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According to the Marriage Act 1961 of Australia, before a marriage is solemnised by or in the presence of an authorised celebrant:
The Celebrant must state: “We are gathered here today to witness as I join... [Groom full legal name] and [Bride full legal name]… in marriage.” “I am duly authorised by law to solemnise marriages according to law. “Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter. “Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.” The parties to be married must state: “I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, ____________ (full name), take thee, ___________ (full name), to be my lawful wedded wife (or husband)” Now... I am very fortunate to have been present for the wedding ceremony of two very dear friends of mine (a few years back) in Hawaii. Approx 80 guests travelled from Australia to Hawaii to attend their legally recognised same-sex wedding ceremony. It was a *fabulous* party to celebrate a great relationship. This married couple now have the most adorable twins! A truly modern family that ought to be celebrated! I strongly believe that the legal wording for marriage ceremony should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry. I seek MARRIAGE EQUALITY for all people! Check out THIS LINK for some ideas
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Before agreeing to meet my new clients, we must first determine - via a phone conversation or email exchange - if I am the right Celebrant match.
This is important. Here are some key points to clarify: AVAILABILITY Am I free for the time, date and location of your wedding ceremony? We can certainly chat about the wedding and the possibility that I may be your Celebrant, but until the date is secured there is no real point meeting. We must first ensure that I am available for the wedding date and time. DETAILS OF CEREMONY Are having a bridal party (?), an orchestra (?) or is your ceremony 'less formality'. You are the best person to communicate what type of ceremony you hope for, so discuss this upfront. A ceremony for 20 guests will be delivered differently to that of a ceremony for 200 guests. One is small, intimate and may not even require the PA system, the other is likely to have more formality within the proceedings of the ceremony. DOCUMENTS REQUIRED Marriage requires legal paperwork and valid documents be sighted for identification purposes. I discuss the identification documents that you must bring to our first meeting. If all documents are available then we are able to complete the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form together. COMMUNICATION Vital characteristics for a Celebrant would be 'confidence' and 'excellent articulation'. Every time I communicate with my new clients I have the opportunity to demonstrate (through my articulation and being informative) that I have excellent communication abilities, which guests find confidence-inspiring. FEES Every Celebrant sets their own suitable fee for service. The more you pay for Celebrant services expect plenty of prior experience and a fully-inclusive service offering. I offer two fee rates to all my clients: 1. Standard fee - including one hour rehearsal at the wedding venue. 2. Basic Ceremony fee - no rehearsal at the wedding venue* * This suits couples that are having small intimate ceremonies with no bridal party, only a small number of witnesses. Find out what the cost is, then find out what is included in the fee and what may be extra cost. DID WE 'CLICK' You must feel a sense of rapport with your Celebrant. Did you feel 'heard' and responded to when discussing your ideas and feelings about the ceremony? Together, do you feel with me as your Officiant that your marriage ceremony will be the joyous celebration you desire? So finally, WHERE SHALL WE MEET? You are encouraged to POST YOUR OWN COMMENTS below! Summer is here!!!
A truly GREAT location to have your wedding ceremony is at one of the Central Coast's great beach wedding locations or venues. The great places you can peruse on the Central Coast allow you to dream about your ideal wedding ceremony. Here's one example - Visit the friendly team at Horizon's Cafe at Killcare SLSC. Their function room hosts great wedding receptions with phenomenal beach and ocean views. Some people have great relationships with their families, unfortunately some don't.
I once performed a ceremony with 28 people in the bridal party and they were ALL family members of various ages (children and grand-children). Another wedding ceremony I performed had a security-detail to prevent the 'crazy' family members from crashing the occasion. It had happened before at another wedding, so wow. Some couples getting married have family members that have passed away. Pausing at the beginning of the ceremony to light a candle (or similar ritual) is a nice inclusion to remember loved ones lost, but never forgotten. You may have a distant relationship with your family. A beach wedding ceremony I performed sometime ago was streaming live overseas to family and friends in Hungary. Some people believe that when getting married 'young' - that children are expected of the married relationship. I am very happily married but we have chosen to have no children. They are just not for the journey we have chosen in our married life. When it comes to families... Each to their own. |
Katie Blanchflower
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