It’s a bit of a shock to realise I’m into my 15th year of being a Celebrant. Goes to show, when you’re doing something you love, you don’t feel like you’re going to work. Once again, this season did not disappoint, and I experienced all new levels of loved-upness and unique ceremonies. Read on to ride these wedding tales with me 🙂

Let’s start with the winter weddings (and a reminder why winter weddings are saaahhhhh amazing here)

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Winter weddings of 2022:

1.Alan & Annette with 10 guests, in the living room of their holiday home in Gnarabup. Who cares that it was raining — there was full styling including boho rugs, vintage chairs, and my macrame backdrop, that transformed the living room into a magical space.

2.Vicki & Norman, the self-titled “elderly elopers” married in front of their two best friends on the upstairs balcony of Caves House. They giggled all the way through, and were so happy with their day, I was delighted to receive a happy Xmas message from them many months later!

3.Chris & Nicole had family visiting (at long last!) from overseas, so took this chance to arrange a wedding in record time, and married in front of the biggest group to date at Margaret River Heartland — around 30 guests turned up to witness their nuptials in front of the Portal sculpture.

4.Shayne & Blake were quick to jump on board the “pop-up wedding” opportunity at Hay Shed Hill… They got married in Big Love Tiny Chapel on the grounds of this beautiful Margaret River winery, went for a wander in the vines with photographer Love and Legends, then headed in to Rustico Hay Shed Hill with their 20 guests for their reception lunch (and to be treated like royalty). It was an epically magical day for a fraction of the cost of a traditional wedding.

5.Jo-ann & Emily came from England to elope at Canal Rocks. They taught me about the app that lets you find a location within 1m2 of the pin drop. Called What Three Words, the location of their “I do” spot was called ///wedding.consenting.falling We were all blown away by the serendipity of choosing this exact spot.

And my wedding diaries from the

Spring weddings of 2022:

1.Mya & Ben. I happened to be in Broome at the same time as this couple during a winter break, and took the chance to catch up at a local cafe. That quick meeting was all I needed to craft them a beautiful ceremony which was delivered at Margaret River Mouth. And, in a first time for everything — the rings were left in the car so the best man to the rescue — I’ve never seen anyone move so fast during a wedding ceremony!

2.Stephen & Catherine took advantage of the multi-day elopement experience and stayed at the cottage at Margaret River Heartland. When they were ready, they wandered over to the Portal sculpture by the private forest, and made their promises in front of some very close friends.

3.Lachlan & Samantha just wanted a bare bones “married in a minute” ceremony, and when I saw them pile out of the car, wearing thongs and beachwear, I knew they meant it. I sourced some witnesses for them, and they rocked up with flowers from their garden as a gift. The couple were stoked that I made it as simple as possible for them.

4. On a wet, rainy day, Juan & Alice led us down a path through the Margaret River bush, and exchanged their vows under umbrellas on the banks of the Margaret River. With Alice’s red hair, emerald green jacket and the bright umbrellas, their photos really popped!

5.R & R married in front of friends at a family property in Margaret River. The clever bride wrote her own wedding blessing, which was raw and authentic and bracingly honest. A true reflection of them both, and deeply touching.

6.Andrew & Teegan eloped at a Yallingup holiday home. I took my roadie Gav as a witness. After the ceremony I caught him picking lemons from the yard, ha ha ha.

@anitagosomewhere The need for lemons was real. #elopementplanner #margaretriver #celebrant #travelaus #westernaustralia #perthisok #fyp ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

7. Dan & Ash — another couple I met in Broome during my winter break — married by the bluest of blue oceans at Eagle Bay as part of their big lap of Australia. I invited Marry Me Georgia B along to act as a 2nd witness — the couple were delighted to have two Celebrants attend their wedding!

8. S & A got me out of bed in the early hours of a pop-up wedding day scheduled at CBCo Brewing. They married in secret, in Big Love the Tiny Chapel on wheels, before another living soul could even think about coming to the brewery. They had some photos, then disappeared like magic, before the manager even arrived for work. What a lovely way to start the day (for all of us!).

9. Paul & Tiffany are a dead set pair of legends. Together twenty years, Paul swore they would only ever get married if it was by a drunk Elvis. Then the “Get Married by Elvis” pop-up wedding day came up, and boom, worlds aligned. They were joined by their kids and immediate family, who all danced along with Elvis, and clapped once the couple exchanged Elvis-themed vows. What a dream come true to bring “Elvis” to our little corner of Australia.

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10. Josh & Mel told me we’d be marrying at Gas Bay beach, but they didn’t tell me about the 1km hike to get to “their” spot — luckily I came prepared with beach shoes, sunscreen, water and protein bites, LOL. It is a new level of challenge hiking in a pretty dress and carrying gear, but it’s part of the job, so onwards and upwards, and appreciate the view! Totally worth it!

11. Alicia & Matt married by the vines at Leeuwin Estate. Alicia walked the “aisle” through the native bush between the winery and the vines. I posted a time-lapse of that very walk on my Instagram.com/AnitaRevel if you want to experience the magic for yourself 😀

12. Matt & Sophie: Although I’d met Sophie well ahead of time, the first time I met Matt was by the arbor in the vines at Hay Shed Hill. Fortunately I have lots of experience with building instant rapport, and by the time the ceremony started 15 minutes later, I knew exactly how far I could push any ribbing or little funnies. I got lots of comments from guests that the ceremony was exactly on point for the couple, so plenty of fist pumps when I got back to my car 😉

13. Angelica & Vallon just wanted the bare bones, but as Angelica had a dress, and wanted a photographer, I talked them in to a little quickie wedding at Margaret River Heartland. So glad they did — it was saaaah sweet!

14. Gail & Dean wowed their friends and families at Eight Willows Retreat, with Dean donning a kilt as a nod to his Scottish-born bride. The print was “Spirit of Australia” — a custom-made tartan that represents modern-day Australia. The design was officially registered at the Scottish Register of Tartans on January 25th, 2022. Verah verah impressive.

15. T&B were each other’s favourite otter at La Foret Enchantee — both of them had super fond memories of being “otters” in a lazy river in their early days, and both included reference to it in their vows. Super adorbs.

16. Tyler & Cherise tied the knot at Wise Wines, in front of a happy group on guests — I’ll never forget the fabulours earrings on one of the guests in the front row — could not take my eyes off how flamboyant-yet-elegant they were!

17. I was Plan B Celebrant for Jordan & Mel at Gilgara Retreat, and they honestly could not have been sweeter or more welcoming to me. I met them for the first time the day before, and was overjoyed to present their ceremony to a bunch of absolutely beautiful people (including some wearing Camilla — I was so impressed!)

18. Another sweet ceremony as a Plan B Celebrant for John & Chelsea at Losari Retreat. This was the last ceremony there before new owners take over that week. Outgoing owner Deb was happy to stand in as witness as a last hurrah to her long and beautiful memories at Losari.

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And then we move into the

Summer weddings of 2022:

1. Stuart & Kahla wanted a private, low-key yet meaningful ceremony, and they got it by the Portal sculpture at Margaret River Heartland. Went home with tears in my eyes from all the compliments from the guests — they even extended their generous words to my daughter who simply acted as an usher on the driveway in. Such genuine beautiful people always make me grateful for this work.

2. I love Indian vibes in any wedding, and Div & Dave did not disappoint. When the girls walked down the aisle of the bush chapel at Eight Willows, I nearly danced — they were wearing different coloured sari type dresses that looked stunning. Even Div had a little nod to her culture with a modern twist on the traditional sari. They all looked amazing.

3. Sometimes it’s hard to get phone reception while you’re travelling around Australia. David & Sarah did well, pulling over at a roadstop somewhere on the west coast of Australia, when they had a smidgeon of reception, and Facetimed me to witness them signing their NOIM. They got it lodged with hours to spare, so that they could marry at Margaret River Heartland on the day they wanted — in the middle of their stay at the off-grid cottage: Settlers Rest Margaret River.

4. Victorians Rob & Mary-Jane had a memorable date at Wills Domain in their early days, so that is where they chose to marry. This is the ceremony where I was asked the most random question ever from a guest. MJ wrote:

Anita was amazing! She helped us navigate all that was needed, took the time to get to know us and made our day so special by including what was unique to us and made us feel so relaxed. Just perfect 🙂

5. On the way down to Smiths Beach for Jess & Damo‘s elopement, Jess told me their girls call her Rapunzel as a nickname. When she turned around I realised why — her beautiful blonde locks reached to her bum!

6. I told Drew & Shae I would be bringing Santa as a witness for their elopement in Big Love Tiny Chapel at Hay Shed Hill. I’m not sure they believed me, but it definitely did happen!

@anitagosomewhere They thought i was joking when i said Santa was coming to witness their Aussie Xmas elopement 🙂 #celebrant #popupwedding #margaretriver #weddingtok ♬ original sound – kardashianshulu

7. For a couple of left-brainers, Tim & Manou sure did wow us with a lot of heart and happy tears at Castle Rock beach. Their families had flown from Germany to witness their nuptials, and I was very happy to hear that they could understand everything I said in the ceremony. (I got Manou to interpret the Acknowledgement of Country, but apart from that, clear diction and simple words did the trick!)

8. I feel like I’ve know Amanda & Graeme for years — in fact, I probably have! They came from Scotland for their wedding at Eight Willows, after trying again and again to get into the country, moving from Plan A to B to C to pull off their dream day. It was a nice bonus that the kangaroos came out at dusk to delight their girls!

9. “It’s just a little hike”, said Rob & Mareile, as they proceded to leads us further and further up into the sand dunes of Yallingup… The final section was a 45 degree ridge on soft, scorching hot sand. Not an easy task to navigate in a long dress and carrying gear, but by goodness the view was worth it!

10. It was Chelsea & Christopher‘s best man’s first ever wedding. I had to laugh at some of his questions, but it did remind me that yes, sometimes, couples don’t actually know what to expect, and to not assume that everyone knows what they’re doing. Fortunately they were in the hands of professionals at Eight Willows Retreat, and me of course!

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Stay tuned for Part 2, the second half of my 2023/2024 season:

the Summer weddings of 2023 🙂