Posts about the Wedding Ceremony

 
Your ceremony is my joy and my jam!
I'm totally dedicated to inclusive, meaningful, memorable ceremonies.
No Cheese. No outdated stereotypes. Nothing awkward or uncomfortable.Total focus on you.

See also     Celebrant    |  Children and Weddings  |  Inclusive Weddings   |   Marriage Paperwork  |  Vows   |  Wedding Attire  |     Wedding Legals  |  Wedding Rituals  |   Wedding Traditions

 

Thoughts about wedding ceremonies

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 


What Makes a Good Wedding?

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
After 14 years and well over 1000 weddings (legal and non-legal), together with 11 books and 190+
blog posts about things wedding, I know a bit about weddings, and what makes a good wedding, and what doesn't.  ... More ...


More than "I do": 6 Things Your Wedding Ceremony Should Achieve

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |
A successful wedding ceremony will achieve six things ...  More ...

Old School Things That Make Wedding Ceremonies Wonderful - and a Few that Don't

Categories: |    Wedding Ceremony   |   Wedding Planning   |
In all the rush to be modern and contemporary, I think we often downplay the old school things that make wedding ceremonies wonderful. In fact, many wedding professionals act as if nothing old school happens during the wedding ceremonies they are involved with. But just because they
are not acknowledged, doesn't mean they aren't there! Here is my list of all the (largely unacknowledged) things that have made weddings special forever, and continue to do so. ...  More

Civil Ceremony, Secular Ceremony, Humanist Ceremony. What's the difference?

Categories:  Wedding Ceremony |
All legal marriages in Australia are, in a sense, civil marriage, because they are registered and recognised by the state. Secular and Humanist marriage ceremonies differ in some profound ways...  More ...


The Six Stages of Ceremony Development

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony  | 
A personal and authentic bespoke ceremony doesn't just happen. By following my unique six steps of ceremony development we will make your vision for your ceremony a reality ...  More

5 Good Reasons to have a Theme Wedding

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |
Theme weddings are fun. They also tick all the boxes for a great experience for you and for your guests ... More ...

Micro Weddings - Pluses and Opportunities Galore    

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
While a Micro Wedding is usually interpreted to be abbreviated on all fronts - a shorter, simpler ceremony and celebration with only a handful of guests - it allows greater flexibility and offers many wonderful possibilities not possible in a larger wedding. ...    More ...

How Marriage Equality Will Change Wedding Ceremonies

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning | Inclusive Wedding |
This is my prediction – wedding ceremonies will change, but it won’t be a case of  the wedding industry merely accommodating same-sex couples. Rather same sex couples will influence, by example, all civil wedding ceremonies in Australia, and all weddings will be the better for it.
More ...

Has Marriage Equality Changed Weddings? – My Predictions Revisited

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning | Inclusive Wedding |
I predicted that Marriage Equality would change all weddings in Australia, as more and more heterosexual couples, previously constrained by a wedding playbook that includes outmoded traditions and embedded roles defined by gender, experience the individual, meaningful, expressions of an equal relationship in the weddings of same-sex couples  - and that every wedding, gay or straight, would be the better for it.  So how accurate was I?   More ...

Multicultural Fusion Weddings

Categories: Inclusive Weddings | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals | Wedding Traditions | Wedding Planning |
If you are an intercultural couple, how do you navigate your ceremony?  It is not uncommon to have two ceremonies.  But there is a third option - a fusion wedding ceremony that incorporates the traditions of what are important to you both ... More ...


21 Good Reasons to Have a Celebrant Wedding

Categories: |  Celebrant   |  Wedding Ceremony  | 
A celebrant-led wedding gives you so much more flexibility and choice than marrying in either a religious ceremony or a registry office ceremony while not restricting the content of your ceremony ...  More...

Redesigning Wedding Ceremonies for 2020 (Still Relevant!)

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals |
While developing my own COVIDSafe plan for the ceremonies I officiate it became clear that many parts of the ceremony now need a different approach in order to keep everyone safe. The challenge is how to adapt the ceremony to make it safer without compromising the emotion of the occasion ... More ...

Dealing with wedding ceremony stresses and worries

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...


Wedding Ceremony Anxiety and How to Deal with it

Categories: |   Wedding Ceremony   |   Wedding Planning   | 
It is the very rare bride or groom who doesn't develop some level of wedding ceremony anxiety in the lead up to their wedding. It's common, but, by understanding what it is and why you might be feeling that way can go a long way to damping it down. ... More ...

How to Deal with Unsolicited Wedding Advice

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
Unsolicited wedding advice from well-meaning friends and loved ones can feel like criticism and be stressful. In this blog post I discuss how to deal with it. ... More ...

Quick-fix hacks for unexpected wedding problems

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
There will always be something that doesn’t go to plan on the day. Some have the potential to derail the whole wedding...  More ...


How to Avoid Ugly Crying During Your Wedding

Categories: |  Vows | Wedding Ceremony |
Are you nervous about ugly crying during the most emotional parts of the day (the ceremony and the speeches)? There are tried and true ways to make sure you feel the emotions but avoid the ugly part of the crying ... More ...

Easy ways to Conquer Your Fears about Your Vows 

Categories: | Vows | Wedding Ceremony |
One of the biggest fears couples share with me is about speaking in public and stuffing up their vows, but making your vows to one another is not like standing on a platform, facing an audience, and making a speech. So there are ways to avoid ugly crying  ... More ...

Plan X - The 2021 Wedding Must Have (Still Relevant!)

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
Plan X is the plan you have ready to guide you when your wedding, as planned, can't go ahead on the day because of restrictions imposed in response to COVID-19 outbreaks ... More ...

How to have a Stress-Free Wedding in Your Own Backyard

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
The benefits of holding your wedding in your own backyard are many, and varied, but they all add up to two things - a backyard wedding is easy on the budget, and it gives you the ultimate opportunity create a more relaxed, more personal feel to your wedding. More ...

OMG! We forgot the rings ...

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning | Wedding Rituals |
Forgetting the wedding rings happens. But it doesn't have to if you have strategies in place to avoid this. Worst case scenario? There are multiple creative ways to deal with being ringless on the day... More ...


Avoid pre-wedding dramas with a Witness Lottery

Categories:  | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
Because being witness is an honour, not choosing someone who expected to be chosen can cause hurt feelings and a ongoing drama, including broken friendships and family rifts. Sidestep problems by having a witness lottery ....  More ...

What if Someone Objects?

Categories:  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
We've all seen it in movie after movie - If anyone knows any reason why these two should not be joined in marriage, speak now .... So what happens if someone objects at your wedding?
More ...

There are no "Rules"

Navigating Religion as a Civil Celebrant

Categories: Published Article   | Wedding Ceremony
(26/12/2022)
What is consent? And how does Real Consent, Informed Consent, and Intimate Consent apply to celebrant-led wedding ceremonies? Repost of my article originally published  in The Celebrant, Issue 12, June 2022, pp 52-61 ... More


12 Wedding "Rules" to Kick to the Kerb for a Modern Marriage

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Traditions |
Your wedding is a personal occasion, but a personal occasion that lays a critical foundation
for your future together. There are no rules, other than minimal legal requirements. But there are plenty of tyrannical traditions that you can skip with a clear conscience ... More ...

Traditions and Your Wedding: Tweak Old Ones and Make New Ones!

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony  |   Wedding Traditions   | 
All traditions were invented by someone for some reason that was good, socially acceptable, or in line with a social norm at the time. So it follows that traditions can be comforting. but they can also be a burden if they've outlived their usefulness or express values that are at odds with your own. In the 21st century, there are good reasons to reexamine traditions that are nearly 200 years old, and tweak them or make new ones ...  More

Beware the It's Traditional  Wedding Guilt Trip!

Categories: |    Wedding Ceremony  
 What lies behind the fairly widespread belief that all weddings must be traditional? ...  More

Wedding ceremony choreography

The 3 Reasons Where and How You Stand during Your Wedding Ceremony is Important

Categories:  |  Celebrant   |  Wedding Ceremony  |  Wedding Legals
Where you and your celebrant stand in relation to each other during your marriage ceremony is both legally and psychologically important ...  More

Left or Right? Which Side is Correct for Your Wedding?

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Traditions |
Which side is correct in a wedding depends on what we are talking about - flowers, rings, or seating ... More ...

How Many Bridesmaids is Just the Right Number?

Categories:  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning | Wedding Traditions |
There is a very fine line between an appropriate number of bridesmaids (and groomsmen) and just too many, and a wide range of factors that come into play when deciding how many is the right number for your wedding ...    More ...

Pairing up your Wedding Party: Who Walks with Who?

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Traditions |
How do you pair up your wedding party when you've tossed the idea of a strict division along
gender lines and your I Do Crew  is made up of your besties with no regard for equal numbers or matchy matchy on gender. ... More ...

Stand by Me - Or Please Be Seated: There are No Rules for Your Bridal Party, or for Guests at Your Wedding

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |
(18/02/2020)
There are no rules that require your wedding party to stand up in the front for the whole ceremony. It is your choice. However, deciding whether your wedding party will stand with you, or be seated, comes down to a number of things ... More ...

How (Not) to Stagger Down the Aisle (in 3 easy steps)

Categories: Wedding Ceremony
There is an art to walking down the aisle elegantly - and most of it relates to preparation ...
More ...

Your Grand Entrance: How to walk down the aisle with style

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Traditions |
Guests at weddings are very accepting of couples doing their own thing and making their own decisions about how to walk down the aisle. No-one bats an eye if you choose to do something other than walk down the aisle on the arm of your father. And most people no longer assume that, if you do walk down the aisle on your father's arm, the ceremony that follows will be ultra-traditional and totally predictable ... More ...

Down the Aisle, Social Distancing Style

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |
With restrictions on numbers at weddings relaxed, the aisle is coming back. But how do you set up your ceremony space and walk down the aisle with style when social distancing is still required or prudent ?  ... More ...

Your Wedding Party - Busting the Myths 

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |
Four myths about wedding parties persist, despite it being the 21st century, despite society more inclusive, and despite three quarters of wedding ceremonies in Australia being civil ceremonies where ceremony content is all about personal choice and ensuring that your wedding reflects who you are as a couple. ... More ...

26 Good Reasons to Schedule a Wedding Rehearsal

Categories: |    Wedding Ceremony   |   Wedding Planning   |
While the practical reasons for having a rehearsal are well known,other equally important reasons
are rarely discussed, so in this blog post I discuss the practical reasons together with the emotional and relationship-strengthening reasons and outline what a rehearsal should achieve and what happens at one ...  More ...

Including friends and loved ones in your ceremony

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 ...


What your celebrant says in your wedding - law and custom

Categories:   | Celebrant  |  Wedding Ceremony |  Wedding Legals  |
The Marriage Act requires your celebrant to say only one thing in your wedding. Other people can speak and lead parts of the ceremony.  More


Including Your Sisters and Besties in Your Wedding Ceremony

Categories: |  Inclusive Weddings  |  Wedding Ceremony
There are many ways to include your sisters and all of your besties in your ceremony, even if you
want to keep your wedding party small. ...  More ...


Including Your Brothers and Best Mates in Your Wedding Ceremony

Categories: | Inclusive Wedding   |    Wedding Ceremony  |
There are so many ways to include all of your best mates and brothers in your ceremony, even if you want to keep your wedding party small ... More ...

Celebrate Your Mothers in Your Wedding Ceremony

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Inclusive Weddings |
There are so many ways to include both mothers in your ceremony. ...  More ...

Celebrate Your Fathers in Your Wedding Ceremony

Categories: | Inclusive Weddings | Wedding Ceremony |
There are so many ways to include both fathers in your ceremony.. ... More ...


Celebrate Your Grandmas in Your Wedding Ceremony

Categories: | Inclusive Weddings | Wedding Ceremony |
There are so many ways to include your grandmothers in your ceremony.  More ...

How to Remember and Honour Deceased Loved Ones in your Wedding Ceremony

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals
Memorialising deceased loved ones is something many couples wish to include in their wedding. There are many ways to do this, and many things that need to be considered ... More ...

Fund your Wedding and Include your Loved Ones with a Wedding Registry

Categories: | Wedding Budget  |  Wedding Ceremony  |  Wedding Planning |
Rethinking what you might put on your wedding registry list and/or substituting a Wedding Wish List for a Wishing Well can be great solutions to two of the big dilemmas 2020 has created for couples planning to marry   More ...

Ceremony styling

How to Hold Your Wedding Bouquet

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony  |  Wedding Dresses   |
How you carry your bouquet can make a world of difference to your photos, and to how much your guests see of your beautiful dress and, potentially, your face ...  More ...


Wedding Flowers for Guys

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony  |  Wedding Attire   |
Think beyond the boutonniere for wedding flowers for guys ...  More ...

How to Rock Rose Petals in Your Wedding Ceremony

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony  |   Wedding Traditions   | 

There are many ways to include rose petals in your wedding ceremony that will both surprise and delight your guests because they won't have experienced them before ...  More ...

14 Ways to Include Lucky White Heather in your Wedding

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony  |  Wedding Planning  |
White heather, a Scottish tradition that has spread far and wide, is considered lucky in weddings. While it is traditional to include a sprig in a bride's bouquet, there are many other ways to incorporate it in your wedding ...   More ...


You might not have considered this ...

Consent, Celebrants and the 'Real Estate Factor'

Categories: Published Article   | Wedding Ceremony |
02/03/2023
In this article I discuss the ethical and legal responsibility of celebrants to couples as consumers of celebrant services and how this relates to consent around branding and marketing. Repost of my article originally published in The Celebrant, Issue 13, September 2022, pp 20-31
Facebook and Instagram posts by the Editor, Veronika Robinson, said this about this article: "An Absolute must-read article for any celebrant who claims to create ceremonies based on the client's beliefs." ... More...


The Power of the Subliminal: Celebrant-Led Ceremonies and Cultural Bias

Categories: Published Article   | Wedding Ceremony | Inclusive Weddings
(12/01/2023)
Wedding ceremonies are culturally loaded events influenced by Class Culture, Christian Culture, Consumer Culture, and Celebrity Culture. This is equally relevant to marrying couples and to anyone involved in the wedding industry. Repost of my article originally published  in The Celebrant, Issue 12, June 2022, pp 6-17 ... More...


4 ways your choice of celebrant can make or break your wedding photos

Categories:  |  Celebrant   |  Wedding Ceremony  |
(01/09/2022) 
There 4 surprising and not-so-surprising ways that who you choose as your celebrant can have a positive or negative impact on how well your wedding photos turn out ...  More


How to add Surprises to your Wedding Ceremony

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |
A great way to make sure your guests are engaged and entertained by your wedding ceremony is to do the unexpected, to surprise them....  More ...


8 Legit Ways to Use Smart Phones in your Wedding

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony  | 
Smart phones are a largely ignored and definitely under-exploited resource in wedding ceremonies ...  More ...


Weddings and Weaponry in Queensland

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony  |  Wedding Legals  |
Carrying a knife (sgian dubh) is part of the traditional male Scottish Highland Dress. But in many
places, including Queensland, carrying a knife in a public place can land you in trouble with the law. Read on to find out about the rules and what you can do to get round them ....  More ...


Could a Tandem Wedding be Your Thing?

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony  |  Wedding Legals   |  Wedding Planning  |
A tandem wedding ceremony is one that is officiated by two people, working in concert, but only one of whom is authorised to solemnise legal marriages ...   More ...

Friend or Professional Celebrant?

Categories: Celebrant | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
(02/12/2018)
Would choosing a friend instead of a professional celebrant to conduct your wedding ceremony be a good option for you?  Everything you need to consider - and how you can have the best of both worlds ...    More ...


Why Border-Straddling Weddings Are a No-No

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony  |  Wedding Legals   |
Marriages in Australia must be registered in the state or territory in which they take place...  More ...


Everyone Present at Your Wedding is a Guest

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony   |  Wedding Planning   |
Everyone present at your wedding is a guest, including the two of you! This is something to take to heart. It's not just about being kind and considerate, it is also about social media use... More ...


Can you all hear me?

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony   |   Wedding Planning   |
How successful your wedding ceremony is depends very largely on your guests being able to hear
every word. That can mean your celebrant needs to use a PA system. However, the choices you make early in your planning, and the unexpected challenges your chosen venue throws up, can have an immense impact on how well your guests will be able to hear the
ceremony. ... More ...


Pimp up your wedding ceremony program to the max

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony  |  Wedding Planning  |
Wedding programs have fallen out of favour. They are no longer a must-have. However, done well, your wedding program can serve as a guide to your ceremony, an introduction that adds to the anticipation and excitement ... More ...


White Weddings are uh, White

Categories: | Inclusive Weddings  | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
(26/10/2020)
The traditional white wedding, still seen as the norm in Australia, is culturally white, through and through  More ...


You CAN have a wedding free of gender-role stereotypes 

Categories: |  Inclusive Wedding   |    Wedding Ceremony  |
The Marriage Act permits couples to have a wedding that is totally free of gender-role stereotypes Regardless of how much pressure others may apply to try to make you confirm to gender stereotypes, you are legally entitled to ignore them. ... More ...

Getting married when you don’t identify with a gender

Categories:  Inclusive Wedding | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
Gender is now immaterial when getting married in Australia. When marrying you do not have to use gendered terminology or adhere to gendered role ...    More ...

Same Sex Ceremonies - Negotiating the Gendered Nature of Ceremony Traditions

Categories: Inclusive Weddings | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Traditions |
Rather than assign roles, assign various customs .... More ...


Unplugged Wedding: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
Having an unplugged wedding has benefits, but it also has drawbacks. A compromise position might be the best strategy.. ... More ...


No Wedding Ceremony Is Boring ... However ...

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |
Weddings and wedding ceremonies have acquired the reputation of being boring even though no wedding is boring if you've never been to a wedding before. The problem isn't that weddings are boring, but that they are predictable, which is both comforting and boring. And that's the challenge.  More ...


White Weddings are uh, White

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
The traditional white wedding, still seen as the norm in Australia, is culturally white, through and through  More ...


Like First Impressions, the First Line of Your Wedding Ceremony Matters

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
The first line of your wedding ceremony can be captivating and intriguing. It can make your
guests lean forward, eager to participate. It does not have to be boring. Unfortunately, it often is... More ...

You Absolutely Should Plan Your Wedding with Anniversaries in Mind

Categories: | Vow Renewals | Wedding Ceremony |
Weddings are about making memories, and one of the ways to keep the memory of your wedding alive is to celebrate your wedding anniversaries. Planning your wedding with future wedding anniversaries in mind is particularly important at the moment, when COVID-19 has imposed so many restrictions on weddings. ... More ...


Breakfast Weddings - A Beautiful Budget-Friendly Option

Categories: | Wedding Budget | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
Even on a weekend, having a breakfast wedding gives you more options and more chance of booking your chosen suppliers. And it is a very budget-friendly option .... More ...


How to Have a Plastic Free Wedding

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
Your wedding day is a great opportunity to share and showcase your values. It is also a day that presents multiple opportunities to either pile on the plastics or do your best to avoid that. So I've put together some suggestions, some simple, some straightforward, some the obvious,
and some a little bit cheeky!  ... More ...


The Groom is Getting Married Too!

Categories: | Inclusive Weddings  |  Wedding Ceremony |
On your wedding day, two people are getting married. It is time to give the groom equal billing, and here's how you can do that easily, without added expense, and without mystifying your guests ...  More ...


How to have a Non-Legal Wedding Ceremony

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
Getting married and having a wedding can be a two-step process.. ...  More ...


Double Weddings are Fun, Budget Friendly, and Poised for a Comeback

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
Double weddings are great fun, budget friendly and likely to make a comeback because of extra competition for dates, venues and vendors that will flow on from weddings postponed in 2020 ...  More ...


What's the Best Time of the Day to Get Married?

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
The time of day you choose for your wedding will have a significant impact on your whole day, including on your budget, your photographs, your choice of venue, and possibly on the availability of your preferred vendors and whether or not guests can attend ...  More ...


Your Wedding, Your Story

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony |
Sharing your love story with your guests is a common feature in a marriage ceremony, but how do you do that in the best possible way, particularly when many of your friends and loved ones are not going to be able to be at your wedding? ...  More ...


Romantic Wedding Ring Ideas

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals |
One of the most emotional (and romantic) high points of your marriage ceremony is the exchange of your wedding rings. Why not make that moment even more romantic by adding something unique to the two of you, something that emphasises that your rings symbolise your love and unity  ...  More ...


How to Write a Love Letter

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals|
What could possibly be more romantic than receiving a love letter? Writing one! Putting your love in writing is a way to have it endure for ever....  More ...


Getting Married via Skype - Possible in Australia or Not?

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony |  Wedding Legals  | Wedding Planning |
Sorry, it is NOT legal in Australia to get married over Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, or
other videoconferencing technology, or by proxy. And this is why...  More ...


Can You Have Two (or More) Weddings?

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
Can you, as a marrying couple, have more than one wedding? The answer is Yes, but also, That Depends... More ...


You Are Never Too Old To Get Married the Way you Want

Categories: |  Inclusive Weddings | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
(03/03/2020)
How do you, as a mature age couple, negotiate the whole process of wedding planning when most of the marketing, information, and focus out in wedding land is on the younger couple wanting the fairy-tale wedding experience? ... More ...


The Importance of Consent: Why no-one can force you to marry, to kiss in your wedding, or to have sex afterwards

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
Celebrants in Australia have to be on the lookout for any indication that you might not be freely and willingly agreeing to marry, and if we are at all concerned, to pull the plug on the wedding. You can't be forced to marry, to kiss during the wedding, or to  have sex after marriage ... More ...


May Love Be Your Umbrella: Using Umbrellas and Parasols in Your Wedding Ceremony

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals |
(21/02/2020)
Umbrellas present fabulously Instagramable opportunities for your wedding, including many richly symbolic ways to feature them in the ceremony ... More ...


Love and Laughter make for an Unboring Wedding

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |
Other than getting the legal bits right, spontaneous and shared laughter is the most important ingredient for a wedding ceremony. It lifts the mood. It relaxes everyone. When everyone is laughing they are engaged in an experience. They are not merely an audience ... More ...


What's a Legals Only Wedding? 

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
You might be wondering what those Legals Only weddings you've seen advertised are. Simply put, Legals Only is marriage celebrant speak/shorthand for the bare minimum ceremony as required by the Marriage Act. But that's not the whole story  ... More ...


When (soppily) romantic isn't your thing 

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony |
Your wedding ceremony doesn't have to be dripping with sentimentality to be meaningful, and special, and a real reflection of the commitment the two of you have to one another and to your marriage. If you don't do soppy, and don't feel comfortable with lovey-dovey poetry or extravagant vows, you can still have a personal ceremony that is everything you wish for." ... More ...


It's True - Your Marriage Ceremony can be Unstructured! 

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
It might surprise you to learn that there is nothing in the Marriage Act that requires that your marriage ceremony has to follow a tightly structured script. As long as you meet the very minimal legal requirements, everything else is optional! ... More ...


Charitable Giving and your Wedding 

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
There are many ways to make charitable giving part of your wedding, including making it part of your ceremony, and it is always a good idea to give your guests a heads-up if you are asking them to give to a cause dear to you ... More ...


How to Get Them to the Ceremony on Time 

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
Guests arriving late to the ceremony is a common problem which puts you, your celebrant, your photographer, together with other guests  in the unenviable position of having to decide whether you will exchange your vows in front of a lot of empty seats, have special people miss the ceremony, suffer disruptions caused by people wandering in half way through the ceremony, or become unwell because of a long wait in the heat. ... More ...


How to have a Hygge Wedding in a Heatwave 

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
A hygge wedding is a perfect way to beat the heat and have a cosy and comfortable wedding ... More ...


10 Ways to Beat the Heat on Your Wedding Day    

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
Australia is a hot place where outdoor weddings are popular. Heat can compromise your wedding in many ways, Doing these 10 things can help you beat the heat and have a fantastic day ...  More ...


Religion in your Civil Marriage Ceremony     

Categories: Vows | Wedding Ceremony |
In Australia there is no prohibition on including personal expressions of religious or spiritual belief in a civil marriage ceremony, and there are many ways to do this ...    More ...


A Spontaneous Wedding? Yes you can

Categories:  | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
Does that whole let's get married now vibe appeal to you? No big wedding, just running away and doing it without any fuss and bother?...  More ...


Balloons and Bushfires 

Categories:  Naming Ceremonies | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals | Wedding Planning |
Balloon releases can cause or spread bushfires  More ...


The curious reasons why Marriage Documents are signed with black ink

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
Have you ever wondered why your marriage certificate must be signed in black ink? Or, indeed, why the Notice of Intended Marriage should be filled in using black ink (if you're filling it in by hand)? It has a lot to do with archival requirements - but also with status!  More ...


Acknowledgement of Country

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals |
Starting your wedding or other ceremony with an Acknowledgement of Country sends a powerful message of respect and inclusion... More ...


Booze, Pills, and your Wedding

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
Being drunk or under the influence of other substances, legal or otherwise, can prevent you from getting married ... More ...


Showcasing Wedding Music Makers

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
One of the joys of being a celebrant is seeing other wedding professionals "on the job", and working with them as a team. Recently, I took the opportunity to delve into what lies behind the skills of a couple of favourite wedding music makers, and what enables them to make the magic they do...   More ...


Showcasing Wedding Photographers

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
One of the joys of being a celebrant is seeing other wedding professionals "on the job", and working with them as a team. Recently, I took the opportunity to sit down with two photographers I always love working with to delve into what lies behind the skills, what enables them to make the magic they do...   More ...


Surprise Weddings - How to have a successful one without breaking the law

Categories:  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
The Marriage Act is very clear. Surprise weddings are illegal - but only if one of the marrying
couple is being surprised. Which means there are plenty of legal ways to have a surprise wedding ...    More ...


Witnesses and Weddings

Categories:  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
In Australia, no matter whether you marry in church, the registry office, or by a civil celebrant, and no matter whether you have the big white wedding with a large wedding party, or choose just to elope, the one thing that every wedding must have is two witnesses...    More ...

'You may kiss your bride' - oh yeah?  How to have the Perfect (and Perfectly Modern) Kiss

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Traditions |
As a celebrant I not only see many many wedding kisses, I also have the responsibility of prompting them. Your first kiss as a married couple will be photographed and remembered by your guests (and everyone who sees the photographs) for years and years, so it is important to plan for the perfect kiss! More ....

Great Wedding Photos Start in the Mind

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning
Mindset and mind-power can make or break your wedding photos ... More ...


Don't Forget This One Simple Thing When Choosing a Ceremony Venue

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
There is a very simple thing that makes all the difference when choosing your ceremony venue. Forgetting to do it is a serious oversight ... More ...

How to Avoid the #1 Wedding Embarrassment

Categories: Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning
The most feared wedding embarrassment is something that nobody wants to do in public, let alone at their wedding ... More .....

Wedding readings

7 Things to Read at your Wedding instead of a Poem

Categories:  | Wedding Ceremony |
While meaningful readings can add to the whole emotional impact of a personal ceremony, just inserting a standard reading or two adds little or nothing, and can detract. marrying with a civil celebrant opens up many more possibilities, as long as we think outside the box and don't feel constrained by (or obligated to follow) the tradition of including 3 readings  More ...


Realistic Wedding Readings

Categories: Wedding Ceremony |
If you're a down to earth couple, with a realistic view of what marriage really entails, the vast majority of the poems and poetic prose read at weddings are just not for you. I've gathered together a selection of more down-to-earth readings...   More ...


Wedding Reading - Epithalamium

Categories:  Wedding Ceremony |
A beautiful poem read at the wedding of the first gay couple to legally marry in Scotland ...    More ,,,

The Problem with Wedding Readings

Categories: Celebrant | Wedding Ceremony
Most people assume that you have to have readings in a wedding ceremony. Unfortunately, on the day they often don't work ... More ...

Getting the Author right for a Wedding Reading

Categories:  Wedding Ceremony |
A popular poem claimed to be a translation of an original Persian poem by Sufi poet, Hafiz, is found not to be so. Another is credited to Dr Seuss. Also not so. This is a problem because ...    More ...

Guest Blog Post on the Wedlockers site:
Louder than Words: The Potent "Hidden" Messages Your Wedding Ceremony Can Send
As the saying goes, the little things are the big things. In weddings, subtle messages sent by both actions and words speak volumes about your relationship. Whether accurate or inaccurate, subtle “hidden” messages can influence the way your relationship is perceived and the marriage itself ... Read it