on my Blog...

Blog Posts in order of posting (newest first)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Your Rings

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony |
(30/03/2020)
The most common question about weddings under the new restrictions is about whether rings are
allowed. ...  Read on...

Getting Married via Skype - Possible or Not?

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony |  Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
(24/03/2020)
Is it legal to get married over Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, or other videoconferencing technology? ...  Read on...

So Coronavirus Cancelled Your Wedding ... What Now?

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony |  Wedding Planning |
(23/03/2020)
You've been thrown a curve ball that means your wedding can't go ahead on the day you've planned for, or, can't go ahead the way you've planned it. Closure of venues, restrictions on the number of people who can be in both indoor and outdoor spaces, travel restrictions, social distancing, and a lot of uncertainty because we have no idea how long this will last ...  Read on...

What Should We Tell Our Guests About Our Wedding in the Time of the Coronavirus?

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony |  Wedding Planning |
(19/03/2020)
With Government restrictions ramping up on a daily basis, concerns about flattening the curve, and worrying media reports about the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on weddings, you wouldn't be human if you weren't stressing about your wedding, or worrying about what you should tell your guests ...  Read on...

Can You Have Two (or More) Weddings?

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
(17/03/2020)
Can you, as a marrying couple, have more than one wedding? The answer is Yes, but also, That Depends... Read on...

Coronavirus and Your Wedding - Some Suggestions

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
(11/03/2020)
How novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) might impact your planned wedding is a hot topic at the moment. So, should you be concerned? Or, in the words of that wonderful World War II advice, Alert but not Alarmed? ... Read on...

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

Categories: |  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? ... Read on...

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 |
(02/03/2020)
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 ... Read on...

Not "Just a Celebrant" (and Not "Just Half an Hour")

Categories: | Celebrant | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
(28/02/2020)
What does a celebrant do? And why do they charge for more than the half hour the ceremony takes? The easy answer is that a celebrant changes your legal status from not-married to married. which is a pretty big thing. Life-changing, in fact. And they do that by creating and performing a ceremony. But it certainly doesn't stop there. When you hire me as a celebrant, you're getting a lot more than someone who will make sure you tick a few legal boxes, stand up in front of your guests, rabbit on for a bit, and then declare that you are married. ... Read on...

Giving Notice of Your Intended Marriage when You Live at Opposite Ends of the Country (or the Earth)

Categories: | Wedding Legals |
(24/02/2020)
Giving Notice of your Intended Marriage when you are not together in the same state or country is not as difficult as it might seem at first. ... Read on...

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

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

No Licence Needed

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning
(21/02/2020)
Getting married in Australia is super simple. You don't need a marriage licence, and your venue doesn't have to have a licence to host wedding ceremonies ... Read on...

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 ... Read on...

You Just Got Engaged. Now What?

Categories: | Wedding Planning |
(15/02/2020)
So, the question was popped. You said yes. Everyone got excited. Now What? Well, everyone will start asking the When? and Where? and How? questions. Here are my top three picks for 1, 2, and 3, on your We're Engaged, What Next To Do List... Read on...

Rain On Your Wedding Day - Good Luck or Bad Luck?

Categories: | Wedding Traditions |
(13/02/2020)
Is rain on your wedding day good luck or bad luck? In multiple cultures rain represents fertility, cleansing, and renewal, and, extrapolated from those beliefs, in relation to weddings, unity and tears.... Read on...

Proposal Do's and Don'ts

Categories: | Wedding Traditions |
(11/02/2020)
Dos and Don't of proposing learned over many years of hearing proposal stories from couples I have married... Read on...

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

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Traditions |
(08/02/2020)
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. ... Read on...

Your Marriage Certificate(s)

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
(06/02/2020)
Every couple marrying in Australia will be presented with a certificate on the day. That certificate is proof that you are married, but it isn't proof that your marriage has been registered. So you need a second (and different) certificate as well ... Read on...

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

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
(05/02/2020)
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. Read on...

Love and Laughter make for an Unboring Wedding

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |
(30/01/2020)
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 ... Read on...

What's a Legals Only Wedding? 

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
(28/01/2020)
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  ... Read on...

What is a month? 

Categories: |  Wedding Legals |
(25/01/2020)
What is a month? is an all-important question because you can't legally be married less than a full calendar month from the day you give Notice (on the Notice of Intended Marriage) ... Read on...

When (soppily) romantic isn't your thing 

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony |
(23/01/2020)
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." ... Read on...

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

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
(19/01/2020)
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! ... Read on...

Charitable Giving and your Wedding 

Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
(15/01/2020)
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 ... Read on...

Your Wedding Party - Busting the Myths 

Categories: | Inclusive Weddings |  Wedding Ceremony |
(13/01/2020)
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. ... Read on...

When Disaster Strikes - Plan D - How to Get Married Legally When your Venue and your Celebrant are Unreachable

Categories: | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
(03/01/2020)
The one thing that is required to make any Plan B work is the capacity to communicate. When disaster strikes, and communications are cut, even the most detailed and multi-faceted Plan B is useless. So what can you do if you've planned your wedding (and a viable Plan B), and now your venue and your celebrant are within one of the disaster zones ... Read on...

How to Get Them to the Ceremony on Time 

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
(21/12/2019)
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. ... Read on...

The Gift of a Good Name 

Categories: | Naming Ceremonies |
(09/12/2019)
Celebrating the gift of a good name with a naming ceremony is a wonderful way to acknowledge the person your child is, and will become. ... Read on...

How to have a Hygge Wedding in a Heatwave 

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
(08/12/2019)
A hygge wedding is a perfect way to beat the heat and have a cosy and comfortable wedding ... Read on...

Choosing the Right Time for your Naming Ceremony 

Categories: | Naming Ceremonies |
(03/12/2019)
Achieving a happy and successful naming ceremony for your child has a lot to do with how and when you schedule the ceremony ... Read on...

The When, Why, How, and Who of the First Look

Categories: |  Wedding Traditions|
(01/12/2019)
The incredibly romantic moment when a couple first locks eyes on their wedding day is a must-have photo opportunity. First look wedding photos have been topping the wedding wish lists for some time now ...    Read on...

The When, Why, and How of Renewing Your Vows

Categories: Celebrant | Vow Renewals |
(26/11/2019)
There is a growing trend for couples to renew (reaffirm) their wedding vows. More and more couples are doing it, and they aren't waiting for the traditional milestone Silver or Golden wedding anniversaries because there are many more good reasons to renew your vows  ...    Read on...

Can Guests Sign Your Marriage Certificate?

Categories: Celebrant | Wedding Legals |
(25/11/2019)
Your Presentation Certificate is a legal document, therefore only your two legal witnesses may sign it, along with you and your celebrant. But there are other lovely options for guests to sign  ...    Read on...

Easy ways to Conquer Your Fears about Your Vows 

Categories: | Vows | Wedding Ceremony |
(21/11/2019)
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  ... Read on...

How Many Toilets Does Your Wedding Need?   

Categories: |  Wedding Planning |
(20/11/2019)
The ratio of toilets to guests at your wedding is incredibly important. Here's how to do the maths to make sure that the venue you choose has sufficient ...    Read on...

Tree Planting Ritual  

Categories: | Naming Ceremonies | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals |
(19/11/2019)
The planting of a tree during a wedding, naming ceremony, or memorial ceremony is a powerful ritual. ... Read on...

Micro Weddings - Pluses and Opportunities Galore    

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
(19/11/2019)
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. ...    Read on...

10 Ways to Beat the Heat on Your Wedding Day    

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning |
(14/11/2019)
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 ...    Read on...

Religion in your Civil Marriage Ceremony     

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |
(13/11/2019)
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 ...    Read on...

I Won't Judge You or Your Choices (unless the Law makes me do so)

Categories: Celebrant | Wedding Legals |
(12/11/2019)
There are some things which the law, and my obligations under the law as a Marriage Celebrant, requires me to make judgements about. But there are many things that people fear being judged about that I definitely don't and won't judge you for ...    Read on...

1st Birthday Naming Ceremonies are Extra Special  

Categories: | Naming Ceremonies |
(09/11/2019)
A naming ceremony has much in common with a birthday celebration, so celebrating the two at the same event makes a great deal of sense, symbolically, emotionally, and financially ... Read on...

Making Sure Your Wedding Service Providers are Legit     

Categories: | Wedding Planning |
(04/11/2019)
Checking out your other service providers to make sure they are legit is a bit more complicated than ensuring your celebrant is duly authorised, but definitely worth the effort if you want to not only avoid disappointment on your wedding day, but ensure that they are going to meet your expectations... Read on...

Genius Wedding Planning in a Nutshell     

Categories: | Wedding Planning |
(30/10/2019)
It's easy and simple to build your own wedding planner and checklist based on the reality of your wedding. What this means is that you create your own list of deadlines in conjunction with your own To Do list to create an infinitely scalable planner, suitable for big weddings, small weddings, and microweddings regardless of how much lead time you have...  Read on...

Don't let FOMO wreck your budget ... or your wedding     

Categories: | Wedding Budget| Wedding Planning |
(27/10/2019)
Fear of Missing Out can prompt you to spend money without due consideration or sign up to wedding services in a hurry, leaving you with Buyers Remorse, or worse...   Read on...

Nail your Vows by doing these 3 simple things     

Categories: | Vows | Wedding Ceremony |
(21/10/2019)
I've never met a couple who didn't want their exchange of vows to go without a hitch on the day. The  good news is, like everything else about your wedding, preparation is key. Doing 3 simple things before you start writing your vows will guarantee a flawless vow exchange ...    Read on...

Wedding Insurance

Categories:  | Wedding Planning |
(12/10/2019)
However good your Plan B is, it may well not be adequate where a catastrophic natural disaster, severe illness, or vendor non-performance is concerned. Having to cancel or postpone your wedding can be financially very costly,
unless you are insured.....  Read on...

Avoid pre-wedding dramas with a Witness Lottery

Categories:  | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
(02/10/2019)
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 ....  Read on...

A Spontaneous Wedding? Yes you can

Categories:  | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
(29/09/2019)
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?...  Read on...

Being a Godparent at a Naming Ceremony - What you need to know

Categories:  Naming Ceremonies |
(28/09/2019)
Being asked to be a godparent for a child is a huge honour. While there are many similarities between being a godparent at a religious Christening and being a godparent at a Naming Ceremony, there are also some significant
differences  Read on...

More than one Plan B for your wedding is a must!

Categories:  | Wedding Planning |
(26/09/2019)
You need Plans B1, B2, and B3 to cover all eventualities and to make sure your wedding can go ahead on the day ...  Read on...

7 Things to Read at your Wedding instead of a Poem

Categories:  | Wedding Ceremony |
(21/09/2019)
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  Read on...

Saying I Do in Secret (it's legal!)

Categories:  | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
(18/09/2019)
If you choose to be married with a civil celebrant in Australia you can be married in secret ...  Read on...

7 Surprising Facts about Getting Married in Australia

Categories:  | Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning |
(16/09/2019)
Getting married in Australia is easier than many people imagine - here are some little known facts that confirm that. ...  Read on...

Balloons and Bushfires 

Categories: | Naming Ceremonies | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals | Wedding Planning |
(12/09/2019)
Balloon releases can cause or spread bushfires  Read on...

The Heart Moves On - Using Ceremony to Mark the End of a Relationship

Categories: | Vows | Divorce Ceremonies |
(02/09/2019)
How to plan a positive divorce or end of relationship ceremony ...  Read on...

"You May Now Diss the Bride": How NOT to Plan a Divorce Ceremony

Categories: | Vows | Divorce Ceremonies |
(02/09/2019)
A divorce ceremony can be a positive way of formally acknowledging the past and moving forward into single life, so it is best to avoid negativity in the ceremony ...  Read on...

Adult Naming and Gender Affirmation Ceremonies   

Categories: | Vows | Naming Ceremonies |
(01/09/2019)
An important part of transitioning is choosing a new name and transitioning socially, letting other know your true gender. A formal naming ceremony can be a significant part of the process and a way to gather those who support you round you in celebration of your preferred name.  Read on...

Will your overseas destination wedding be recognised in Australia?

Categories:  | Wedding Legals |
(28/08/2019)
While Australia generally recognises overseas marriages, as long as those marriages would be legal if solemnised in Australia, there are a number of things you need to do to make sure your destination marriage overseas is recognised in Australia ...  Read on...

OMG! We forgot the rings ...

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning | Wedding Rituals |
(24/08/2019)
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... Read on...

Jumping the Broom

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals |
(17/08/2019)
Jumping the broom is a joyful transition ritual that ends a marriage ceremony on a high note. Hand-in-hand the marrying couple move into married life by jumping over a decorated broom at the beginning of their walk back up the aisle... Read on...

20 things you can do in a backyard wedding
that you most likely won’t be able to do anywhere else

Categories:  | Wedding Planning |
(15/08/2019)
Hosting your own wedding in your own backyard opens up a wide range of possibilities, not only to save money, but also to make your wedding totally unique because you have complete control over every aspect of the day in a way you don’t if you marry in a wedding venue, or even in a public park   Read on...

Will your Australian marriage be recognised overseas?

Categories:  | Wedding Legals |
(06/08/2019)
Will a marriage registered inAustralia will be recognised overseas? Generally speaking, legal marriages solemnised in Australia are recognised world wide, but that's not the whole story  Read on...

The curious reasons why Marriage Documents are signed with black ink

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
(04/08/2019)
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!  Read on...

Acknowledgement of Country

Categories: |Inclusive Weddings | Wedding Ceremony |
(26/07/2019)
Starting your wedding or other ceremony with an Acknowledgement of Country sends a powerful message of respect and inclusion... Read on...

Oathing Stone Wedding Ritual

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals |
(26/07/2019)
The oathing stone is an ancient Celtic tradition that can add meaningful symbolism to your wedding ceremony - and can be used as a planned or emergency substitute for wedding rings... Read on...

Wedding Budget Blow-outs - how to avoid them

Categories: | Wedding Budget |
(21/07/2019)
By far the most significant cause of wedding stress is money. Aligning your wedding day dreams with what you can afford is not an easy task. Creating a budget and sticking to it takes time, concentration, and commitment when there is so much choice of ways to spend on your wedding, and so many unintended and unexpected ways in which your budget can blow out.    Read on...

Sweet Wedding Rituals

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals |
(14/07/2019)
Honey and sugar are traditionally used in many cultures to wish a couple a sweet married life. These customs can add a beautifully romantic moment to a contemporary wedding ceremony... Read on...

Coffee Unity Ceremony

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Rituals |
(11/07/2019)
A coffee unity ceremony can be a variation on the wine ceremony, or a variation on the sand ceremony, depending on whether you use liquid coffee or coffee beans.  Read on...

Booze, Pills, and your Wedding

Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals |
(08/07/2019)
Being drunk or under the influence of other substances, legal or otherwise, can prevent you from getting married  Read on...