Normally I can rely on a three month lull during winter to head overseas and enjoy some sunshine… Not this year! Wedding season launched with a spectacular winter wedding, and has just kept rolling along.
It appears traditional wedding rules are gearing up to be broken by couples prepared to think outside the box. Yay!
I do love every single wedding I do, and so that I’ll remember (and cherish) them all forever, I write down my impressions and recollections of ceremonies I’ve conducted. Here are my stories from my 2017-18 season…
Todd & Hannah: I had a feeling we’re in for a thrill ride this season, when this spunky farming couple took the opportunity to marry during a lull in commitments to hay, lambs and other farming-stuff — smack bang in the middle of winter. The day turned out to be one of those magnificent winter sunny days, which of course put everyone in an extra good mood. It wouldn’t have mattered too much if it had rained though, as the venue was The Beer Farm — a unique brewery with plenty of room inside should a Plan B need to be actioned.
Peter & Teniele: This couple loved their glamping tent so much, they ignored the traditional wedding rule of marrying in an obvious setting (the forest in which they were camped), and got married inside the tent instead! The bride had bumped into one of her high school teachers in the street of Margaret River, so spontaneously invited him to be their witness.
Tim & Bailey: This couple organised their small wedding from afar, and it wasn’t until meeting in person (in the carpark at Boranup Forest) that I realised I play tennis with the bride’s father!
David & Dini: The arbor was handmade by the groom, and we all joked that it had been engineered to the extreme. Probably a good thing, given that he’s an engineer! And an extra good thing given that it was position in a potential-high-wind zone above the Wilyabrup cliffs.
Tony & Kim: It was to be a super relaxed beach wedding, (which it was), but made extra special by the bride arriving in full bridal gown. The party carried on at the couple’s Yallingup holiday home for an extended lunch of nibbles and champagne. The groom organised the group photo by flying his drone around the group and catching candid photos.
Russell & Kaylen: The first of three weddings today — a rainy, squally day in the south west. Thankfully their wedding was intimate, so it wasn’t too much trouble to go to Plan B and move the guests and ceremony inside. The theme was “Japanese blossom” to tie in with their honeymoon destination, which was exquisite. This was also the last wedding to be recorded in my big red register, which means it was wedding number 294 for me.)
Robert & Jaime: The couple wanted low-key nuptials on their back porch, dressed in regular clothes, with their kids clambering over them and no guests apart from aunty and uncle as witnesses. The groom surprised his bride with a heartfelt speech during the ceremony, bringing tears to everyone’s eyes. We toasted to their happiness with mis-matched glassware overflowing with champagne. It was perfect for them!
Zamza & Georgina: Rainy and squally conditions could not get this couple down — they simply relocated the ceremony from the Wilyabrup cliff-tops to the car port! I got to use the word “like!” with a :thumbs up: — making me realise how deeply social media has infiltrated our language and gestures… It was appropriate though, because I was re-telling the bride’s first impression when she saw the groom for the first time. ?
Haydn & Amy Jo: As the bride was walking up the aisle, I looked across at the groom and groomsmen. Every single one had tears rolling down his cheeks. Which of course, got me going, which got the bridesmaids going, which got the parents going… It was a beautiful, emotional, ecstatic celebration of a couple meant to be together, and two families who couldn’t have been happier.
Luke & Rächel: I arrived at Shelley Cove to find these two cavorting on the beach having their official photos in the gorgeous late afternoon light. The ceremony was full of lightness and laughter, to match their cheeky senses-of-humour. The international guests were surprised at how uplifting and easy an Australian marriage ceremony can be!
Chris & Kristy: As required by law, I arrived at the ceremony site 15 minutes before the ceremony. 20 minutes later and there was still no sign of the groom, bride, or even the guests! Luckily I had my ukulele in the car, so happily sat in the sunshine and practiced, until they turned up a few minutes later. I should have suspected this would not be a traditional wedding when the groom first made contact with me — he’d wanted to surprise his bride by having her turn up to a “birthday party” that would really be a wedding. Unfortunately for him, surprise weddings are not legal in Australia. His surprise element had to be presenting her with the NOIM papers while out to dinner 6 weeks earlier. It turned out OK — she got the surprise and the joy of planning her Big Day.
Peter & Geraldine: *drum roll* My 300th wedding ceremony! It was conducted on the beach near Prevelly, (Margaret River), under gusty conditions but smiling guests. While the couple were signing the register, Aunty got a cheer when a rogue wave caught up with her. She was a great sport about it, laughing when I thanked her for entertaining the guests while the paperwork was being done.
Joseph & Lauren: The power of great photography… this couple had seen a photo done by Maz at Black Bird Tale, and wanted a re-enactment of the scene for their own nuptials. Of course, moments in time cannot be recreated precisely, especially by other people, but this couple got their own magical story captured by Maz — their two kids entwined around their legs and on their hips, and witnessed by immediate family only.
Jesse & Kaitlyn: Married on their family’s farm, the guests were all salt-of-the-earth and laughed in all the right places… especially when a bull started doing the cha cha with a cow who was innocently walking past behind the ceremony site at the time. Hilarious!
Wade & Chloe: The girls all wore pink cowgirl boots, and the bride even included cowgirl boots in her vows (thanking the groom for his patience with her obsession). They looked really good!
S & C: These two had a quickie (legals only, Registry-office style) ceremony in front of the LOVE sign in the Margaret River Heartland forest. They did this because they’re having their “public ceremony” (the ones the family and friends get to see) on a ship. As the ship will be outside Australian waters at the time of their ceremony, their vows would not be considered legal. I got to say the words “Marriage is a union of 2 people” for the first time (replacing the old “man and a woman”) during this ceremony. Despite it being a low-key ceremony, I got a little lump in my throat from all the joy swelling up inside me.
Thomas & Priya: This was the second time I said the words, at this amazing celebration at Stonebarn, in a forest outside Pemberton. The guests cheered when I mentioned the words, which of course made me happy… happier than I normally am when conducting a ceremony! (And that’s a lot!!)
Robert & Linda: The bride learned that some family members were planning to surprise her on her birthday, so the couple turned around and decided to surprise them in return — by getting married just before the birthday lunch! They phoned me on the Thursday, and were committed on the Saturday. I returned a month later to solemnise their union, legally.
Joel & Joanne: The couple travelled to Margaret River from Onslow to be married in the Boranup Forest. It was absolutely exquisite. I loved it when the couple wrote to me afterwords describing me as an infectiously happy Celebrant. It’s hard not to be happy when marrying such gorgeous couples as this one!
Reuben & Cristiane: The couple married on the deck, and later had a “love ceremony” by the teepee in the garden of Heartland House.
Thomas & Aisling: An elopement on the beach in Yallingup, with my son as a witness and daughter as the flower girl. My daughter loves being flower girl so much, she brought a friend along to share the experience. Double the joy!
Nick & Erica: The couple dressed in traditional Taiwanese dress, and married in front of one of my dream catchers. I love the way the colours popped!
Cory & Catherine: There were 7 groomsmen, but they were all sweethearts and made my job easy. They even did the “wolfpack walk” for me again so I could get a photo. Big softies, the lot of ’em. The groom’s brother put his hand on his shoulder when he saw his bride for the first time — it melted me to see that support and love between brothers. When I sent the wolf pack photo to the groom, he replied “Bunch of 10s right there.” Love that sense of humour.
Rhys & Kiandrah: Kiandrah saw the photo of the dead tree at Margaret River Heartland, and that’s the only place she would get married. The couple exchanged their vows under the epic branches, in front of a small gathering of family and friends.
David & Justine: The bride included a promise in her vows that she would try not to be late all the time, which made everyone laugh — she was late to the ceremony by 40 minutes. (She had to be stitched into her dress which took longer than predicted!) But it was good laughter — the kind that makes you feel like you’re understood. And that they were marrying in a forest camping ground, just tells you the kind of laid-back people they are, so it was all good.
Connor & Marta: And finally the day arrived where I had the privilege and pleasure of marrying my son to the queen of his heart. I had a couple of gulpy moments, and was on the cusp of tears a few times, but overall, got through the ceremony intact without crying — this might even be a first! (Even after all these years of being a Celebrant, I still cry!)
Jason & Ninette: I love weaving snippets of the couple’s personal story into the ceremony… the groom burst out laughing when I mentioned that the couple first met when he stalked her at a party after a game of beer pong. His nerves instantly disappeared, and the smile didn’t leave his face after that. The guests visibly relaxed too, knowing they could enjoy themselves during the ceremony — Where does it say in the wedding rules that a ceremony has to be ALL formal?! ;-P
Kylie & Louise: My first same sex wedding! Yaaaaaayyyyyyy! These girls were beautiful inside and out. Ky’s only request for the ceremony was that she could watch Lou walk down the aisle. Even though there was only me, the photographer (thanks Kelly Harwood!) and a fellow Celebrant (thanks Donna McClelland!) acting as a witness, we organised music for the aisle walk, and it was every bit as emotional and awesome as any-size wedding. I felt sooooo privileged to be the one to solemnise a legal marriage between these two.
Thomas & Emily: It was a rainy day in Margaret River, (unusual for this time of the wedding season) but the bride and groom were so chill they decided they’d marry in the rain. Their little daughter wore flowers in her hair and gumboots on her feet, and stole the show with her cuteness. The guests got cosy under their shared umbrellas, which made it a really nice atmosphere!
Kim & James: Just 20 minutes north of Tom and Emily’s wedding, the sun was shining over Erravilla Country Estate, the site of my next wedding that day. The couple asked me to state at the start of the ceremony, that they wanted everyone to laugh or cry, clap or wave, or do whatever they wanted to during the ceremony to express themselves. Wow, didn’t the floodgates of tears and smiles and hugs open!?!? Especially when their friend began reading the wedding blessing — the lyrics to “I Should Be So Lucky” by Kylie Minogue. I think that was the moment the guests realised this wasn’t going to be any ordinary ceremony!
Sebastian & Cleo: It’s funny — normally couples talk about the first time they laid eyes on each other. This couple though, being audiologists, talked about the first time they heard each other! Loved weaving that little story into their ceremony LOL. It was great they had a sense of humour, as my Swarovski crystal pen chose their ceremony to run out of ink… So the only other pen I had in my bag was a flamingo-shaped pen. They loved it!
Cameron & Elizabeth: At the last minute, the Boranup Forest authorities denied their permit, so instead they married in the courtyard at their accommodation — the beautiful Pearl River Houses. With all the lush greenery and little pond, the photos will show them marrying in a lush and beautiful location, so they were happy.
Dean & Karen: The groomsman forgot the rings! Literally!!!! Fortunately he realised before we went down to the beach, so we phoned the bride and asked her to do some laps while the groomsman bolted back to the accommodation to get the rings. Phew! Then, when it was time to start proceedings, the groom made an entrance to the song, “What a Man”. It was so fun, we had a little dance-off under the arbour and the smiles on the guests were at 1000 Volts.
Chris & Angela: A lovely elopement in the Boranup Forest… The bride had driven straight from Rockingham, so rather than crinkle her dress, wore her civvies and got changed in the car park. The groom remembered his promises off-by-heart (this has only happened twice in almost 350 of my wedding ceremonies!) Goes to show how down-to-earth this couple are.
Amber & Theresa: The couple had already had their big white wedding in Bali, but decided to invite a few close friends over to their backyard for their “legals” ceremony. They exchanged the same promises as their Bali ceremony, but with one big difference — this time their vows were legal! They also tied the knot (both literally and symbolically), and in my capacity as an Authorised Marriage Celebrant, it was then time to pronounce them “officially married”. My husband managed to capture the magical moment of pronouncing them “officially married” on video:
Harry & Lia: Fortunately the couple gave me permission to warn the guests that their chosen reading was very long — it gave some guests the chance to take their shoes off, settle down on the grass, and get comfortable. The reading was “3 loves” (author unknown)…. because it meant so much to the couple, and they resonated with it fully, I supported them in keeping the entire reading rather than an abridged version. The couple also tied the knot, with a cord woven by Lia at Lammas.
Goran & Kelli: Straight after the breakfast wedding of Harry and Lia at Harold Boas Gardens, my roadie whizzed me up the hill to Kings Park, and I married this gorgeous girl to her forever-love, in an intimate ceremony at the Dryandra Lookout. It’s the perfect size for a small wedding up to 20 people. The flower girl and page boy were incredibly enthusiastic, and induced giggles and hearty-eyes throughout the proceedings. The couple partook of a symbolic ritual involving lemon, vinegar, chili and honey — flavours representing the feelings and emotions in a marriage. Can’t wait to see those photos — there were some interesting facial expressions (and lots of laughter) throughout.
Gary & Jessica: The couple held it together pretty well during the ceremony, but when we got to the end and I began sharing the “three things they love about each other”, well, the eyes became very wet. Not just the bride’s, but around half of the guests too. It made me feel all gooey and happy to see such an abundance of happy tears.
Joel & Gabrielle: A pair of youngsters who I met for the first time only the day before their wedding. It didn’t matter — we connected instantly, and I “got” the youthful, light-hearted vibe they wanted for their ceremony. I had nothing but respect for this young couple, who were completely real and down to earth, and incredibly elegant and mature beyond their years. Their guests were delightful too, smiling and laughing in all the right places, which always makes my day complete.
Sam & Em: “Em” is her chosen name, and she’s had it so long there were some guests who didn’t know her birth name! Given that the full legal names of each of the parties needs to be stated during the ceremony, those guests were a little excited to find out what her birth name was. I did state her name during the ceremony, but truth is, it was so beautiful and the guests were so carried away with the romance of it all, that I’m pretty sure they missed it!
David & Liza: I helped David and Liza coordinate their legals and ceremony planning from overseas. So all that remained when they arrived was to cross-check their ID, do a rehearsal, and then let their beautiful ceremony unfold! They married at his parent’s property in Yallingup, on a hill overlooking a beautiful valley. It confirmed to me another reason why I LOVE my job — I get to see amazing places around my home region that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about!
Norman & Gita: The couple met while walking from Amsterdam to Paris, so “walking” was a theme in this wedding — the guests were asked to wear comfortable shoes and walk from the ceremony back to the reception (about half-a-kilometre). It was a beautiful way for the guests to begin mingling organically, and it helped rev up their appetites for the incredible food served at the Bunker Beach Cafe! Gita, being Dutch, asked me to wear orange, and it was worth the effort when I saw the tears of gratitude in her eyes.
Patrick & Stephanie: You couldn’t have got a more low-key wedding if you tried. (Well, actually, I have married a couple while sitting at a table at the Cowaramup Districts Social Club, which would have been hands-down the most relaxed and informal wedding EVER… But I digress.) The couple married in the forest at the Margaret River Heartland while their son roamed the forest and played spot-the-kangaroos.
Sarah & Rita: Another low-key, relaxed and intimate wedding in the loungeroom of the couple’s home. Their teenage daughter was the maiden of honour to both her mums, and only close friends were around to witness the solemnisation of their vows.
Matthew & Heather: And the roll of intimate weddings continues… The only family invited to this rainy-day wedding were the couple’s three French bulldogs. They nearly stole the show with their wooly winter capes! At the last minute one of the witnesses had an emergency and couldn’t come, so I went to the next door chalet where a surprised visitor from NSW said yes to being a stand-in witness.
And that brings my 2017-18 season to an end… I’m off now to Vietnam for a couple of weeks, to defrost and recharge, ready to launch into wedding season 2018-19 starting with the Quickie Wedding Day on 4 August.
See you then, lovers! Au revoir, and shine on beautiful people,
Anita Revel