Even wondered what services are provided at BDM in Brisbane? This is also a good option for couples to consider when planning their wedding.
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eGift cards
Looking for ideas to surprise the wedding couple? How about a gift for celebrancy services?
This may be a solution for couples, or friends and family, looking for something to acknowledge the engagement!
https://squareup.com/gift/ML42SMTFWNXYT/order
Thoughts on flexible wedding options
The last 18 months has made it difficult to plan weddings and for many couples, securing a date and venue has been frustrating, tedious and often disappointing.
Many couples put their plans on hold to wait out border restrictions. Consider using ‘old’ ways of getting married by keeping it simple. Instead of the traditional event held on a day or days, consider small, registry style or elopement options.
Elopement no longer has the connotations of the early 1900’s where people ran away to hide. Now it’s about choosing not to spend lots of money on an event that doesn’t quite make sense to you. You believe in marriage but are disheartened by the cost of a venue, catering, photographer, entertainment, extended family, and friends you haven’t seen in ages and not likely to see again in a long time.
Registry style weddings provide a no-fuss solution for a small group of people. It’s personalised and affordable.
Live streaming weddings has become part of the norm, and this means that everyone can still be included.
Don’t put it off, understand what’s really important to you!
What Does COVID-19 Mean For Weddings In 2021?
Great resource in understanding you’re not alone. How to manoeuvre through changing conditions & restrictions in one handy article.
Never boring in the day of a celebrant
This was great fun! Just prior to starting, cyclonic winds swooped in and knocked down some of the awning on the chapel. Never boring in the day of a celebrant.
With a quick response, I was onto the wedding co-ordinator, then helped the groundsman put back up the awning. So, with minutes to spare, I climb down from a ladder, straighten up my dress, shoes back on and start the music.
Noone ever said I was not a multitasker. Fortunately, it didn’t impact the experience for the couple or their guests!
How am I going to stand up in front of my family and closest friends and not lose it?
There are some scary bits to getting married and planning your event!
The first topic was how to prepare your ceremony structure. Today, I will cover off for you the second: how am I going to stand up in front of my family and closest friends and not lose it?
Often I find the ceremony which is usually the most formal part of the wedding, is not exciting at all for the couple. It’s a scary, confronting experience; something to get over with. Individuals feel they are on show and some love this, but many don’t. Revealing your most intimate thoughts and feelings in front of others is difficult.
Having a drink while getting ready will help settle the nerves, too much can have the opposite effect. So, while your support party is there to get you through the day and ensure you have a fantastic time, don’t let them lead you too astray too early, just yet.
It’s the vows that generally get you worked up. There are few scenarios that you may have chosen for your day:
- Repeat your vows after the celebrant.
- Read your own vows; or
- Recite your own vows.
You may be already going, recite, no way, that’s got to be hardest! Well, no, they all are. Even repeating words directly after the celebrant, can have missteps.
So, my advice to you is read the parts of the ceremony that you are speaking to. Be familiar with the words, pauses and sentiment that you want to convey.
If you have a great celebrant, they will put you at ease and step you through it. You won’t know that anyone else is there except for your partner and celebrant. I call it the ‘bubble’. We are in the bubble together and I will not let you down. I often describe myself as your wingman, look at your partner, don’t look at me. I will talk you through it at a pace that suits your style. You will feel self-assured and excited afterwards because you nailed it!
My wedding guide
Dear future wedding clients
Thank you for choosing me to help you have an amazing wedding ceremony! This is a truly special opportunity for me and is based on your trust that I will be able to deliver exactly what you want.
In this wedding ceremony guide, you will find everything you need to start consolidating your thoughts on what you want and like as individuals, and as a couple for your ceremony. This is a starting point only; it helps me create a more personalized ceremony based on what I am learning about you.
Please write in this guide, highlight, and make notes, it’s yours! A suggestion is to look through this separately, taking notes on the pages of what you like. Then discuss together your ideas and choices and make some decisions. Many couples find this process reassuring by having a structure to focus on. Not every section needs to be included, it’s about allowing you the opportunity of possibilities; what you like and don’t like.
Getting married is different for everyone! The duration, content and music for your ceremony are up to you as a couple. Some tips are listed throughout the guide.
I am here to help, support and guide you during the process both for the ceremony and legal requirements. It’s ok not to know what to do, that’s what I bring to this relationship.
I am very much looking forward to making this special for you and thank you for allowing me to do so.
Warm regards…
Alison xx
Alison Pringle
Civil Marriage Celebrant
Music hints
Music sets the scene preceding, during and at the end of the ceremony. It helps guests to relax, sets the tone of the event, and highlights important stages during the ceremony. Ultimately, it completes the final performance as the married couple complete their commitment to each other. The 4 stages where music is typically required:
- Guests are arriving
- The bridal party is walking down the aisle
- The signing of the register
- When you walk down the aisle as a married couple to close the ceremony performance
How to choose music? There are many options, and it might seem simple and straightforward until you’re in the position to choose and decide. Some couples have ‘their’ song, others have music they enjoy together.
My advice to you is to start becoming consciously aware of feels important to you. What feels like fun and what feels like how you want your day to look like. Music can align with your wedding theme easily.
Use the 4 stages identified above to build momentum with the ceremony and performance. Start with setting the scene and the theme of your wedding. Make an entry statement that takes it to the next level. During signing, bring the tone and pace back a little as everyone takes a breather and lastly, go out with a bang!
I hope this is helpful and gives you some ideas to consider when planning for your special event!
Celebrant obligations in an on-line environment
Why I am a celebrant
I absolutely love working with couples of all ages.
Writing the ceremony is my favourite part. After our initial meeting and completion of a questionnaire, I will prepare your ceremony.
I started working with couples in 2017 and have never had a change made to a ceremony that I have written. Couples have always been surprised and thrilled that I have captured exactly them, as a couple, as an individual and the essence of their partnership.
My advice to you…
Often I find the ceremony which is usually the most formal part of the wedding, is not exciting at all for the couple.
It’s a scary, confronting experience; something to get over with. Individuals feel they are on show and some love this, but many don’t. Revealing your most intimate thoughts and feelings in front of others is difficult.
Let me guide you to make this an amazing experience. I will help you feel confident, assured and excited about the prospect of speaking in front of your family and friends and more importantly, your life partner!
Let’s make this the best part of your wedding!
You’re in great hands! Alison xx
Coronavirus and weddings
Your wedding can still take place and be as special as you were hoping, just different. Let me help you plan creatively how this can happen.
Click on the TCN logo to access this article.
Legal obligations
This is a great summary of what obligations are required from you prior to getting married. Whilst it might seem confusing, it is a straightforward process and one that I will take you through.
Click on the AMC logo to see the link
You are required to have the below documents to fulfil all legal requirements:
1: Proof of place and date of birth (passport or birth certificate or extract of birth certificate).
2: Proof of your identity (drivers license). This is required for birth certificates as they don’t include a current photograph.
3: Proof of divorce of your last previous marriage.
4: If you are a widower, proof with a death certificate.
Other information required is:
1: Country of birth and full name of your parents. You will need your mother’s maiden name.
2: The number of children born in previous marriages and the year/s.
Your witnesses:
1: Their full names
Information for couples planning to marry
Vows: where do we start?
I know for myself; this was a confronting task. To write these about the person I was marrying and then to say them in front of everyone was a big deal, I mean really big. I knew I was likely to cry and that only increased my anxiety.
My experience became normal when I started working with couples. I could see in them, what I had felt. I have found that 90% of people need ideas on choices and support.
In my guide, I have many examples to use or to give you the inspiration to put down in writing your own words. Some choices on how you both choose your vows can be:
- Prepare your own personal and separate vows
- Use the same vows
- Outside of the legal vows which are required by law in Australia, you don’t need to use anything else
There are legal vows which you must say on your wedding day. If you wish to add your own personal words you can after this. This is where you may need some ideas on writing.
As a couple, it’s important to ensure you both are on the same page. A good celebrant will help you; a great celebrant will do this for you. For me, giving you a structure, choices and scenarios helps you as a couple talk through want you both want to achieve the outcome you want at your ceremony.
For me, this is why I marry couples. Doing everything I can to make your ceremony better than you anticipated!
How to prepare your ceremony structure
There are some scary bits to getting married and planning your event!
Today, I will cover off for you the first: where do we start?
Every couple I have worked with are always worried about where to start and many don’t know what they want. I provide a guide with multiple choices and scenarios. Back in 2017 as a new celebrant, I was fortunate to have a mentor share their guides with me. I have evolved this document over time to keep ahead of trends, and our views towards historical protocols or traditions.
A good celebrant will help you; a great celebrant will do this for you! For me, giving you a structure, choices and scenarios helps you as a couple talk through want you both like and don’t like. If family or friends are to be involved? What could this look like? And of course, parents; how do you want them to be involved?
I recommend setting time aside to relax, choose a drink of choice and flick through the pages of this guide. Both of you can do this independently or together. Your choice, but whether by yourself or together, it can be a really fun process as you ‘tick’ and ‘cross out’ suggestions, laugh at some daggy ones, and relate to ones that work for you both.
It’s a simple but very effective process. I then collect the guide from you and build a bespoke ceremony. In this many years, I have never had a couple change the draft, they have loved it and were surprised how I captured the essence of them as individuals and as partners.
For me, this is why I marry couples. I love writing your story!