days after the wedding.
5. If I am unable to conduct the ceremony for any reason and where I have received your Wedding License and related documents, I will pass these to the replacement marriage celebrant in a timely and appropriate manner.
You, the Customer, agree to:
All Ceremonies
1. Provide any information requested in a timely manner.
2. You agree to advise me of any changes to the ceremony date, time or location as soon as possible. If the change means I am no longer able to conduct the ceremony, I reserve the right to cancel your booking. If the booking is cancelled due to the change, any deposits paid will remain non-refundable and I reserve the right to charge for time and costs accrued. If the change is made on the wedding day and I cannot accommodate the changes, no monies will be refunded.
3. If a ceremony is cancelled by you or is cancelled due to any reason for which you are responsible, and full payment has been made, a partial refund may be considered at my discretion. This amount of the refund will take into account time spent and any costs accrued. If the ceremony is cancelled on the day of the ceremony, no refunds will be given.
4. You agree to pay all costs as detailed on your invoice, or for your wedding package, before the ceremony date. If full payment is not received prior to the ceremony date, and no other arrangement has been made, I may choose not to attend your ceremony.
5. Any charges not included on my invoice by omission, or any charges incurred during or after the ceremony, are due within 14 days after the ceremony date.
6. Any outstanding amounts that remain unpaid for more than 14 days after the ceremony date may at any time be referred to a debt collection agency for collection. Any debt collection costs will be added to the amount due.
7. If the ceremony is delayed more than 30 minutes beyond the agreed starting time, either because Parties or Guests have not arrived or the ceremony cannot proceed for any reason outside the Celebrant’s control, I reserve the right to leave for another commitment if required, and no refund will be given.
8. If a ceremony is delayed by more than 30 minutes beyond the agreed start time, and I stay at the venue, extra time will be charged at $50 per 30 minutes or part thereof.
9. If a previously advised alternative venue is to be used due to weather or other mitigating factors, you must inform me by telephone (not by email or text) of the change, and with enough time to allow for my travel to the alternative venue and be there at least 30 minutes before the ceremony starts. If not enough time is given, I cannot be held responsible for any lateness.
10. If an alternative venue is used which is outside the Nelson/Richmond urban areas, and where the venue is further away than the originally planned venue, additional travel costs may be charged at $1 per kilometre.
11. Where an alternative venue is used which I was not previously advised of, and the travel time to the alternative venue means I will be unable to attend later commitments, I reserve the right to either arrive late and leave early, postpone your ceremony until a later available time that day or cancel your booking with no refund given.
12. I reserve the right to refuse to conduct a ceremony in a location or under conditions that I deem to be an actual or potential health and safety risk to myself or others. This may include the presence of hazards such as extreme weather conditions, unsafe equipment or natural disasters.
13. I take no responsibility for events or disruptions during the ceremony that are beyond my control such as weather, actions by children, guests, animals, vehicles or any other potential disruption.
14. If a P.A. System is hired for the ceremony, the use of the equipment will be subject to favourable conditions and it will not be used in conditions where sound system will be exposed to harm such as rain, strong winds or extreme heat. The use of the system will be at my discretion in these cases.
15. If hire equipment is no longer required on the day, either because of weather, a change of venue or any other reason, no refunds will be given. Any cancellations of hire more than 24 hours before the wedding, but less than 14 days, will receive a 50% refund. Cancellations more than 14 days from the wedding date will receive a full refund.
16. Every effort will be made to ensure that all equipment supplied by me is in good working condition and is safe for use. However, I cannot guarantee that there will be no unexpected breakages or malfunctions and do not claim any responsibility for any injury or consequence resulting from the use of equipment supplied.
17. Resources, ceremony wording, email content and other information provided to you by me are my property. At no time are you permitted to duplicate, upload, share, copy, sell or reproduce any of this content without my express permission.
18. When you provide me with images and testimonials you are allowing me the right to use these on my website, in advertising, social media and any other media.
Weddings
1. You acknowledge that you understand that you are required to obtain a Marriage License before I can legally conduct your wedding. Obtaining your Marriage License is your responsibility and your License and associated documentation is required to be emailed to me or given to me at the rehearsal or any time before your wedding day. The exception to this would be where you have purchased a wedding package and the Marriage License application is included as part of the package.
2. You acknowledge that all information supplied for or on your Marriage License application, is true and accurate. I will not be held responsible for any delays to the registration of your marriage due to incorrect information.
3. You are responsible to ensure that all your contact information and personal information entered on the website forms on your Customer page are kept up to date and are accurate.
4. A booking deposit of $100 is required to secure your wedding date and time. This is included in any wedding package deposits paid for. This deposit is not refundable.
5. You will complete the forms on your Customer page on my website (nelsoncelebrant.co.nz) at least 2 weeks prior to your wedding date. If the forms are completed less than two weeks before the wedding date, a draft ceremony will not be created until such a time as the forms are completed.
6. The preferred rehearsal time entered on the Booking form on your Customer page of my website is your preferred date and time and as such is not binding until I can confirm, by email, phone or other media, my availability on your preferred date and time.
7. I reserve the right to decide not to proceed with the ceremony if I believe that either the Bride or Groom and any official witnesses are under the influence of alcohol or drugs to such a degree that their judgment and/or ability to participate in the ceremony is affected.
8. I reserve the right not to proceed with the ceremony if I have reason to believe there has been a misrepresentation, the marriage is being conducted for immigration purposes or receive any information that causes me to question the integrity of the marriage.