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Congratulations! You are getting
married!! And now you need to start to plan your Wedding
Day. This can be a very daunting task: what date to I
choose, what time of the day is best and where do I get
married. How do I get there, what do I wear, will I have a
Church wedding or a Civil Ceremony and the list goes on and
on.
The one thing, which is very important,
is to think about your Ceremony. If you wish to have a
Civil Ceremony, you will need to find a Registered Marriage
Celebrant. Choosing the right Celebrant is a very important
decision and you should feel totally at ease with the person
who you entrust this important responsibility to.
You should choose a Celebrant who you
feel very comfortable with, someone who you can talk to
easily and ask any question to no matter how silly you think
it is - a professional Celebrant will be able to help and
advise you in every way possible.
Look for someone who is willing to
spend time with you and offer advice even before you have
made your decision. You can tell a lot about a person from
that first phone call or email enquiry and it’s always a
good idea to ask for testimonials or referrals from previous
clients.
Most Celebrants will take the time to
get to know each individual couple and write a Ceremony
which reflects that couple and have available to you sample
Ceremonies from which to choose. I personally give to all
my clients a Ceremony Guide with sample Ceremonies, Vows,
Poems and other useful information to help with your
choices. You are also most welcome to have as much input
in your Ceremony as you like and you can write your own vows
if you wish or choose one of the examples supplied to you.
Your Celebrant should give you the
Final Choice in how your Ceremony will flow (there are
certain legal requirements in a Civil Ceremony which
your Celebrant will ensure are met, after that, your
ceremony can be as formal or informal as you like).
Once these legal requirements have been met, my advice
to you is to relax, have fun, and enjoy every minute of
this wonderful day. No two Civil Ceremonies are ever
the same ensuring that yours will be unique and
memorable.
You may also choose to have readings
and other Ceremonies incorporated into your Wedding such as
a Sand Ceremony, Rose Ceremony or Butterfly Release. These
are totally optional and the choice is yours. Your
Celebrant will be able to explain these ‘other ceremonies’
or ‘other symbols’ to you.
It is also a great idea, if time
permits, to have a Wedding Rehearsal a few days beforehand.
This way, both you and your bridal party (and Celebrant),
will know exactly what to do and where to stand etc - most
wedding venues will allow you to have a rehearsal a couple
of days beforehand.
Also, you want to ensure that your
guests will be able to hear the Ceremony, so you may need to
have a sound system available to you. Once again, check
with your Celebrant with regard to this.
Now that you know what to look for in a
Celebrant, where will you find the right person for you.
Ask family and friends for recommendations, ask your
reception venue (they usually have a list of professional
Celebrants that they recommend), look on the web, there are
many websites available. Also try the yellow pages, local
papers, bridal magazines and local wedding expos - you will
find that you have a lot of choice.
As most Celebrants
are busy and take bookings well in advance, it is best to
book as soon as you have decided on the place, time and
venue of your Wedding. Booking early will ensure you obtain
the services of the Celebrant of your choice.
You may be wondering what the cost is
for a Celebrant, well this varies from Celebrant to
Celebrant and the cheapest cost may not necessarily reflect
‘value for money’. When making your enquiry, make sure you
ask what is included in that cost.
Planning a wedding can be expensive and
the cost of a Celebrant is probably one of the cheapest
factors of the whole day, so make sure you choose the person
you feel most comfortable and at ease with, you will be
pleased that you did…..
Louise Spedding is a professionally
trained Civil Marriage Celebrant. Her ceremonies are
friendly and relaxed and she personalises each ceremony to
suit clients' individual requirements. For more
information, visit:
www.louisespeddingcelebrant.com.au/
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