Blog - Brisbane City Celebrants

Wedding at Henzell Chapel – The cutest wedding chapel

on April 9, 2014 · 3 Comments

Wedding at Henzell Chapel – The cutest little wedding chapel you ever did see!

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

I loved everything about Lisa and Simon’s beautiful wedding at the super cute Henzell Chapel at Mt Pleasant. This was the first time I have performed a wedding at this chapel and having seen photos of this wedding chapel I was super excited about this ceremony venue.

Lisa and Simon were kind enough to organise transport for their guests to the Chapel which is approximately a 1 hr drive North of Brisbane, and they were super sweet in also providing me a seat on the bus that they hired through Rolo transport.

When we arrived we were greeted by the amazing sight of the cutest little stone chapel you ever did see, surrounded by panoramic views of rolling hills and lakes, you couldn’t imagine more beautiful surrounds, it felt so peaceful and serene and perfectly suited this couples wedding theme, as Lisa mentioned to me a few days prior, their theme for the day is ‘relaxed’. What a great state of mind for enjoying your own wedding day!

Henzell Chapel Wedding with Celebrant Ciara Hodge

Henzell Chapel Wedding with Celebrant Cara Hodge

The Chapel was the perfect size to comfortably seat all of their 44 weddings guests. The bride and groom decided on having no bridal party, which gave the groom the opportunity to pick his own outfit and colours as he didn’t need to be matching anyone else. In keeping with tradition while the groom was yet to see what the bride was wearing, she was also about to be surprised in seeing what he had picked.

The bride was beaming as she arrived wearing the most beautiful lace wedding dress with a keyhole back as she was walked down the aisle by her mother while the groom managed to hold back the tears (just!). With much enthusiasm, the brides whole family ‘gave her away’ and the short yet relaxed and enjoyable ceremony commenced and included some really great interaction with the guests.

After they shared their first kiss as husband and wife, we made our way outside to the signing table, positioned perfectly on the top of the hill, taking in the amazing expansive views. Where I pronounced the bride and groom as husband and wife and they were congratulated by their equally happy and excited wedding guests.

The wedding ceremony was followed by an afternoon tea outside which included some delicious home made baking by the couples friends, before the bus headed back to West End for the reception which took place at the funky Gun Shop Cafe.

Here is some lovely feedback from this Henzell Chapel bride:

“Thanks Cara, We had the most perfect day we could ever have dreamed of!

Thank you for a beautiful ceremony, it was perfect, exactly what we wanted. Lisa Xx”

It was such a pleasure being the Celebrant for this couples Henzell Chapel wedding and I wish them every happiness for their future together.

Cara Hodge – Brisbane City Celebrants

If you enjoyed hearing about this Henzell Chapel wedding and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

Mirra Private Dining – a stunning and unique wedding venue

on March 29, 2014 · 4 Comments

It was such a pleasure being the Celebrant for Cathy and Shaun’s wedding at Mirra Private Dining and Events in Fortitude Valley.

This lovely couple, traveled all the way from Melbourne with an entourage of family and friends to enjoy an outdoor wedding here in Brisbane, and despite the out of the norm constant rain over the past week, and after a huge down pour earlier that afternoon, miraculously the clouds parted and a clear blue sky made their dream of an outdoor wedding a reality.

Mirra is a stunning and unique Brisbane wedding venue

The Courtyard at Mirra where wedding ceremonies take place.

Mirra is such a fabulous venue, it oozes style and elegance and certainly has that wow factor. It is also situated beside a busy railway track and there is no mistaking the sound of the passing trains from outside in the courtyard where the ceremony took place, but instead of being perturbed by this, Cathy and Shaun completely embraced this and had fun with it by incorporating a London underground train theme in to their reception styling. The tables were named after the London underground stations, cards from the guests were ‘posted’ in to a British style ‘Royal Mail’ letterbox and even the biodegradable confetti carried the train theme.

While we did hear trains passing during the ceremony, thankfully my good strong PA System worked it’s magic and the ceremony wasn’t interrupted.

The bride and groom were seated at a ‘sweetheart’ table which is a huge wedding trend in the states, I think this seating arrangement is really cute, plus it allows the bride and groom to have that time to themselves and take it all in.

This sweet couple provided a donation to charity (the Cancer Council) in place of favours for all their guests which goes to show that they are just as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. What a lovely gesture and a charity that everyone is touched by.

Charity donation in place of wedding favours

I loved being the Celebrant for this wedding at Mirra Bar in Fortitude Valley and wish this gorgeous couple every happiness for their future together.

Cara Hodge – Brisbane City Celebrants

If you enjoyed hearing about this contemporary wedding ceremony at Mirra Bar and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

Brisbane Hilton Weddings

on March 25, 2014 · 6 Comments

Brisbane Hilton Weddings

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

Conveniently located in the centre of Brisbane’s CBD, the exquisite Brisbane Hilton is home to a fabulous selection of wedding ceremony locations, ideal for the bride and groom that love the idea of having their ceremony and reception at the same venue.

If you envisage an opulent venue where yourself and your guests will receive 5 star service you won’t be disappointed here.

The Brisbane Hilton Hotel’s Vintaged grill and chef table

I was fortunate enough to be invited for a guided tour of the Hilton Hotels ceremony sites and I loved the great variety of options this venue offers, including a spacious air conditioned area with floor to ceiling windows boasting an urban backdrop, and the shaded and sheltered Tropicana pool deck which conveniently has a bar at hand, perfect for cocktail hour.

While it is hard to pick a favourite a definite contender would be the cellar private dining room, with a beautiful oversized table that seats up to 14 with plenty of space for your choice of centre pieces or table décor. This venue also provides enough space for the ceremony to take place with the fabulous backdrop of the Brisbane Hiltons fine wine cellar, perfect for the wine loving connoisseur. This venue is also a great choice for the increasing number of brides and grooms that are looking for a modern ceremony and reception venue suited to smaller weddings.

The Brisbane Hilton Hotels Private Dining Cellar Room – perfect for small and intimate wedding groups

For more information on weddings at the Brisbane Hilton hotel, contact the delightful team here.

If you enjoyed hearing about this wedding venue and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

The most beautiful Byron Bay Wedding with a very special surprise

on March 23, 2014 · 7 Comments

With Celebrant Jamie Eastgate of Brisbane City Celebrants

Morgan and Craig are an incredibly super sweet couple and whenever you are around them you can truly see the beautiful connection that they share. Their Byron Bay wedding was so special for so many reasons and while Jamie was the Celebrant for this couples amazing day, I had the pleasure of tagging along and playing Celebrants Assistant and what I witnessed was an incredible connection, a big surprise for the groom and a whole lot of love.

Craig the groom shedding a tear when he saw his beautiful bride for the very first time. Image: Boots Photography

During the planning process Morgan let Jamie in on a little secret. Morgan has a very close relationship with Craigs mum which she is very thankful for and she was thrilled when Craigs mum unexpectedly and very kindly offered Morgan her wedding dress that she wore herself many moons ago the day she married Craigs father.

Morgan loved the dress and after incorporating a little creativity, some alterations and of course adding her own gorgeous style, the unique dress was looking stunning for Morgan and commenced it’s journey as a family heirloom.

In keeping with the tradition of the groom not seeing the brides dress before the special day, the bringing back to life of her mother in laws wedding dress was all kept very hush hush so Craig had no idea. Morgan decided that the perfect time to share this with her groom was during their ceremony so we included the following words:

‘Craigs family have welcomed Morgan with open arms and in the sweetest gesture and to Craig’s surprise, up until this very moment, the beautiful wedding dress that Morgan is wearing today, is the very same dress that Craigs mother wore herself many years ago when she married Craigs Father.’

After Jamie read these words Craig had a look of surprise on his face as he mouthed ‘really?’ to Morgan to which she nodded as her beautiful smile lit up her face, then (another) tear rolled down Craigs cheek.

A truly beautiful moment in this gorgeous wedding.

Byron Bay Wedding perfromed by Jamie Eastgate, captured by Boots Photography

Seriously gorgeous Byron Bay Wedding performed by Jamie Eastgate, captured by Boots Photography

This beautiful wedding took place at the Byron Bay Surf Club, conveniently located overlooking Byron Bays Main Beach. I was in awe of the styling with the beautifully styled bridesmaids in white dresses, the bouquets of babies breath and the super cute little flower girls.

The bridal party all went barefoot and along with the guests Jamie was asked to wear thongs which was a first for him in his capacity as a Celebrant. (P.S. Just to clarify, that’s flip flops to our UK readers and jandals to our kiwi friends).

Morgan and Craig picked the perfect photographer to capture their style, the Deb from Boots Photography. If you love what you have seen from her images here, head over and see Deb’s blog post for this wedding which started bright and early with the groom and groomsmen having an early morning surf in the Byron Bay waves looking pretty cool in bow ties and braces here.

Some lovely comments from the bride:

Testimonials from Byron Bay bride and groom Morgan and Craig

Byron Bay Celebrant Testimonial

When brides to be contact us to ask if we travel to Byron Bay to perform weddings, the answer is not just ‘yes’…… it’s HECK YES! We love Byron Bay and it’s at the top of our list of favourite destinations for weekends away so adding a wedding to the equation only makes our visits to this amazing little town even more special and memorable.

Brisbane City Celebrants are authorised to perform weddings anywhere in Australia, if you live in Brisbane and are getting married in Byron Bay, either of us would love to be your Celebrant for your Byron Bay wedding, contact us now to find out more.

Cara and Jamie – Brisbane City Celebrants

If you enjoyed hearing about this sweet Byron Bay wedding ceremony and are looking for a Brisbane based Celebrant for your Byron Bay wedding, Jamie would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

Brisbane Powerhouse Celebrant Jamie Eastgate

on March 22, 2014 · 6 Comments

Brisbane Powerhouse Celebrant Jamie Eastgate

With Celebrant Jamie Eastgate of Brisbane City Celebrants

Having performed many weddings at Brisbane Powerhouse we always get that extra bit excited as this venue is so ‘us’. Perhaps the reason this venue resonates so well with us is because as young, fresh modern Celebrants we can really relate to this venue.

This venue with is ultra modern, with a funky edgy feel, embraces it’s unique characteristics like it’s graffiti styled walls and it’s towering white washed exterior brick walls. This venue doesn’t try to conform to what it believes the typical wedding venue should be, instead it stands proud in it’s own unique way. It also boasts 2 roof top ceremony sites, both capturing panoramic views as the Brisbane river snuggles around this iconic building. While this wedding venue isn’t a traditional wedding venue by any means, personally we love it!

Here is just one of the weddings I have been fortunate enough to perform here. Jamie Eastgate – Brisbane City Celebrants.

Here is the wedding of Corinne and Jim, we were fortunate enough to both be invited to the reception after I performed this wedding which is always such an honour. The couple enjoyed a buffet reception sit down meal at the Hamilton Hotel before partying the night away.

Brisbane Powerhouse wedding on Riverbend Terrace with Jamie Eastgate

Brisbane Powerhouse Celebrant Jamie Eastgate performing a wedding at Riverbend Terrace. Image Boots Photography

Brisbane Powerhouse Photographers and bride testimonial. Oh and us having fun in the photo booth with Boots Photography

Photographers testimonial and us having loads of fun in the photo booth with Boots Photography

Another Photographers testimonial. Thank you Boots Photography

If you enjoyed hearing about this Brisbane Powerhouse wedding ceremony and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Jamie would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

Brisbane Powerhouse Weddings with Celebrant Cara Hodge

on March 22, 2014 · 6 Comments

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

Even though we’ve performed many weddings at The Brisbane Powerhouse, when we get booked for weddings at Brisbane Powerhouse we always get that extra bit excited as this venue is so ‘us’. In fact I often envisage having my own vow renewal ceremony here one day! The reason this venue resonates so well with us is perhaps because as savvy, fresh modern Celebrants we have so much in common.

We have always had great experiences with the onsite Wedding Coordinator which also adds to the great experience of this venue.

Here are just some of the gorgeous weddings I have had the pleasure of performing at this venue.

Corinne and Steve's Powerhouse wedding, I love this shot of them being showered in rose petals

Corinne and Steve’s Powerhouse wedding, love this shot of them being showered in rose petals

Brisbane Powerhouse wedding with Celebrant Ciara Hodge

Brisbane Powerhouse weddings with Celebrant Cara Hodge
Image: Boots Photography

If you are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane Powerhouse wedding Brisbane City Celebrants would love to hear from you. Contact us