Keep It Sweetly Simple!

Simple easy service with one of Canberra's most experienced celebrants. (I have married over 1400 couples.) Your beautiful, memorable and personalised alternative to a Registry Office wedding. Only one one-hour meeting required and the next time we meet, it's your wedding day!

18 June 2010

Lovely things I love to do for you

Hello, and welcome
    This post is about the little extras I love to do to make your wedding look even more beautiful and enhance your memories. 
    On the right is a photo I took at a most enjoyable family wedding at the South Coast a few years ago. There were lots of red roses around from the garden of the grandmother of the bride, and I placed three on my register for this photo. Mostly I want to show you my magnificent register. This is rare and special. 
    These registers are expensive, and heavy. Very few celebrants have them. (In fact, Canprint, the official supplier of all celebrant stationery actually told me that mine was the first one they'd sold!) I bought it for the wedding of my son Rob and his wife Callie in our Heart Garden in Weston in October 2004.
     This photo shows newlyweds Callie and Rob. Best man Jeremy is about to sign the brand-new register. Flower-girl Molly looks on with her Dad. I am both MOG (Mother of the Groom) and celebrant. We had the best day!
     If you choose me as your celebrant, when you get photos signing the register, this imposing book with red leather binding and gold lettering will look very grand indeed.
     See the wording booklet on top of the register in the first photo above? It's the final version of the ceremony worked out by the bride and groom, which I then read at their wedding, and leave with them as my gift.
     The bride was Donelle and the groom Justin (see them beaming below). Like most couples that I work with, they wrote the wording for their wedding. Because we were in different cities, we did most communicating by email. They used lots of wording examples I provided and as much guidance from me as they felt they needed. I then asked them what font they would like me to print the final draft of the wording in, ready for their wedding. They chose Lucida Calligraphy.
     I work with six fonts altogether. Marriage Script, Lucida Handwriting and Calligraphy, Calligrapher, Papyrus and Black Chancery. The most popular are Marriage and Black Chancery. I've created certificate templates using these six fonts but if it's important to the groom and bride to match other wedding items, I can use another of the hundreds of scripts I have in my software.
     The marrying couple chooses their font, then I use it to laser-print their wording onto finest quality parchment paper. I use heavier parchment for the front and back covers. I also use my laser printer for the certificate the couple receives on the day. By using laser rather than inkjet, I can be confident that any drops of rain (or tears of joy!) will not make the printing run.
     At a one-hour meeting a few days before the wedding, where we attend to every little thing so the bride and groom are totally confident about what to expect on their big day, I also ask the couple - and this mostly involves the bride - to choose a colour ribbon from my large collection, which will complement the colour scheme for the wedding. (That's my gold ribbon box in the photo on the right.) 
     The chosen ribbon ties the wording into a booklet which I read from at the ceremony and becomes my gift to the couple. The ribbon also ties the certificate, ready for presentation after the signing. I will choose what I wear to the wedding according to this colour scheme so I blend in with the wedding party.
     Jackalyn and Kym married in the Rhododendron Garden in Commonwealth Park in February last year. Purple and white gave a cool fresh note to their happy late summer wedding. They chose Marriage Script for their wording and purple ribbon (see above). If you'd like to see larger images, and more photos, go to the photo gallery to the right of this post. You may like to add comments.
     After the wedding, I place the wording and the certificate tied with ribbon into a clear plastic wallet, then ask some kind and trusty person (often a parent of the bride or groom) to look after this precious keepsake until they get to the reception.
     It brings me so much pleasure to add these little extras. 
I know
  • that the couples I officiate for will have an impressive register in their signing photos, rather than a piece of paper or ordinary red book, 
  • that they will have a certificate printed in a font of their choice rather than the handwriting of the celebrant, which may or may not be beautiful, and 
  • that their certificate and wording will become a truly special keepsake from their wedding ceremony, safe in its plastic wallet for many years to come.
     Like I say in the notes I send to marrying couples: 'Your day is my focus. That's my promise, and it's my pleasure.' I love being a celebrant, and nearly nine hundred weddings later, I'm still saying: 'If I stop loving it, I'll stop doing it.' Unless I decide to radically change my career path, that day is surely far, far away.


     Today's Q and A is one that intrigues a lot of people:
Q: What does the bride do with her engagement ring when she gets married?
A:  Usually this - On the way to the wedding, she moves her engagement ring from her third finger left hand, to her third finger right hand. During the ceremony, her new husband places the wedding ring on her left hand, then during the signing, the bride moves her engagement ring across to her left hand. Quite often, the couple has chosen rings which fit together to make a beautiful new 'team'.
     So, now you know!
     If you’d like to email me about your wedding plans, please click here, or phone me any day between 9am and 9pm. I would be delighted to be your celebrant. I also welcome your questions and comments about this blog. 

    Till next time

    Sincerely
    Michele


01 June 2010

Extraordinary wedding cars!

How’s this one for amazing?! 
     It’s a Lamborghini MurciĆ©lago that belongs to my son’s friend. This fabulous car brought the groom to his wedding at St John’s church in Canberra a few weeks ago. Great for the groom but impossible for the bride! The bride arrived in a BMW 750iL, also pretty special.
     As I usually do, I've put more photos for this blog in the slideshow on the right.
     (My son Rob had arrived in my fine trusty Honda, driven by me, his happy Mum who doesn’t get to see him very often because he lives in Coffs Harbour.)
     I was celebrant for Jacqui and Luke when they got married at Easter at Goolabri Country Resort in Sutton NSW, off the Federal Highway. As you can see, it was a very happy event. Plus, I got to meet again, another very happy couple in Luke's extended family I'd officiated for several years ago.
     
     This was the unique transport provided by the resort for the bride’s arrival. 
  
     After the wedding, the wedding party cruised around with ease, getting lots of photos from many picturesque spots around the enormous grounds.
And here’s a favourite 'wedding car' of mine from wayback:
Julie and Darryl got married at Coachhouse Marina Resort on Dec 1st, 2007.
Julie arrived in her Dad’s Kenworth, definitely adding a WOW factor. 
     I’d travelled a long way to their wedding, and Darryl and Julie kindly invited me to be their guest.
     Rain moved the event inside but didn’t dampen the enjoyment. The wedding was a joy and the reception was relaxed and friendly, right from the start. I had heaps of fun - talking, laughing, dancing....... The food was good too. 
     I recommend Coachhouse Marina Resort in Batemans Bay as a great place for a wedding and reception. All your guests can stay the night so no-one needs to be the ‘designated driver’ who can’t have a few drinks in celebration.
     Would love to hear about other unusual modes of transport to the wedding venue. You’re most welcome to add comments and photos (if possible) below.


Today's Q and A


Q: We don't live in Australia, and we're not Australian but we'd like to get married on our holiday in Australia. Can we?

A:  Yes.
     Any couple from anywhere in the world can get married in Australia, as long as they can meet the following conditions: 
They must not be married already. 
They must be of marriageable age (one or both to be 18 or over). 
They must not be closely related. 
They must lodge their Intention to Marry form with a registered Australian celebrant at least one month and one day before the wedding. 
     One party to the marriage can lodge the form to start the process, but both must sign the form and all other wedding documents (being a Declaration and 3 Certificates of marriage). 
     The couple must provide the celebrant with the required proof of ID before the wedding can take place. The wedding can take place on any day at any time anywhere in Australia. I think the definition of ‘Australia’ includes up to 9 kilometres off the coast (perhaps on a ship) but I haven’t been able to verify this yet. 
     
     If you’d like to email me about your wedding plans, please click here, or phone me any day between 9am and 9pm. I would be delighted to be your celebrant. I also welcome your questions and comments about this blog. 
    Till next time

    Sincerely
    Michele