No-Fuss Intimate wedding at Redcliffe Botanic Gardens.
Photo Courtesy of Scott Lawler Photography

First step - Contact Me
Contact me by phone or email to see if I am available on the date and time of your ceremony.  If I am not available for your chosen date and time because I have a prior booking I can help you find another celebrant. I'm happy to answer any questions and to send you further information by email. If you wish to meet me before you make a firm booking for a wedding or commitment ceremony we can make arrangements for an obligation-free meeting to discuss in general terms your wishes for your ceremony and for both you and me to see whether we are a fit.  If a meeting is impractical because you live some distance away we can chat on the phone or via email and you can ask questions.


Second step - Make a firm booking:
Establish the level of service you wish to have (for some types of ceremonies I offer more than one level of service), complete the booking confirmation form and pay the nonrefundable deposit to lock your ceremony date and time into my diary.

For a wedding you will need to complete a Notice of Intended Marriage.

• It must be completed and lodged with the celebrant a minimum of one clear month before the ceremony (i.e. if you give the completed and witnessed notice to your celebrant on January 1, you can get married on February 2 or any date up to 18 months from January 1.
  
• It does not lock you into a particular date, that can be changed or even chosen after the Notice is completed and lodged.
• Can be completed at the first meeting and signed by you and witnessed by me. You can keep it until you have made your decision to have me as your celebrant and then mail it back to me. The day I receive it will be the day the clock starts on the notice period.
  
• You can download it, complete it, and have it witnessed by one of the approved categories of acceptable witnesses listed on the notice
• If either the bride or groom is not available, for example because he/she is overseas, the notice can be completed and lodged by the other one. The notice must be fully complete before the wedding can take place.
• The notice can be scanned and emailed to start the clock but the original must be provided to me before the wedding.
  

Please note
For most ceremonies my fee is payable in two instalments

• a non-refundable deposit (booking fee) is payable when you make the booking in order to secure the date and time. This also covers initial administrative costs.
  
• the balance, payable 14 days before the date of the ceremony

My fee covers all ceremony costs, including

• all legal documentation required before and after (for weddings)
  
• Developing and writing the ceremony and officiating at it
• A reasonable amount of travel to and from your ceremony venue
• Use of a high-quality PA system where the situation requires it
  

My fees do not, however cover the following additional costs which will be quoted for separately when it becomes apparent that such costs are 

• long distance travel
• city parking
• parking or entrance fees required to access the venue
• correspondence to support an application for a Fiance Visa
  
• assistance with obtaining proof of identity documents, such as birth certificates
• other official documents that might be required in less than usual circumstances

Third step - Gather information, think and plan
This step starts approximately 2 months before the ceremony date, allowing you time to focus on the ceremony because other arrangements have all been finalised.  I'll gather information from you about what you want for your ceremony, your ideas, wishes, needs and vision. If necessary I will use my extensive celebrancy library and research skills on your behalf.

Fourth step - Develop the draft ceremony
I will take the information, synthesise it, and about a month before the ceremony send you a first draft for your consideration and reaction.

Fifth step - Edit and refine
Together we will refine the ceremony and finalise decisions about the choreography of the ceremony, who is going to participate in the ceremony and how they are going to participate. I will edit the ceremony making sure that it flows smoothly and that there is no redundancy and we will sign off on the final draft at least 2 weeks before the ceremony date. You will also purchase/obtain any items required for use in the ceremony.

Sixth step - Finalise the account
Two weeks before the ceremony you will make the balance payment and finalise the account. Where it has emerged that parking or venue entrance fees will be required for me to access the venue for the ceremony and/or the rehearsal, these should also be paid at this time.

Seventh step - Rehearse
Where you have chosen the Full-service couture ceremony level of service for your wedding or commitment ceremony we will have a rehearsal a few days before the ceremony, preferably at the ceremony venue. We will rehearse choreography of the ceremony, concentrating on ensuring that all participants are confident about what they have to do, and how and when it fits into the ceremony. Because we have made the decisions beforehand, the rehearsal should flow smoothly with few, if any, last-minute decisions needing to be made. Readers will also be rehearsed, the position of the signing table will be established and you will sign the Declarations on the back of the copy of the Marriage Certificate that is submitted to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
                                                              
Day of the ceremony

 
After the Ceremony
For weddings you will receive your presentation marriage certificate and a keepsake copy of the ceremony, for other ceremonies the appropriate certificate and keepsake copy of the ceremony. I will stay for a few minutes if you wish for me to be in the photographs. Please advise the photographer to include me in any shots early.

For weddings I mail the marriage papers to the Registry Office the next business day, and as a courtesy will include your application for an official copy of your marriage certificate. I have no control over the length of time the Registry Office takes to register a marriage, so please contact them with any post-wedding enquiries.