Talking Points Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Brisbane City Celebrants

Questions to ask potential Wedding Celebrants

on July 28, 2014 · 5 Comments

With Celebrants Cara and Jamie of Brisbane City Celebrants

Celebrants Cara and Jamie have compiled the following questions to ask potential Wedding Celebrants to assist couples with the process of choosing the right Celebrant for them.

Questions to ask your potential Wedding Celebrant

How do I choose a Celebrant?

Most of our couples tell us they look at several Celebrants websites, view photos, videos and testimonials to get a feel of which Celebrant will suit them best before picking their favourite one (or making a shortlist) then checking availability.

A great sign that you have found the right Celebrant is that feeling that they really ‘get’ you, are on the same page, listen to you, have the right ideas and suggestions for the kind of ceremony you have in mind. A great Celebrant should also present highly professionally with a wealth of knowledge, after all you are trusting them to meet the legal requirements of your ceremony, and to ensure the ceremony runs smoothly on the day.

Our advice with choosing the right Celebrant for you is to go with your gut feeling, if things don’t feel quite right or they aren’t prepared to work with your ideas they may be on a different page to you.

How long does a wedding ceremony usually take?

The length of time a wedding ceremony takes varies from couple to couple, some couples choose to include readings and rituals, others like their ceremony to be short and sweet. These all factor in to the length of the ceremony.

Brisbane City Celebrants specialise in simple and meaningful and fun and light-hearted weddings so we generally allow 15-20 minutes from the beginning to end of the ceremony.

Will I get to proof my ceremony wording before the wedding day?

We believe it’s really important for couples to see and proof their ceremony before the special day for a number of reasons:

– You know exactly what to expect on the day and how the ceremony flows

– You can make any changes you wish so the ceremony really reflects you as a couple and is perfect for you

– There will be no unwanted ‘surprises’ on the day

– You can confirm any pre or post wedding announcements that you need the Celebrant to make

– Last but certainly not least you can be assured that the Celebrant hasn’t got you mixed up with another couple and gets your ceremony and names correct!

Brisbane City Celebrants #raisingthebar

The Brisbane City Celebrants team always work with our couples in creating a ceremony specifically for each couple. Our couples are ALWAYS given plenty of opportunity to make changes or add to their ceremony before confirming the final version for their special day. Even if your Celebrant doesn’t offer you the option to see your ceremony, please please please insist on reviewing/ proofing this before your big day, as it will mitigate the potential risk of problems or errors and knowing exactly what to expect will really help to put you at ease for your big day.

Also try and avoid having your Celebrant send you through your ceremony to review, for the first time just days before your wedding. All experienced wedding vendors are well aware that on the days leading up to your wedding, couples are generally flat out, running round trying to get all the final details finalised, getting nails done, confirming final details with other vendors, catching up with interstate and overseas guests pre wedding etc. and barely have time to really absorb what you have been provided, let alone have time to plan, write and include your own segments, such as sharing the story of how you met. So the earlier in to the planning phase you can work on and finalise your ceremony the better.

All our couples receive their personalised first draft of their ceremony within days of securing their date with us, allowing them plenty of time of discuss ideas and suggestions and decide what works best for them. Most of our couples confirm their final ceremony with us months before their wedding date so it doesn’t spring up on their wedding ‘to do’ list at the last minute!

Do we have to write our own vows?

It is not compulsory to write your own vows, when we have our initial meeting with couples we discuss the option of writing your own vows, we provide our ‘vow writing worksheet’ to assist couples with writing their own vows, and also provide some sample vows they can choose from if they wish to do so.

Some couples prefer to keep their ceremony simple and repeat the minimum legal wording only, this is entirely up to you.

Brisbane City Celebrants #raisingthebar

Do I have to memorise my vows?

You don’t need to memorise your vows, depending on the length of the vows we recommend to our couples to either repeat them after us or read them from a printed sheet, on the very odd occasion some couples have opted to memorise them or even make them up on the spot, very impressive but only if you’re really game!

Should our vows to each other be the same?

Civil wedding ceremonies give you so much flexibility, there is no ‘should’ in this case. Here are a few options for your wedding vows:

– Write/ chose your wedding vows together, then repeat the same vows to each other on the day;

– Write your own vows separately and surprise each other with your ‘written from the heart’ words on the day;

– Write each others vows on behalf of each other and surprise each other with these to repeat after the Celebrant on the day (this is generally for a humorous take on wedding vows)

e.g. “I promise to always put the toilet seat down, let you change the channel to watch Real Housewives whenever the AFL is on, make you breakfast in bed when you’re hung over and give you foot rubs when you’ve had a long day at work.”

Brisbane City Celebrants #raisingthebar

What happens if we don’t want to have a bridal party?

An increasing number of couples are opting for either a large bridal party, or no bridal party at all, it is your wedding and the choice is all yours! Guests at weddings of couples that choose to have no bridal party often comment on how the ceremony really feels to be about the couple and their love for each other.

As the best man is often a ring bearer a simple adjustment can easily be made where the groom has the rings, or a page boy of family member can come forward with these.

Brisbane City Celebrants #raisingthebar

Who can witness our legal documents?

Couples often select the best man and Maid of Honor to be their witnesses, however anyone of sound mind (e.g. not drunk!) and over the age of 18 can be your witness, so you can simply take your pick from your guests.

I live in Brisbane and am planning a destination wedding on Hamilton island, should I engage a Brisbane Celebrant or a local Celebrant?

The choice is yours! most couples may try and source a local Celebrant, however if you are not able to get to the venue much before the wedding the benefit of choosing a Brisbane based Celebrant is that you can have your initial meetings locally while in Brisbane. The Brisbane City Celebrants team love to travel and we also love destination weddings so much so that we may well waive the travel fee, ask us, you never know!

Brisbane City Celebrants #raisingthebar

With over 6 years of experience as highly regarded and sought after Brisbane Celebrants, Ciara and Jamie are passionate about being the best we can be while educating and mentoring to raise the bar within the Celebrant industry.

Is there a fee involved if we need to change the date or time for any reason?

This is a good question to ask your Celebrant. Brisbane City Celebrants do not charge a fee if you need to change your date or time of your ceremony. We do request to be notified as soon as possible so we can confirm availability.

Is there a late fee involved if the bride or groom is late for the wedding? how late can the bride be?

This is another good question to ask your Celebrant. Brisbane City Celebrants do not charge a late fee, however we do ask to be kept informed as best as possible on the day if the bride is running late so this can be communicated to the waiting guests. Your Celebrant will usually outline within their service agreement details of how long they believe is acceptable to wait for the bride and or groom to arrive.

In the event that you have an accident or become ill and are unable to perform the wedding, what arrangements do you have in place?

Thankfully being a team of 2 Celebrants if one of us became ill, the other is usually available to stand in and present the ceremony with the same professionalism, passion and enthusiasm at very short notice. In the unlikely event that we were both suddenly unavailable to perform the ceremony, we have a network of Celebrants and with your permission we would transfer the legal documentation to, to perform the ceremony.

That said, being young, fit and healthy Celebrants the likelihood of one or both of us taking ill is very slim.

Brisbane City Celebrants #raisingthebar

Do we both have to exchange rings?

Although exchanging wedding rings is a traditional part of a wedding ceremony, there is no legal obligation to do so. In our experience most couples still chose to exchange rings, however occasionally the groom prefers not to have a ring (for example it may not be practical if he isn’t permitted to wear jewellery for health and safety reasons at work). It’s also not unheard of for the bride to have 2 or even 3 rings, perhaps one to represent each child she has given her husband.

Do I have to be ‘given away’ by my father?

The giving away is also a traditional element of the ceremony that is not a legal requirement, so in response to the question, no the bride does not have to be given away by her father. When it comes to the arrival of the bride and the giving away there are many options, including the following:

– Father gives the bride away (traditional)

– Father and Mother give bride away (modern twist on the traditional giving away)

– Couples child or children give the bride away

– Bridesmaids give the bride away

– No giving away (the bride walks up the aisle to her groom by herself)

– Brides father and mother give the bride away, and the grooms father and mother give the groom away

– The bride and groom arrive together and walk up the aisle together! (One of our favourites!)

As a Brisbane Celebrant can you perform my wedding in NSW or other States?

As Registered Authorised Marriage Celebrants appointed by the Attorney General, providing the legal requirements are met, Brisbane City Celebrants can perform marriage ceremonies anywhere in Australia. We love an excuse for a weekend away in beautiful places like Byron Bay or Kingscliff so do check with us if we’re available to perform your wedding at your chosen location.

Are there any limits to where I can get married?

Brisbane is the perfect climate for outdoor weddings so why not get creative and wed at your special place, where you met, spent your first date or like a couple of ours who married at the same spot where they shared their first kiss… in a departure terminal at Brisbane Airport! Which goes to show that (nearly) anywhere is possible.

As professional Celebrants we will guide you through the legal requirements to ensure these are met, one of these requirements is that myself and your 2 witnesses can hear you as you repeat the mandatory legal wording, so please take that in to account if you are considering an unusual ceremony location.

What legal forms do I need to complete to get married in Australia?

1. Notice of Intended Marriage form (NOIM). This must be signed and witnessed by your Celebrant no later than one month before the date of your wedding. You can view this form here.
The form can either be completed electronically or by hand with black ink in BLOCK caps.

Along with this form, the following ID must be viewed by your Celebrant:

If you were born in Australia – your Celebrant is required to sight either your original birth certificate or Australian passport, and if applicable, divorce or death papers if you have been previously married.

If you were not born in Australia – Your Celebrant will need to sight your passport, and if applicable, divorce or death papers if you have been previously married.

Your Celebrant also needs to sight photo ID (e.g. Driver’s License) for identification purposes.
2. Declarations: You will both need to complete and sign declarations prior to your wedding to confirm that there is no legal impediment to you marrying each other.

3. Marriage certificate/ extract application (Optional).

This form is your request for your ‘registry issued marriage certificate’ which is the legal document required by most organisations to verify your marriage, and to allow the bride to change her surname to the grooms surname once you are legally married.

A good professional Celebrant, like Brisbane City Celebrants 😉 will also give you the option to complete this form and will submit this with your marriage documents on your behalf to Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM).

If your Celebrant submits this for you, it saves you the headache of having to get all the required accompanying ID together and JP witnessed and sent off yourself. Instead you can return from your honeymoon to find your official marriage certificate in your letter box allowing you to take your new husbands last name (if you wish!).

If you found this article helpful and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara and Jamie would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

Tips for new wedding vendors

on May 10, 2014 · 4 Comments

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

Tips for new wedding vendors from a Celebrant

We are huge believers of working together as a team with fellow wedding vendors and we love meeting and working with the fabulous ‘dream team’ of suppliers that our couples have meticulously selected.

If you are new to the wedding industry and wondering what little things you can do to enhance the couples experience and work well with other vendors here are a few tips for new wedding vendors from the Celebrants perspective as a general guide.

Celebrants

Get the guests seated and the Grooms men in place, no one else is going to do this for you. Before you know it you will have mastered being politely assertive in order to have everyone in their places ready for the arrival of the bridal party.
Once the bride has arrived and taken her place, ensure you ask all the guests to be seated. At weddings people tend to wait for instructions, and without you telling them to sit, it is quite possibly they will remain standing for the entire ceremony!
That bit where the bride and groom kiss, step way out of the photographers shot. As much as the couple adore having you as their Celebrant, that’s one photo they would probably prefer not to have you in, the photographer will love you for it too.

Florists

Consider including a little 2 step ‘how to’ guide in the pretty box with the Groom and Grooms mens boutonnieres. Grooms ALWAYS struggle with pinning these on. Even better, offer an upgrade to a pin free, clip on boutonniere – my new favourite thing!

Wedding Stationers

Consider offering name signs for the ceremony chairs that correspond with the wedding stationary. Not only will they look divine but guests will appreciate being provided with an allocate seat plus it will encourage them to be seated. Guest names on the first 1 – 2 rows would be ample.

Wedding Hair Stylists

During most civil weddings, the bride will be stood facing her groom with the right side of her face to the guests, so consider placing that beautiful hair accessory on this side, or having the side swept braid, swept to the right so this is visible and can be perfectly captured by the photographer.

Wedding Ceremony Musicians

Be mindful of the bride as she progresses down the aisle and takes her place with the groom, so you can be ready to fade out the music at that point (unless of course the couple have specifically requested that you play the song in its entirety).

Wedding Venues

Celebrants love it when venues that hold multiple ceremonies in a day, stagger the ceremony start time. While many venues currently do this anyway as it assists with the logistics of managing guests movement around the venue, Celebrants appreciate this too as ceremonies held in close proximity risk being inadvertently broadcast through each others wireless PA System. Even if one Celebrants audio wasn’t broadcast through the other Celebrants PA System, there is still potential that the neighbouring ceremony may still be heard by the other wedding party if they are in close proximity. Staggering the scheduled ceremony times reduces the risk of interruptions.

Wedding Photographers

Some wedding photographers like to take traditional ‘posed’ signing photos, after the actual signing has taken place. At Brisbane City Celebrants we secure all the legal documents in neat folders to protect them from the elements but also so they won’t get blown away in the wind. Naturally photographers setting up the posed certificate signing, like to remove the official marriage certificate from its folder. We kindly ask photographers to be mindful that this is a legal document that is unable to be replaced if a gust of wind sends it up and off for a swim in the Brisbane river. So please ensure while this document is unsecured that this is being held, or held down at all times while the ‘posed’ signing takes place.
Please avoid standing on the signing table chairs (or on the signing table as one photographer did) to take the group shot, accidents really do happen!

Wedding Decorators

Sometimes wedding aisles can be a little skinny, particularly if the bride has chosen to be walked down the aisle by both Mum and Dad in her beautiful A line dress. Likewise be really careful with candles in vases lining the wedding aisle. The combination of candles, flowing dresses and cathedral veils makes me nervous.
Consider the practicalities of glass vases at outdoor ceremonies. Now I’m not in the slightest a superstitious person, however something about a glass vase getting blown off a pedestal and smashing mid vows would surely feel like a bad omen.
Signing Tables: As pretty as little round ones are, they still need to perform a necessary function and be big enough to hold the marriage documents and signing pen without being too wobbly so the signatures are eligible.

We look forward to continuing to work together with all you awesome wedding vendors together creating magical days for our brides and grooms.

Cara – Brisbane City Celebrants

If you found this article useful 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 Differences Between UK and Australian Weddings

on December 9, 2013 · 4 Comments

The Differences Between UK and Australian Weddings

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

We have just returned from the UK where we attended my brothers wedding. Knowing our involvement and passion for the wedding industry here in Australia, the moment the ceremony concluded we were bombarded with questions from fellow guests, “Was that the same as a wedding you would conduct in Australia?” “Did you check if they got all the legal bits right?” and the most common question “What’s the difference between a wedding in the UK and a wedding in Australia?” so for the benefit of UK couples getting married in Australia and vice versa, I have dedicated the following blog post to cover the main points of difference between each countries wedding traditions and formalities.

Neil and Jas at their wedding at Shendish Manor in the UK

Firstly to set the scene, my brother and his girl married in a beautiful old Manor House in Hemel Hempstead near London called ‘Shendish Manor’. The property sits on 160 acres of immaculately kept gardens, including a gazebo, golf course and 70 hotel rooms providing an abundance of photo opportunities and convenience for the guests.

This venue is licensed for civil ceremonies, bringing me to my first point of difference:

Where weddings can take place:

UK Wedding venues need to be licensed to conduct civil ceremonies, and in the UK you can only marry with a roof over your head.

As Registered Celebrants in Australia we are authorised to perform weddings ANYWHERE in Australia, and no ‘licensed venue’ or roof is required.

Weddings have taken place on top of Brisbane’s Story Bridge and Jamie has even performed a wedding in a terminal of Brisbane’s airport, a quirky choice of venue chosen by the couple as that was where they shared their first kiss!

The special day arrived and with much excitement a convoy of guest vehicles all pulled up at the venue and we made our way across the crunchy stone driveway to check in to our hotel rooms.

The bride and groom had booked a wing of the building that comprised of a room where the ceremony would take place. This room opened out to a lounge and bar area which joined on to the reception room. This was really great for early guests as it meant they could mingle in the lounge area, enjoy a sneaky pre wedding drink at the bar or simply take in the amazing old building which was full of character.

As Celebrants we were particularly interested in seeing how the ceremony was conducted, what really surprised us was this:

2. Being able to choose a Celebrant

In the UK you do not have a choice of Celebrant, you are assigned 2 Wedding Registrars on the day, one will present and do the talking while the second one will verify that the ceremony and documentation have met the legal requirements. We were interested to see them actually using an old fashioned ink stamp on their paperwork.

It is also worth mentioning that in the UK you can not book your Wedding Registrars any sooner than 1 year before your special day. While planning her wedding my super organised sister in law called the office at the earliest possible date, 1 year out for their wedding date, only to be told there were only 2 time slots still available that day, neither were the time they had planned to have their ceremony, but they quickly snapped up the better of the 2 time slots and locked it in.

Thankfully they were yet to have their invitations printed and the venue were able to work with the earlier ceremony time.

In Australia as with your other wedding vendors you have a choice of Celebrants, you can be as specific as you like with the kind of Celebrant you would like, many of our clients secure Jamie as their Celebrant as they envisage having a younger male Celebrant perform their ceremony.

In respect of the legal requirements there were a lot of similarities but one thing that that we did notice was that the first words that the bride and groom were to say:

3. Legal Wording

During a UK wedding the bride and groom have to verbally state that there is no legal impediment to their marriage

In Australia, this is not mentioned in the ceremony, instead before the ceremony takes place the bride and groom complete legal paperwork known as the ‘declaration’ stating there is no legal impediment to them marrying each other.

Interestingly the other required legal wording which we know as the Monitum and the mandatory vows are very similar almost word for word to that of ours in Australia.

4. Having a choice of ceremony wording

In the UK as the local registers come along to deliver the ceremony (as opposed to Celebrants like we have here in Australia), it was interesting to hear that generally they are provided with a ceremony script, or a choice of script a, b and c without the option to edit this or share your own story. Also for civil weddings in the UK there can be absolutely no religious connotations or references, one couple told us how they wanted the instrumental version of Robbie Williams ‘Angels’ as one of their ceremony songs, however this wasn’t allowed for this reason.

In Australia Marriage Celebrants give you freedom to choose, plan, design, edit or even write segments of your own ceremony. Personally we love creating ceremonies that are about our couples, and the bond they share. We specialise in non-religious weddings, however occasionally our couples indicate that they would like to include some religion such as a reading or prayer which we are only too happy to accommodate and include in their ceremony. We also don’t have any restrictions on what ceremony music couples choose, anything goes!

5. Photographing the marriage certificate

In the UK it is a legal requirement that the actual marriage certificate that the bride and groom can sign must not be photographed. So a secondary ‘mock’ certificate is provided for the purpose of photos.

In Australia, there is no legal restrictions on photographing the marriage certificate or any part of the wedding for that matter. That said photographers generally exercise discretion with publishing images from the marriage register as we all have a duty to protect our clients privacy and a lot of personal information of the couple is contained here, besides the couples certificate is a lot more photogenic!

6. Throwing of Confetti or Petals

In the UK they generally don’t allow rose petals or similar to be thrown as soon as the couple exit down the aisle much to my disappointment after I had torn the bouquet of roses I had bought my Mum a few days earlier to shreds! Mainly because weddings tend to take place indoors. Instead these are usually thrown as the couple exit the building or during their group photo.

In Australia, well particularly in Queensland where the vast majority of civil weddings take place outside the guests can throw rose petals as soon as the bride and groom make their exit as husband and wife, and likewise the flower girl can sprinkle petals down the aisle in front of the bride.

It is also worth mentioning that different ceremony venues have different rules and as a general rule confetti and rice is not favoured in QLD, flower petals or bubbles are generally preferred however it is always worth checking with your venue as they all have their own requirements.

After the ceremony concluded all the guest enjoyed a cocktail hour drink, while the typical cocktail hour drink in the UK is Pimms, this bride and groom choose warm mulled wine, a great choice of a cool winters day.

We all proceeded to head outside for group and family photos, while it was a lovely clear day especially with it being winter, it was cold! Brrr. The Photographer who had over 20 years experience shooting weddings in the UK was very mindful to direct guests back indoors as soon as she had finished with them before they started shivering!

7. Bar Tab/ Drinks at weddings

Typically in the UK several bottles of red and white will be provided on each table for the guests to enjoy while they dine. After which guests are responsible for purchasing their own drinks from a cash bar.

At weddings in Australia, there is generally a bar tab up to a set amount or a drinks package provided by the venue, with either selected drinks or all drinks available for guests.

8. Wedding Speech Wager

Finally I thought I would share this British wedding tradition with you, the wedding speech wagers involve everyone on your table placing a bet on the duration of the speeches from the first word of the first speaker to the last word of the last speaker, everyone notes their estimated time on a piece of paper, and places a couple of pounds on a glass, the winner or closest too takes all, it’s a great ice breaker for the table and fun too, especially if you win!

In summary I think it’s fair to say that while there are more tradition and formalities around civil weddings in England compared to civil weddings here in Australia, these traditions are also what make these weddings special and so fitting to the beautiful old buildings where these weddings take place. We loved every moment of this special day and were honored to be guests at this wedding.

Congratulations Jas and Neil x

If you enjoyed hearing about the differences between UK and Australian weddings 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.

Deciding when to get married in Brisbane

on October 3, 2013 · 4 Comments

Deciding when to get married in Brisbane

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

So you’ve decided on a Brisbane wedding but you are unsure which month to have your wedding? Brisbane is such a great city to get married in, with over 300 days of sunshine and clear blue skies every year it’s no surprise outdoor weddings are so popular here in Brisbane.

Some couples choose the anniversary of the day they met or started dating to set their wedding date, others choose from their date from the dates available at their dream wedding venue.

While anytime is a good time to marry in Brisbane, here are a few ideas that may assist you with deciding when to wed.

January – Start the new year off with a bang by tying the knot on new years day, or let the celebrations continue over the long weekend with an Australia day wedding. Don’t forget humidity is high at this time of year, as is the risk of storms, so make sure you have a wet weather back up option for your ceremony.

February – Celebrate your commitment during the month of romance with a Valentines day wedding, perhaps take a trip down the river on a gondola to add to the romance on the day.

March/ April – Make the most of your time with family and friends by letting the celebrations continue over the Easter weekend

May/ June/July – Enjoy your wedding during the cooler months with the lowest rainfall and perfectly clear blue skies

August – The Ekka show lights up at night and makes a great backdrop for wedding photos on the bridge, or if you’re game why not have a little fun and jump on a ride or 2 dressed as bride and groom! Nearby wedding venues include Victoria Park Golf complex, Mirra and Cloudland.

September – Late September the jacaranda trees begin to bloom creating an amazing backdrop for wedding ceremonies and for wedding photos.

The Riverfire festival also takes place at this time of year with a huge fireworks display taking place over the Brisbane river. Some of the best vantage points where you and your guests can enjoy the spectacular fireworks show, also coincide with being some of Brisbane’s most popular wedding venues, including the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Cliffs Cafe, Riverlife, the Penthouse Suite at Quay West, Stamford Plaza, the Marriott Hotel, Mr & Mrs G’s and Venice Cafe on Eagle Street Pier, to name but a few.

October – The jacaranda trees are in full bloom, why not say your ‘I do’s’ beneath a huge old jacaranda tree in the Brisbane City Botanical Gardens on a carpet of purple flowers, or take a romantic stroll through the gardens for your wedding photo shoot, between your ceremony and reception.

November – Peonies! One of the most loved wedding flowers (and also Cara’s favourite) are in season. Many floral devotees will choose their wedding month around the time that their favourite flowers are in season.

December – Have a New Years Eve wedding and start the new year as husband and wife! Don’t forget humidity is high at this time of year, as is the risk of storms, so make sure you have a wet weather back up option for your ceremony.

If you enjoyed this article helping you choose when to get married in Brisbane, 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.

Wedding ideas – The First Look

on May 25, 2013 · 6 Comments

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

One of the many awesome things about having a civil wedding ceremony is how much you can personalise your ceremony to reflect you as a couple. Couples are increasingly shifting away from the traditional wedding and creating their own unique special day making it even more enjoyable.

The first look is an increasingly popular wedding ceremony trend amongst our couples and we love the idea!

The First Look also sometimes referred to as the ‘reveal’ steps away from the tradition of the groom seeing his bride for the first time as she walks down the aisle and instead, the groom see’s the bride for the very first time in the presence of just the photographer (or perhaps with the bridal party present too). The photographer then captures the grooms genuine reaction and expression when he sees his beautiful bride for the very first time.

Benefits of the first look:

As the groom is in a relaxed environment and not nervously waiting for the ceremony to commence whilst surrounded by a hundred or so guests, he is more likely to really express his genuine emotion filled reaction. This reaction is usually one of ‘WOW’ or he may even shed a tear or two of joy, all perfectly captured by the ‘at the ready’ photographer.
Traditionally at weddings, the location shoot takes place after the wedding ceremony and group photos have finished and the photographer whisks the couple and perhaps their bridal party away for photos. However with the first look, the couples location shoot usually continues from the moment of the reveal. The benefit of this schedule is that the couple are not separated from their guests after the ceremony and can continue on with the guests to the reception and enjoy the celebrations.
The first look shoot adds another dimension and captures a truly special moment for your wedding album.
As the location shoot has already taken place, the ceremony usually leads straight on to the reception, this generally allows you to have your ceremony a little later than normal, most of our ‘first look’ couples opt for a 4pm or 5pm ceremony (instead of the traditional 2pm or 3pm ceremony time), or if you time it right, a sunset wedding ceremony- Divine!
The later ceremony time works great for the guests as they aren’t waiting while you are on your shoot and also great for the couple as it detracts the need to organise and provide food, drinks and entertainment during this ‘in between’ time.
As Celebrants, we really notice how much the ‘first look’ shoot really calms the nerves of our ‘expecting to be super nervous’ brides and grooms. As they have already shared special moments, and fun on their photo shoot together it allows them to really relax and enjoy their own special connection throughout the ceremony, we just love witnessing that beautiful connection as they become husband and wife.

If you enjoyed hearing about wedding first looks 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.

In Love with the SURPRISE wedding

on May 20, 2013 · 4 Comments

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

This surprise wedding was such a success and full of so much happiness, excitement and emotion I felt so inspired to jump on the blog and tell you about the exciting and fun surprise wedding I performed. I have intentionally included lots of little details to take in to consideration for anyone planning a surprise wedding.

Before I go on to tell you about the engagement party come surprise wedding that I performed, I have summarised what I believe are some of the key points that enabled this couples surprise wedding to be a success:

The couple sent engagement party invitations to all their guests which stated the time as ‘4pm sharp’ unbeknown to the guests the secret ceremony was scheduled to commence at 6pm, this gave a generous 2hr time slot to allow for any guests that may have been running late, and prevented any guests from missing the ceremony.
The couple kept the surprise very close. Only a very small select few people were ‘let in’ on the secret, it was even a surprise to the brides father who was told by the bride just minutes before the wedding took place. The less people you tell about a ‘surprise’ wedding, the more impact the surprise will have.
The outfit change. The couples engagement party theme was ‘Black and White with a splash of colour’ so the room was filled with a sea of black and white with some cheerful bright colours thrown in to the mix, the fiancé (or secretly the groom) wore black with a little electric blue on the pocket and the fiancée (or secretly the bride) wore a black cocktail dress teamed with a fabulous pair of electric blue pumps, which would have thrown any suspecting guests off the scent. Just before the ceremony was scheduled to start she slipped out the back to staff quarters and changed in to a gorgeous white number, but more on that later…..
Having the brides sister Emma, who happens to be the amazingly organised Wedding and Events Manager at the Port Office/ Fix Restaurant & Wine Bar on hand was also a huge asset and enabled the couple to pull off the surprise with military precision. While not everyone has their very own ‘Emma’ or Wedding Coordinator on hand, perhaps you know of someone that works in the wedding industry or is simply super organised and attentive to detail that you could enlist to help coordinate the surprise ceremony.
Having the vendors on board: As the Celebrant I slotted in well as a guest, the photographers were coworkers from the real estate agents where the groom works so as friends of the couple no one thought twice about them being there capturing images of their ‘engagement party’, and the band ‘Benjam’ executed their role to a T, they delivered the arrival of the bride song ‘Pachelbel’s Canon’ immaculately and right on cue. After the signing took place and the photographers and guests had their photos of the happy couple with their marriage certificate, just one glance and a little nod from me to Benjam at the other side of the room and they instantly faded out their song ready for me to declare the happy couple husband and wife for the very first time.
Last but certainly not least the wonderful connection and amount of love between the bride and groom was so incredible that their happiness and the happiness of everyone present for them, lit up the room creating an incredible atmosphere that I wish I could have bottled a little and taken it with me, not that I would know what to do with it!

Justine and Andrews Surprise Wedding at Fix Restaurant & Wine Bar, Brisbane City

Justine is super lucky to have Brisbane’s amazing award winning Wedding and Functions Manager, Emma as her sister. Emma was the Wedding Coordinator at Mt Ommaney Hotel for many years and to say she was loved by all her brides was an understatement, she won many bridal industry awards and not surprisingly when the Wedding and Functions Coordinator role arose at the Port Office Hotel, they snapped Emma up and in my opinion they scored well!

A couple of months ago Emma got in touch with me to see if I was available to perform her sisters wedding, I was extremely flattered that of the hundreds of Celebrants Emma has seen in action she thought of me for her sisters surprise wedding, I was thrilled that I was available and excited about being ‘in’ on the surprise.

Shortly after I met with Justine and Andrew, we completed the legal paperwork, I cited the necessary ID and we proceeded to discuss the kind of ceremony they would like which was simple and meaningful, not too long and light hearted with a little humour. They shared their amazing ‘chance meeting’ story with me and it felt so significant to their relationship I encouraged them to include this in their ceremony (which to the enjoyment of their guests I’m glad to report they did!).

We also talked about how we would pull off the surprise, as a Celebrant at a surprise wedding you need to have an alias, so we agreed I would pose as a co-worker of Emma’s if anyone asked (which thankfully for me they didn’t).

Shortly after we met I emailed the first draft of their customised ceremony to them, they decided to review this over a glass or 2 of wine during a weekend away in Melbourne, clearly the fresh Melbourne air and Sauvignon worked a treat as the ceremony that came back to me included such a brilliantly written story of how they met, their story is both funny and sweet. They also decided to write their own vows and did an equally fantastic job with this, they wrote 3 vows each to say to each other in turn. In line with their ceremony, their vows were also sweet, meaningful and funny!

Before we knew it their wedding day was here! Or their engagement party day as their guests believed. for a Celebrant a surprise wedding is super exciting, being one of the select few in on the surprise means keeping the secret close and also being really careful to keep the wedding documents (which would normally be neatly placed on a signing table), hidden well away. Luckily for me I didn’t have the task of sneaking my PA system in as the seriously awesome band ‘BenJam’ kindly let me use their cordless mic and I was super spoilt to have them on hand to adjust my volume and sound if necessary.

I arrived at the Port Office and got a great car park just outside, I didn’t want to arrive too early so I read through the ceremony a couple of times in the car before heading in. As soon as I walked through the door the wonderful atmosphere that I can only describe as ‘happiness’ hit me. Justine and Andrew are 2 really lovely people (with a cheeky sense of humour) that have chosen to have a surprise wedding as they simply want to be married. It is no surprise to me that 2 lovely people would be surrounded by such a vibrant, high spirited group of family and friends. Andrew spotted me as soon as I walked through the door, he was cheerful and surprisingly very relaxed for a groom to be (yes grooms get nervous too!)

He called Justine over and we greeted each other as if I was a guest, I was conscious not to say too much and we briefly spoke almost in code as very few people knew what was about to happen, and I had no idea who did or didn’t know. Emma popped up and being the super organised person she is (she uses differently terminology but I won’t go there!) she kept me posted on how the surprise was going to be executed and I joined her husband and the very few friends that were ‘in the know’ at a cocktail table.

Fix Restaurant and Wine Bar looked breath taking, with an amazing LED tree provided by Creative Loop which provided a unique glowing back drop for the ceremony. I introduced myself to the band ‘Benjam’ I had spoken to Benjam a couple of days prior to confirm microphone arrangements and they were very accommodating. I could instantly see he was equally as excited about the upcoming surprise as I was and he had every little detail covered.

A minute before the ceremony was set to start, Emma got on the microphone and introduced herself. She stated that speeches were about to commence.

Andrew casually wondered up and said “Do you need me up here?”

Emma replied “Yeah, I guess it’s your engagement party, so I guess you’ll be doing a speech too”

Then came the cue a select few of us were waiting for from Emma “Where’s Justine? Has anyone seen Justine?”

Right on cue the band played Pachelbel’s Canon, the doors at the back of room flew open and Justine who had changed from a black cocktail dress in to a cute white knee length sleeveless white dress, walked through the door on her Dads arm. The most amazing simultaneous gasp of over 100 guests filled the room. I got goose bumps and I’m pretty sure Andrew did too, perhaps along with a little nerves finally kicking in.

As Justine walked down the aisle towards her groom their eyes locked and smiles spread across their faces. In keeping with the surprise Justine only told her father what was about to happen, a few minutes before the ceremony took place, beaming with happiness when they reached where Andrew was stood, he gave his daughter and her groom to be a group hug. Justine handed the single long stem red rose she was holding to her father then he stepped to the side.

The music faded out and I introduced myself as a Registered Civil Marriage Celebrant, I then caught Justines fathers eye and asked “who gives this woman to be married to this man” proudly smiling (and still taking in what was actually happening), he replied “from a very surprised father, I do”.

The ceremony proceeded and the guests roared with laughter at the funny story of how Justine and Andrew met. They exchanged the sweet and funny vows they had written for each other and following the mandatory legal wording, I announced them as husband and wife to which the applause and cheers of their 100 guests filled the room!

I stepped to the side out of shot and they shared their first kiss as husband and wife while what looked like a sea of paparazzi of guests on the front row captured the moment.

I called the witnesses over to sign the marriage certificates, once these had all been signed I leaned over to the newlyweds and excitedly said “You’re Married!” to which Andrew fist pumped the air their witnesses cheered and they shared a celebratory kiss. After introducing them as Mr & Mrs to their guests, the room filled with cheering and applause once again (giving me goose bumps again!) and their ecstatically happy and super surprised guests proceeded to congratulate them.

The night was a huge success, they went from being engaged to being married and they succeeded to keep the surprise wedding a surprise and the atmosphere was that of a true celebration. I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to be a part of this special day and with the amount of love between Justine and Andrew I know they have such a wonderful future ahead of them.

If you enjoyed hearing about this exciting surprise wedding ceremony 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.

Tips to ensure a professional Celebrant experience

on May 17, 2013 · 5 Comments

Tips to ensure a professional Celebrant experience

With Brisbane City Celebrants

We are genuinely passionate about being professional Marriage Celebrants, so we have dedicating our very first blog submission to providing some helpful tips to assist couples with choosing the right Celebrant for them and some pointers on how to avoid some of the common issues couples experience with some Celebrants.

This could potentially be some of the best advice you will hear to ensure you dream wedding is exactly that.

Getting the Names right: One of the worst Celebrant horror stories we have heard about is Celebrants not getting the couples names correct, or using the wrong persons name in the ceremony. This is absolutely not acceptable and could potentially jepordise the legalities of a marriage. This is easily avoided if the couple simply requests to see (approve) a final draft of the ceremony that will be read on the day.

By viewing the final draft this also prevents the issue of the Celebrant reading the wrong ceremony which is what happened to one Brisbane bride. Her Celebrant read a completely different ceremony to the one they had chosen and didn’t include the reading the brides best friend was expecting to present (while I won’t disclose the Celebrants name I can assure you it was neither of us!). Before we became Celebrants, we happened to be present when Jamies brother and fiancée met with their Celebrant, the bride to be’s only request was that there were no ‘obeys’ in the ceremony, low and behold as the ceremony took place and the couple went to repeat their vows after the Celebrant, I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard her repeating that she will obey him etc. While the Celebrant in question may have needed to work on his listening skills (and perhaps his ceremony writing skills), again, this could have easily been avoided if a final ceremony had been proof read/ approved by the couple.

What we do: At Brisbane City Celebrants we LOVE being Celebrants and we would never jeopardise our clients special day, we provide couples with the initial draft of their ceremony (usually within days of the initial meeting), we encourage changes to be made and the couples own ‘love story’ to be included, several drafts of the ceremony my go back and fourth and we ensure couples ideas are incorporated. Finally, we always provide our couples with their finalised ceremony for them to confirm before the special day.

2. Dress code: If you haven’t already done so confirm the dress code with the Celebrant (e.g. let them know if it’s formal so they know to suit up)

What we do: Typically Jamie wears a freshly dry cleaned tailored business suit and Cara always wears a business suit or dress but more importantly we check with our clients what is appropriate, occasionally we dress it down a little at the couples request for example for surprise weddings when we are posing as guests.

3. The Kiss: The first kiss as a married couple is a moment in time that you will treasure and an image that the photographer will be keen to capture, most couples prefer not to have the Celebrant awkwardly floating in the middle of this special photo. Just in case they are unaware of this etiquette, we suggest you kindly check with (or ask) your Celebrant to step out of the way for when the kiss takes place.

What we do: If the couple have requested that we are stood with them for the ceremony, we simply step to the side out of the frame before the kiss takes place allowing the photographer to snap away as the guests applaud in excitement!

If you are looking for a professional Brisbane Celebrant for your wedding ceremony we would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.