on My Blog...

Sauce + Substance + Solid Know How, that's me. And what I write reflects all three. So this blog is a little bit cheeky, sometimes courageous, often informative, and definitely a window into how I think and feel about the good, the bad, the ugly, and the legal when it comes to weddings and other ceremonies ...

Blog Posts in order of posting (newest first)

7 Ways AI-written vows shortchange you and your marriage

(12/04/2024)
Categories: | Vows |
 When you mention that you are struggling to write your vows, it is highly likely that multiple people will tell you to just use AI (Artificial Intelligence). Before you accept that as a solution, you need to know that there are seven good reasons why AI is not a solution that works if you want your vows to be anything other than vanilla, generic, and eerily familiar to your guests. More ...

The thing I hate most about traditional weddings

(11/04/2024)
Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |  Wedding Traditions  |
A discussion of  my pet peeve - the tradition of making the groom stand with his back to the guests and to his bride as she makes her way down the aisle to join him. And why it has a darker side   More ...

AI, Copyright, and you, the Celebrant

(30/03/2024) (Previously published article)
Categories: | for Celebrants  |  Wedding Legals |
A discussion of the risks and realities of using AI tools such as ChatGPT to write celebrant blogs, ceremonies, and materials   More ...

What Marriage Changes - and What it Doesn't

(24/03/2024)
Categories: | Wedding Legals |
Getting married immediately changes your legal status, and with that comes a change in rights and responsibilities...   More ...

Wedding Red String Rituals

(22/03/2024)
Categories: | Wedding Rituals |
Incorporate a Red String Ritual into your marriage ceremony to visually express your belief that you are meant to be...   More ...

Witnesses and Disability

(04/03/2024)
Categories: | Wedding Legals  |
 You need two witnesses to a legal marriage. Despite how common ableist assumptions are about this role, a witness having a disability is not an automatic disqualification   More ...

Add a touch of Horse Magic to your Wedding Ceremony

(01/03/2024)
Categories: | Animals and Weddings | Wedding Planning  |
Successfully including your horse in your wedding ceremony takes a little preparation and a lot of love ...
More ...

This is me ... a rant from 2019 about ageism and celebrants

10/02/2024
Categories: |  Celebrant   |
 A discussion about negative images of older celebrants promulgated within the celebrant profession ... More...

Wedding Ring Superstitions

(06/01/2024)
Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |  Wedding Rings  |  Wedding Rituals |
Dive into the multiple superstitions about wedding ring and old beliefs about what creates both good luck
and bad luck for the marriage ...   More ...

Wedding Rings: Essential symbols or outdated tradition?

(03/01/2024)
Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |  Wedding Rings  |  Wedding Rituals |
Why do we regard the exchange of rings to be a central moment in both civil and religious (Christian) wedding ceremonies? And why is it generally expected that, by the time a heterosexual couple is declared married, the bride will have a ring on her finger, but the groom may or may not? ...   More ...

The Kilt Dilemma: To Underwear or Not to Underwear?

Categories: |   Scottish Wedding  |  Wedding Attire   |
(01/02/2024) 
Is the Scottish tradition of going regimental - wearing nothing - under the kilt, appropriate for your wedding? More ...

Geeky Wedding Dates That Will Make Your Inner Nerd Swoon

Categories: |   Wedding Planning   |
(27/01/2024) 
No matter what your nerdy interest is, there's a way to incorporate it into your wedding, starting with the date... More ...

Romantic Days for Weddings

Categories: |   Wedding Planning   |
(25/01/2024) 
There are many ways to choose the perfect date for your wedding. One way, explored in this blog post, is to choose a day celebrated as a day for lovers. ... More ...

Vows, Love Letters, Speeches: How they differ

Categories:  |  Vows |
16/01/2024
Vows, Love Letters, and Speeches all have their place on a wedding day. The important thing is to understand the differences. More ...

Curly questions about getting married

Categories: |  Wedding Legals|
12/01/2024
A selection of the curly questions I've received from people across the country, and how I've answered them.  More ...

It's never to early to start on your vows

Categories: |  Vows |
15/12/2023
It's never too early to start working on your vows - but that doesn't mean putting pen to paper straight away. There are things to be done first  More ...

It's Proposal Season - or is it?

Categories: | Proposing  | Wedding Traditions  |
12/12/2023
While December through to Valentine's Day is promoted as proposal season, Australia's climate gives loved up couples many more options.  More ...

3 Reasons why I don't discount my fees

Categories: | Wedding Budget|
(26/11/2023)
While discounting of celebrant fees is a sales strategy some use during Black Friday sales and at other times, I do not discount for 3 good reasons. Discounting is discriminatory, manipulative, and can contribute to blowing your wedding budget. More ...

RED at a wedding - the hill I'm prepared to die on

Categories: | Wedding Attire|
(20/11/2023)
Don't wear white to a wedding has been shorthand for Don't upstage the bride since before wedding photos got colourful. It's time to consider modern technology and add RED to the list on no-go colours for guests and the celebrant! More ...

Where does your NOIM (Notice of Intended Marriage) go?

Categories: |  Celebrant | Wedding Legals |
(13/10/2023)
What does "lodged" mean and what happens to your NOIM (Notice of Intended Marriage) once you have handed it over to your celebrant?  More ...

What if your celebrant "forgets" to register your marriage?

Categories:  | Wedding Legals |
10/10/2023
Your celebrant is required to submit your marriage details for registration of your marriage within 14 days of your marriage. If they fail to do that, you are still married. But it might take some effort  to have your marriage registered.... More...

Celebrate and Include Your Grandfathers in Your Wedding Ceremony

Categories: | Inclusive Weddings | Wedding Ceremony |
(03/09/2023)
There are so many ways to include your grandfathers in your ceremony.  More ...

Is it OK for a guest to wear black to a wedding?

Categories:  | Wedding Attire  |  Wedding Traditions |
(01/09/2023)
The belief still persists that it is inappropriate for a (female) guest to wear black to a wedding. But where did this belief come from, and is it still relevant at a time where it is increasingly common for the bridesmaids to be wearing black and some brides wear black too  More ...

Why it is Lawful Wedded, not Lawfully Wedded?

Categories:  |  Vows |
22/08/2023
There is a huge legal difference between taking one another as your Lawful Wedded spouse compared to saying Lawfully Wedded spouse. Which is why you mustn't change that one word when you say your legal vows ... More

Surprise Vows

Categories:  |  Vows |
10/08/2023
Surprise vows are personal promises that you each keep secret from the other until you  hear them on your wedding day ... More ...

Saying 'I Do' Without Overdoing It: Introvert's Guide to Planning a Joyful Big Wedding

Categories:  | Inclusive Weddings  |  Wedding Ceremony  |  Wedding Planning|
21/07/2023
You can have a big joyful wedding when you're an introvert, but you need to know what sort of introvert you are, lean into your strengths, know your limits and plan around them. More ...

Proposal Vows: How to Make your Proposal Unforgettable

Categories:  |  Proposing  |  Vows  |  Wedding Traditions  |
20/07/2023
Proposing with a pretty speech is not enough. Announcing a new service - I write your Proposal Vows, inclusive of your Proposal Speech... More...

Finding the Balance: How to Incorporate Humour into Your Vows Without Going Too Far

Categories:  |  Vows |
01/07/2023
A touch of humour in your vows can work brilliantly. But it can also fall flat if you fail approach it with extreme caution because success requires accurately reading your audience and striking  the right balance between love and levity    More...

The Benefits of Staying Low-Tech for Your Wedding Ceremony

Categories:  |  Wedding Legals  |  Wedding Planning  |
13/05/2023
Using devices for signing marriage certificates and reading the ceremony can offer several benefits. However, there are also some drawbacks. These drawbacks, in my view, not only outweigh the assumed or perceived environmental benefits, they include compromising a significant emotional element.   More ...

3 Good reasons to wear pearls to a wedding

Categories:  | Wedding Attire |
22/05/2023
There are a number of excellent reasons for a guest, the marrying couple, the wedding party, and the celebrant to wear pearls at a wedding  More ... The Traditional Wedding Vows

The Traditional Wedding Vows

Categories:  |  Vows  | Wedding Legals  |
09/05/2023
The traditional wedding vows have stood the test of time, are a model for the legal vows, and serve as a template for your personalised vows   More ...

The Legal Vows - A Must Do Requirement with Leeway for Personal Choice

Categories:  | Vows | Wedding Legals |
01/05/2023
To be legally married in a secular civil ceremony in Australia you just say the legal vows because those words create your marriage. Surprisingly, you have some choice over how you will personalise this statement  More...

Pros and Cons of Destination Weddings

Categories:  | Wedding Planning|
29/04/2023
While there are significant legal and logistical issues to consider, and a destination wedding can be expensive and inconvenient for guests, it can also be more consolidated and fun for your wedding party. Destination weddings are a great way to sidestep  pressure to adhere to traditional wedding customs and practices, and to spread cultural awareness and appreciation.  More...

Never Validly Married? What does that mean?

Categories:  | Wedding Legals |
25/04/2023
In Australia, in order for any previous marriage to be recognised by the Government, it has to have been a valid marriage. That means it has to have met all the legal requirements. But that may not be as simple as it sounds... More...

Too Shy to Say Personal Vows? Or Not Allowed To?

Categories:  | Vows | Wedding Ceremony |
09/04/2023
How do you work around knowing you won't be comfortable speaking personal promises on the day or you are marrying in a religious ceremony that does not allow for personal promises? ... More...

What's the Deal with "Solemnise" your Marriage?

Categories:  | Wedding Legals |
04/04/2023
In Australia we talk about solemnising your marriage, rather than marrying you. What's the deal with that? Is there a difference?... More...

Ninja Vows: The Pros and Cons of Writing Each Other's Vows

Categories:  |  Vows  |
23/03/2023
Ninja Vows, a trend where each partner writes the other's vows and the first time they see
the vows or get any idea of what they are expected to promise will be during the wedding ceremony when they are handed the vows andinstructed to read them aloud ... More...

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