Much about Wagga’s wedding culture has not changed, but what is shifting is the officiant.

“People are after an individual and personal day, something that is unique and speaks of their background and a lot of the time, that doesn’t quite involve church structure,” said Wagga celebrant Aaron McDonnell.

A practising Catholic, Mr McDonnell is often called upon by friends of the same faith who would like to honour their traditions, but without the traditional fanfare that goes with a religious wedding.

“A friend asked me to be their celebrant in 2017,” he said.

“She was a Catholic but her fiance was agnostic, so the next best thing for them was to have me.”

After that ceremony, Mr McDonell decided to launch his business – Ceremonies by Aaron – and become one of Wagga’s 25 current members of the Riverina Marriage Celebrant Association.

Mr McDonnell being particularly placed in that he is one of the very few male celebrants in the region.

“There’s about four [men], but mostly they are women. There also aren’t a lot of young celebrants either,” said Mr McDonnell. 

Though traditional church weddings still exist in great numbers, more are opting to share their day with a non-affiliated celebrant. 

It is a movement that has gained national traction, with one in four weddings thought to be conducted by a celebrant. 

Also, a member of the Riverina Marriage Celebrant Association, Judy Van Der Vegt, recognises that a wedding without a religious presentation often affords more flexibility.

“With a celebrant, you don’t need to be married in a church, you can marry anywhere,” said Ms Van Der Vegt.

“Even in a hot air balloon, not that I would want to do that. I’d probably say, ‘you go up, I’ll stay on the ground and do it from there’.”

Although a recent arrival in Wagga, Ms Van Der Vegt has managed to keep in contact with many of the couples she has married.

“I’ve been invited to some of their receptions, and just kept them as friends,” she said.

“I haven’t really been here for long enough, but I’ve heard from others that when people find a celebrant they like, they keep them around. 

“So the celebrant has seen their marriage, the children, even in some cases, all the way to the funeral.”

Similarly, Janet Schirmer has been a celebrant in Wagga for the past five years. The career path came after she had spent 40 years as a teacher.

“I wanted a change, but I enjoy working with people, so it was a good fit,” said Ms Schirmer.

“Weddings in Wagga are generally intimate ceremonies at beautiful venues, but the busiest time is autumn and spring,” she said.

“Not much happens until the end of February, and there isn’t too much going on over winter.”

Ms Schirmer, Ms Van Der Vegt and Mr McDonnell were three of the many celebrants who braved the heat for Wagga’s wedding expo on Sunday.

Having outgrown the confines of other venues, the biannual event moved to the newly minted function centre at The Range.

Within the first hour, the foot traffic came close to exceeding its own record. 

A particularly stellar achievement for organiser Samantha Mulkurti who hosted the first event upon immigrating from England in 2011.

“I realised there were no wedding expos in Wagga at the time, so I fought hard to make one happen,” she said.

“The first one, there were only 24 stalls and I had to beg them to come. People thought it wouldn’t work, there wasn’t a market for it in Wagga.”

On Sunday, the room was lined with 61 exhibitors and a red-carpet runway to accommodate the fashion parade.