My role as your marriage celebrant is to guide you through the complete process of becoming legally married. Many people arrive on my doorstep daunted by the unknown territory they are entering and they leave after our first meeting or phone call releasing a sigh of relief. This is how it should be. An experienced celebrant will know how to take care of the whole process in a relaxed enjoyable interesting and inspiring way.

You also need to “click” with your celebrant –she or he needs to be someone you feel open and relaxed with because it is the feeling of the celebrant delivering your ceremony that creates the atmosphere for that part of your day.

Most important is that your ceremony is meaningful to you, reflects your relationship and love for one another and is captivating and inspiring for your guests. I love bringing humour into the ceremony so that the event is fun, relaxed and memorable for everyone there.

Some people like to meet first before booking me while others are happy to go ahead after our first phone call. Everyone is different, which is great.

Let me explain a little of the process once you have decided to book me:

• We meet and fill in the legal paper work (which needs to be completed no later than one month and a day before your wedding date and up to eighteen months prior). You will need to bring your original birth certificates if born in Australia. If born overseas bring your passport or birth certificate. Bring original divorce papers also if relevant. For more information go to; www.ag.gov.au

• At this initial meeting we will discuss your vision for your wedding day or if you don’t have one we will begin to create one!

• I will take you through my wedding ceremony package. This is a folder of information that I have developed over the years that contains everything you need to know and all manner of inspiring ideas. It includes an extensive selection of marriage and ring vows, poetry, and a selection of ceremonies that I have written. Most importantly is the relationship questionnaire which, along with our conversations, gives me the information with which to write you a personal ceremony reflecting your story.

• I also offer you ideas of how to include children, parents or other special people, present or not, in your ceremony.

• Once you have taken the package home and returned the necessary information to me I write your ceremony and then email it to you to check. This is an important part of the process for ensuring that all details are correct.

• We then meet again to rehearse, sign the last of the paperwork requirements and share excitement about your imminent event!

• I provide a battery operated portable PA system, personal & public liability insurance and a stylised copy of your ceremony for you.

• I am happy to meet with you as many times as you require and am endlessly yours on email and phone.

• If you live at a distance, including overseas, we can orchestrate the whole process easily through the marvels of technology, including the package arriving in your mail box on CD and meeting each other using ‘Skype’ on the internet.

• My fee is in line with the usual fee for an experienced civil celebrant. Check out the cost of marrying in a Registry officewww.bdm.nsw.gov.au and you can appreciate the comparative value for money a celebrant offers.

A Note on your Legal Marriage Certificate

• On your wedding day you sign and are presented with an official marriage certificate which is authorized by the Attorney General. However this is NOT your legal marriage certificate. This comes from the Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages in the state or territory of your marriage and for this reason it is separate from my celebrant fee. In New South Wales, providing your celebrant uses on-line registration, (which I do), the registry has a system which allows your celebrant to order and pay (using your credit card details) online for you. Your certificate is then automatically posted to you. For more information go to: www.bdm.nsw.gov.au