Getting hitched?
Well, firstly… congratulations to you both!
You can certainly look forward to a very exciting future together, whether you are…
- a bride & groom, bride & bride, groom & groom or are perhaps non-binary
- a first-timer or maybe you have walked down the aisle before
- an 18-year-old or perhaps closer to 88 years young
- planning all the (wedding) bells and whistles or maybe a simpler elopement option, that leaves more in the kitty for a honeymoon or maybe for the mortgage
Your wedding ceremony starts Your Big Day but, even more importantly, it is the launchpad for your married lives together.
It’s your day, and so together we’ll ensure that we do it your way!
To (mis)quote Frank Sinatra… “I do it your way!”
Get hitched – without a hitch
Ceremony planning is usually quite a fun process, but there are also a few legal requirements that I will carefully guide you through.
In fact, just one click away I have published many of the answers to the common wedding questions. But wait, there’s more! Once we agree to start planning your ceremony, I’ll provide you with password access to a comprehensive set of legal and information resources.
SPOILER ALERT! More than one month before your wedding date, you are required to submit a signed and witnessed ‘Notice of Intended Marriage’ document to your chosen celebrant.
Once that paperwork is processed, the real fun can begin in earnest.
I usually commence with an informal meeting over a coffee, mineral water or wine – or in this post-Covid era, maybe we first chat online.
To kick off the planning process, I will ask you to describe in your own words your perfect ceremony – its style, participants and content.
The various components within my suite of package deals will give you a good sense of the many possible items to be considered.
We’ll walk-through various options for your wedding or elopement ceremony, and together we will start to design an event that is exactly what you want.
Our comprehensive planning ranges from the big questions to the smallest of details. We discuss the overall tone; creating your vows; selecting readings; and maybe even arranging some ‘audience participation’ to create your ideal ceremony experience.
You can perhaps also choose a ritual involving candles, coloured sand or maybe even some rope – don’t worry, it’s not (necessarily) as kinky as it sounds!
To wed or to elope?
…that is the question.
Yet fundamentally, at the end of the day (or night), the outcome is exactly the same – you become legally married!
It’s really only a difference of degrees, in size and complexity – and thus also in cost!
Pandemic restrictions have recently highlighted the value and increasing popularity of the micro-wedding or elopement.
These can often involve just the legal minimum number of necessary participants, being the celebrant, two witnesses and, of course, the two people getting hitched.
Sometimes a photographer, live streamer or videographer are added to ensure that the loved ones (who would otherwise have been invited to a larger wedding) can still get to see the ceremony.
Indeed the content of an elopement ceremony is often quite minimal, sometimes distilled down to simply the so-called ‘Legal Only’ requirements mandated by government.
PRO TIP! Yes, ‘Legals Only’ is really A Thing… check out the ‘Economy Class’ option as one of the various package deals on offer.