Soldier, businessman, now voted world No.1 wedding celebrant

IN a female-dominated industry, Maroochydore resident and ex-Australian Army Major Jarrad Bayliss has been named the number one wedding celebrant in the world.

NUMBER ONE: Former soldier Jarrad Bayliss, who changed his life by becoming a wedding celebrant, has been voted the world’s best. Picture: Warren Lynam

IN a female-dominated industry, Maroochydore resident and ex-Australian Army Major Jarrad Bayliss has been named the number one wedding celebrant in the world.

The Wedding Industry Experts awards cover 82 countries with more than 9000 qualified celebrants in Australia alone.

But Mr Bayliss only started wedding celebrancy two years ago and doesn't even do it full-time.

Mr Bayliss is a full-time business consultant and since retiring from his role as an infantry officer deployed in Afghanistan, he has continued as a part-time strategist and is now in his 20th year of service.

Traditionally a religious man's job and now dominated by females, Mr Bayliss is not your average celebrant.

He believes in the progression of marriage, preferring to read his scripts from an iPad and pushing movement of same sex marriage.

"I think it (same-sex marriage) can't come soon enough," he said.

"I think we need to take a mature approach to it and recognise that society is changing."

Although Mr Bayliss was born into a Christian background he describes himself as more "spiritual" in his beliefs now after being separated from his wife during deployment.

"It's definitely not religious from my aspect but when I was in the army there used to be a saying 'there's no atheist in war'," he said.

 

WEDDING INDUSTRY EXPERT AWARDS

• 82 countries entered in the awards
• Australia has more than 9000 wedding celebrants
• Jarrad Bayliss does about 150 weddings a year

Originally published as Soldier, businessman, now voted world No.1 wedding celebrant