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Marriage Equality! On the 7th of December 2017 the Australian Government finally passed a law that allowed same sex couples to marry, giving all couples the same rights when it comes to immediate recognition of their relationship, overseas marriage, family, spousal maintenance, divorce, next of kin and property settlement. This has been a long and arduous struggle for LGBTQI people, their families and friends as well as all those Australians who have simply supported equality, and we are finally here. As of the 9th December 2017, all celebrants will start to use the new marriage documents and will say the […]

Have you thought about appointing a “Wedding Day Co-ordinator”? Think about your day….. You’re getting ready. Your best pals are helping you fasten your buttonhole or position your headpiece. Neither of you have got time to be worrying about whether: The harp player hasn’t turned up If the hire chairs are clean Aunty Margie can’t find the ceremony location The wrong flowers have turned up. Just to name a few things that might happen…. If you are having your marriage ceremony at a venue, they may provide a function/event manager to oversea all of these things, but you should ask […]

I belong to a fabulous celebrant association called: Civil Celebrants Network CCN and recently I wrote a blog post for our association blog all about where wedding anniversary symbols originated.  I found it so interesting that I wanted to share it here with you as well. Enjoy……… Have you ever wondered about what wedding anniversary symbols are all about? No one knows precisely when wedding anniversaries were first celebrated, but the tradition is believed to go back at least to the Middle Ages.  At that time in the Germanic regions of Europe, a husband crowed his wife with a silver wreath […]

This post “What is the Power of Celebration?” written by Certified Career and Life Coach, Michael Feeley was found in The Huffington Post and was read by yours truly after a meeting of celebrant colleagues had discussed how fabulous it was and how it embodied the true meaning of celebration. I wanted to share it here with you without all the flashing adverts on the side.  You’re welcome. What is the Power of Celebration? How happy and excited are you when you celebrate something? You celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays — all kinds of personal and special occasions. You give a card or […]

When my friends, Tanya and Nick got married at their vintage inspired wedding, everything was so gloriously beautiful that an article was written on the Love My Dress blog entitled: PEACOCKS AND BUTTERFLIES – AN ELEGANT 1920S GATSBY AND 1930S DECO ELEGANCE INSPIRED WEDDING By Annabel at www.lovemydress.net Please enjoy……. A Beautiful, Vintage Inspired Wedding Not too long ago I was a guest at two of my favourite friends – Tanya and Nick’s wedding in the UK. Tanya is a freelance creative art worker who is super clever and stylish and Nick is an IT wizz who loves Sci-fi and is quietly hilarious.  They have […]

As a Authorised Celebrant in Australia, it is a requirement to give couples wishing to get married a brochure called  Happily Ever Before and After which gives you information about the legal process of getting married and also some helpful hints about pre-marriage counselling.   Now, people hear the words “pre-marriage counselling” and think: Photo: Integrity Church   “There’s nothing wrong with us, we don’t need that!” “We’ve been living together for years, why would we need that?” Photo: PIxabay “Nah, that’s not for us.” Photo: PIxabay “My boyfriend/girlfriend wouldn’t do that.” Photo: Pixabay “What a waste of money.” Photo: Pixabay […]

Marriage Vows…….. What do you really want to say to your partner on the most important day in your relationship? Remember when people used to promise to love, honour and OBEY????? There are a lot of people out there who still choose to say these words because…. tradition!  But realistically, in your everyday married lives, is obeying your partner’s (well, husband’s as it was only the ladies who said it) every command really what you want?  Who knows – maybe you do and that is your choice, but I like vows that are more realistic and personal to you and […]

If you’re thinking of having your beautiful wedding ceremony in a park or on the beach or in any type of public place, then you’re going to need to deal with the council and when you’re dealing with the council, you’re probably going to need a council permit. Photo: shelleywiltonphotography.com Each council has their own set of rules and regulations and it’s best to look up the website or call their local office for the area that you are wanting to get married in for the correct information. Whilst doing a bit of research for you, I found this lovely website […]

Here are some interesting marriage statistics according to the Australian Bureau or Statistics (ABS) from 2013 – Publish in November 2014 (it takes a while to compile all that data) Did you know……… There were 118,963 marriages registered in Australia in 2013 72.5% of those marriages were are performed by a civil celebrant Photo: Don Benson Photography Which means that only 27.5% of those marriages were performed in a religious ceremony The average age for men to tie the knot was 31.5 and the average age for the ladies was 29.5 76.6% of all couples that married in 2013 lived together prior […]

What is a Blessingway Ceremony? I hear you all cry….. Photo: Christine Chrisman A blessingway or mother’s blessing* is a wonderful alternative to a traditional ‘baby shower’ that is held for a woman approaching birth.  A baby shower tends to focus on the baby – presents of the baby and games centred around the baby, whereas the Blessingway is all about the mother to be.  It literally blesses the way for the mother to be ready for childbirth. Traditionally, the mother would invite her closest female family and friends, choosing people who offer her friendship, wisdom and trust to participate in a […]

Just recently I read a blog post written by a truly fabulous marriage celebrant, Josh Withers – he has been my inspiration since becoming a celebrant myself…. but enough of the rockstar celebrant groupiness!  Josh wrote a blog called Why Gay Brides and Grooms are the Luckiest and it’s all about how straight weddings seem to be bound by 100s of years of tradition, whereas ‘gay’ weddings can be a blank canvas of new ideas and creativity. Whilst some wedding traditions may still be held dear to some couples, the origins behind them will only seem less relevant than they are already when we introduce […]

Wedding Traditions Have you ever wondered where wedding traditions come from?  Do they still apply to the modern wedding? Are you blindly following traditions, just because? Or are you bravely paving the way to creating your own traditions? Wedding Traditions – There is actually nothing romantic behind western wedding traditions. Most of them date back 100s of years to when the bride was forced into the marriage and it was nothing more than a transfer of property between the two families.  The property being the Bride! Some traditions are slowly changing as more and more couples decide which traditions suit […]