Is this 20-year-old Kiwi too young to be a marriage celebrant?

Ruben Mars is looking forward to making couples' big days "an awesome experience". Photo/Lewis Gardner

Twenty-year-old Ruben Mars has taken his first steps in the business of love.

Mr Mars, who is back home in Whanganui after studying in Auckland, has become probably the youngest marriage celebrant in New Zealand.

"The idea stems from a funny place back in secondary school," Mr Mars said.

"For a laugh, when I was in Year 9 at Cullinane College I used to tell people I was a fully ordained internet priest.

"Near the end of secondary school I thought it would be good to get involved in marrying people.

"I enjoy public speaking and connecting with people and I wanted to be involved in something fun, exciting and new."

Earlier this year, Mr Mars began his online application to become a celebrant but says he was not expecting to get far with it because of his age.

"As far as I know, I'm the youngest-ever celebrant.

"I had to go to the courthouse to see the registrar about my application and it turned out he was the father of a kid I knew from school.

"We talked about it and he thought I would be a good person to be a celebrant.

"You have to plead your case to become a celebrant and say what you can do for your community.

"There are so many older celebrants but lots of young people are getting married and there are no young people to perform the ceremony.

"Feedback I've had is that young people sometimes didn't connect with their older celebrant as much as they would have liked."

The application was recently approved but Mr Mars has not had the chance to do much with it yet. He has been busy with his communications degree at AUT, majoring in television and screen production.

However, he now has a Facebook page, is listed on the Department of Internal Affair's online map of celebrants and is ready for work.

Out-of-the-ordinary weddings are an option Mr Mars would take in his stride.

"I'm completely open to themed weddings and I'm happy to buck tradition.

"I just want to make the couple's dream a reality, regardless of who they are. I want to make it an awesome experience for them.

"If I have to dress up as a Stormtrooper to do that, I'm happy."