Why me?

I have been giving time of late to really consider why I practice as a celebrant. I know the reasons why I first got into this work but from time to time in any career journey, especially one of service, I think it is affirming to revitalise commitment through contemplation. After all, it is a true honour to stand before a couple when they make their vows and to be bestowed with the power to make their pact legally witnessed.

I am at heart a quiet and contemplative soul and I love to meditate and take time out from the world. And whilst I'm not religious I have deep faith in a benevolent universe and I love above all to make people feel connected to that.

I make the ceremonies I create in partnership with bride and groom moments of transcendence from the day to day. The marriage ceremony is a sacred space carved out from the world in which to look at your beloved with fresh wonder and gratitude. Your ceremony is a moment you will return to time and again to affirm your choice and renew your love.

My contemplation of my role as celebrant has made me certain of my task - to bring magic and beauty to the word through each marriage ceremony performed. And in so doing to bless your love into eternity. Thank you for letting me serve!

A stunning wedding venue of natural beauty

This has to be one of the most spectacular places to get married on the Gold Coast - Binna Burra Lodge in Lamington National Park. I love how diverse and full of natural beauty the Gold Coast is. You don't have to travel far to find a world class wedding venue.

5 ways to know you have the right celebrant

Too many couples 'settle' for the celebrant who ends up marrying them, rather than really feeling they have the right person for this most important role.

You have the right to expect your celebrant to be a great contribution to your wedding day. More importantly, the journey to creating your perfect ceremony should be joyful.

Your celebrant should make you feel the 5 following things...

• Nurtured

Does your celebrant make you feel like they really care about your special day? When I marry couples I take the time to truly get to know them so we all feel like old friends on the day.

• Confident

Does your celebrant make you feel confident that they will be able to hold the attention of your rowdy family? Make everyone feel at ease? Manage unexpected factors like weather? 

• Safe

This might sound like a strange one but you want to focus on you on your wedding day, and feel safe knowing that the celebrant has everything under control. Do they have the right equipment? Have they submitted all the legal requirements? Will they make sure you sign the right forms so that your wedding is legitimate? Do they know their stuff, in other words?

• Listened to 

This is so important! You want to have a ceremony that reflects you and if your celebrant takes a one size fits all apporach you might wonder who's wedding it really is. I create a questionarre for each person in the relationship to complete. I love how the two of you so often recall the details of your relationship in different ways. With this information I can ask more questions and really offer you a ceremony that is created in partnership with you.

• Excited

The ceremony might not be as glamorous to plan as the reception but it is the heart and soul of your wedding day. Thinking about and planning the ceremony should be exciting, and the right celebrant will help you make it so. 

Can your wedding be truly unique?

So for hundreds of years people have tied the knot. You might be feeling as though you are just repeating history without any sense of individuality.

And it is true that certain aspects of a ceremony are legally required and will appear in all ceremonies. However, the joy of being able to be married by a celebrant in Australia is that you are only limited by your own imagination in designing a ceremony that truly reflects you both.

The key to finding your style is to avoid looking for ideas where everyone else does. Connect into the core of your own amazing creative self and find what is most important to you.

What inspires you?

Is it a particular colour, a certain time of day, a place you love to be or even a period of history that excites you?

You might get lost in a piece of music and allow that to emerge as a theme for your entire wedding.

Let your wedding BE YOU.

 

The 5 things you need for your wedding ceremony venue

My advice to couples is to think very carefully about the location of the wedding ceremony. Outdoor locations offer dramatic backdrops but they also are totally uncontrollable. Noise, rain, wind, heat and other people can cause unexpected interruption to your perfect event.

Indoor venues, if chosen well, can make it feel like the outdoors are part of the event but without the hazards and unpredictability. You might feel disconnected from your environment, however, and if you're looking for something non-traditional there is nothing better than the outdoors.

Instead, I suggest you think about the qualities you want to be present in your ceremony.

The five top things to look for in your wedding ceremony venue are:

~ privacy (are great crowds of tourists going to be traipsing past?)
~ intimacy (will there be lots of other brides competing for your space?)
~ mood (does the venue reflect the tone you would like to establish for your wedding)
~weather protection (think about shade/ wind etc)
~ time of day (think about the time of day you plan to get married and visit your chosen site at that time when making your plans)

A sacred wedding (without the dogma)

Is it possible to have elements of the sacred in your wedding without invoking religion or dogma? Many couples tell me that they want their day to be special and sacred, and often include elements from religious ceremonies. But what does sacred actually mean and is it right for your wedding day? 

Sacred: reverently dedicated to some person or purpose...

With this definition in mind, it is apparent that a wedding is a perfect event to include sacred elements and  that perhaps this is the entire purpose of  having a wedding  - to show your dedication to your beloved. In coming articles I'll introduce you to some popular and some less well known sacred elements you can incorporate into your civil ceremony.

The One Thing You Can't Get Married Without

Planning a wedding can be, at its best, one of the most exciting times in your life. The popularity of virtual pin-up boards like Pinterest show just how much couple's (and especially brides) want all the elements of the wedding day to work together. Creating the right feel, tone and look of your wedding is essential to feeling like you are having a unique, one-off event that reflects your love and relationship.

So what about that one piece of the wedding day puzzle that you actually can't get married without? I'm speaking of the celebrant of course. Despite this being the only thing that is in fact essential to your day (if you're having a civil service) many people don't know what it is they are actually looking for in the person who will officiate this incredibly important day.

Most couples know that they need to register their wedding one month and one day prior to it happening, and most know that employing the services of a celebrant can make all the legal, official part of this much smoother and one less thing to worry about. 




But what about having a celebrant who is more than just the person who fills the in the forms and ticks the legal boxes? 

What if your celebrant reflects who you are as a couple, matches the tone and emotion of your day and adds magic and joy to the event through truly connecting to you and your desires for the day?

This is most certainly possible and the key is planning. I find most couples rush their decision, or choose the last person they see just to get the task completed. Celebrants want to know what you want, and a good celebrant has the skills to match your day. Contrary to popular belief, most people who practice as celebrants are deeply committed to their calling and want the very best for you. Give your celebrant the opportunity to make your day even more fabulous by taking the time to form a relationship with them, giving them as much information as possible and asking lots of questions.

Yes, the dress, the rings, the cake, the venue are all important elements, but besides your beloved, there is only one thing you need: your celebrant. Give plenty of time to make sure you give time and energy to this relationship too. You'll end up with a wedding that exceeds your dreams.