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)

The Monitum in a Civil Marriage

(02/05/2025)
Categories: | Wedding Legals |
In every civil wedding the celebrant is required to recite the Monitum. There are good reasons for this, and for why it is not required in a religious wedding. More ...

Crafting Your Dream Wedding Budget: A Four-Faceted Approach

(26/04/2025)
Categories: | Wedding Budget |
Blowing your wedding budget can turn your dream day into a nightmare of stress! The secret? It's all about how you approach constructing your budget. Most couples focus solely on dollars, but to truly enjoy your day, consider all four types of expenditure: Fixed, Variable, Time, and Opportunity Costs. Combining these with the four key aspects of budget planning, will reduce stress and minimise the risk of overspending.  More ...

Everything You Need to Know about Marrying Overseas when you Live in Australia

(21/04/2025)
Categories: | Wedding Legals  |  Wedding Planning |
What do you need to know as Australian residents wanting to marry overseas and have your marriage recognised in Australia? Getting it wrong, believing you are legally married when you aren't, or are not legally married when you are, could get you into an immense amount of legal hot water back in Australia - even to the extent of ending up with a criminal record.  More ...

The Luck of the Irish: Why Saint Patrick’s Day is the Perfect Day for Your Wedding

(21/04/2025)
Categories: |  Irish Weddings |
If you're planning an Irish wedding or simply embracing the spirit of the day, marrying on Saint Patrick’s Day,, regarded to be the luckiest day of all to marry, offers a unique opportunity to blend tradition with modern romance and celebrate your love story with the luck of the Irish on your side!  More ...

Post-Cyclone Thoughts on Plan B

(15/03/2025)
Categories: |  Wedding Planning |
Having a Plan B is all about resilience, adaptability, and love. So it is crucial to take a step back and look at what your mindset is about your wedding and what you need to achieve if your Plan A becomes impossible due to circumstances beyond your control  More ...

3 Easy Ways to Nail Writing Memorable Vows

(25/02/2025)
Categories: |  Vows |
These three ultra-easy tips will have you effortlessly nailing writing vows that are authentic, sincere, and memorable  More ...

Intimate and Fun Ways to Propose: Making the Moment Special

(01/02/2025)
Categories: |  Proposing |
Proposing to the love of your life is a significant step in your relationship, and doing it in an intimate, personal way can make the moment even more memorable. Not everyone wants a grand public spectacle, and that's perfectly okay. In fact, keeping it low key signals that you aren't taking your partner's answer for granted! Read on for some fun, intimate, and inexpensive ways to propose that focus on the personal connection between you and your partner. More ...

Keeping your Name after Marriage, the Modern Option

(30/01/2025)
Categories: |  Wedding Legals |
While the majority of women in Australia still change their names to their husband's name oncmarriage, the numbers of women who don't increases every year.   More ...

Competitive Bride: How Social Media is turning Weddings into an Extreme Sport

(17/01/2025)
Categories: |  Wedding Planning |
Social media is turning weddings into an extreme sport, and the pressure is almost all on the bride   More ...

Form 15: The On the Day Certificate (and yes, it is a Legal Document!)

(16/01/2025)
Categories: |  Marriage Paperwork  |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Legals  |
Despite all the misinformation floating around about it, the Form 15 certificate your celebrant hands you on your wedding day IS a legal document and not a mere keepsake or souvenir.  More ...

Stefana: Love's Royal Crowning Ritual

(11/01/2025)
Categories: |  Wedding Rituals |
A beautiful part of Eastern Orthodox weddings is the crowning ceremony, a ritual that makes a profound theological statement about the sacredness of marriage in the Eastern Orthodox  tradition. Although this ritual has deep religious significance, because Australia allows expression of the couple's spiritual beliefs within a civil marriage ceremony, it can be incorporated in your wedding ceremony to honour your heritage. More ...

The On-Time Wedding: Clever Strategies to Ensure Your Guests Aren't Late

(05/01/2025)
Categories: |  Wedding Planning |
While punctuality can never be guaranteed, there are plenty of creative and practical strategies that will help guide your guests to a timely arrival and ensure that your ceremony will start on time  More ...

The Quaich: Scotland's Loving Cup

(02/01/2025)
Categories: |  Scottish Weddings  |  Wedding Rituals |
While many cultures have a tradition of sharing a loving cup as part of a wedding, the Quaich, Scotland's traditional drinking vessel, has a rich history and cultural significance that goes beyond weddings, making it a beautiful symbol of unity for your marriage  More ...

Avoiding Gender Stereotypes in your Wedding Ceremony

(30/12/2024)
Categories: |  Inclusive Weddings |  Wedding Ceremony |
There are six reasons why weddings continue to follow the blueprint for a traditional hetero wedding. But there are simple ways to avoid gender stereotypes in your ceremony.  More ...

Next-Gen: The ReImagined Wedding Ceremony

(16.12/2024)
Categories: |  Vows  |  Wedding Ceremony |
Announcing a complete re-think of what a wedding ceremony can be. A wedding in tune with your 21st century values. A wedding ceremony in which patriarchal values are no longer embedded.  The wedding ceremony you thought you couldn't have because that's not the way wedding are done.  More ...

How to Create an Inclusive Wedding Budget

(22/11/2024)
Categories: |  Inclusive Weddings  |  Wedding Budget | Wedding Planning  |
An inclusive wedding budget goes beyond what you, as the marrying couple, will spend. It also takes into account the potential impact your choices may have on what attending your wedding will cost your guests and your wedding party  More ...

How to Create an Inclusive Gift Registry

(19/11/2024)
Categories: |  Inclusive Weddings  |  Wedding Budget | Wedding Planning  |
An inclusive gift registry  respects the diverse financial situations of your guests and allows them to choose a gift they feel comfortable giving. By offering a range of options, you can ensure that no guest feels embarrassed or pressured to exceed their budget.  More ...

Heads Up: Your Wedding Will Invalidate your Will

(14/11/2024)
Categories: |  Wedding Legals | Wedding Planning  |
When planning your wedding don't forget that getting married will invalidate your will. You need to make a new one in order to ensure that your assets are divided up the way you want them to be and that your children are cared for by someone you trust.  More ...

Who Sits Where at Your Wedding?

(10/10/2024)
Categories: |  Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Planning  |
Where your guests and your loved ones are seated at your wedding not only impacts on the experience for them,it can make a huge difference to your photos  More ...

Being a Witless Witness is not an option!

(08/10/2024)
Categories: |  Wedding Legals |
When you are one of the legal witnesses to a marriage, you have to have your wits about you throughout the ceremony because you could be called on to testify in court.   More ...

Crafting Love: Expert Vow Writing Services by The Vows Magician

(17/05/2024)
Categories:  |  Vows  | 
The heart and soul of your wedding ceremony are your wedding vows, words that encapsulate your love story, dreams, and commitment to one another. If finding the right words feels overwhelming The Vows Magician's vow writing service is the answer. ...  More

Sealed with a Kiss, or Not

(16/09/2024)
Categories: | Wedding Ceremony | Wedding Traditions   |
Sealed with a kiss. You may kiss your bride. etc etc. Every Hollywood movie wedding, every TV soap wedding, almost every civil ceremony, and even those solemnised in some, but by no means all, churches end this way despite a kiss not legally required to seal the deal. You'll be just as much married if you don't choose to lock lips. ... More ...

The Evolution of Wedding Ceremonies: From Expediency to Personal Expression

(12/09/2024)
Categories: | Wedding Ceremony |
The traditional wedding ceremony as officiated by civil celebrants in Australia, has roots firmly embedded in the Church of England marriage service and even those ceremonies that are regarded to be contemporary reflect those origins. But the law is much more flexible about the content of your ceremony ... More ...

Finding the Balance: The Role of Humour in Your Wedding Ceremony

(07/09/2024)
Categories: | Inclusive Weddings | Wedding Ceremonies |
One of the most common assertions about wedding ceremonies today is that the celebrant must be funny, but what does funny mean in the context of wedding ceremony, and what are the pros and cons of choosing a funny celebrant? More ...

 

Beyond 'I' and 'You': The Unexpected Pronoun to Omit from your Vows

(17/05/2024)
Categories: | Vows |
Avoiding one particular pronoun in your vows can take your vows from meh to wow! What you say in your vows are not just words, they're expressions of promises, feelings, and commitments. More ...

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 and instructed to read them aloud ... More...

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