Ever wondered why a bride used to wear a veil or carries flowers to the marriage ceremony? Celebrant Susie Roberts takes us through some well-known wedding traditions, and the history behind them...
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Contingency Plans - How to handle unforeseen events during a ceremony
So, there you are smack bang in the middle of a ceremony and something goes wrong….what do you do. I'm sure that there are many, many more, but let’s look at just a few things that could go wrong.
Today's Blog is written by Celebrant Susie Roberts from Grafton
Rules around performing ceremonies in the heat -
what are the celebrant’s rights and responsibilities?
It's pretty hot out there at the moment and it's very important that we look after ourselves when working in the heat. Celebrant, valued member of The Celebrants Network and regular blogger, Susie Roberts is taking us through all the tips and tricks for what to do when you have an outdoor ceremony in the heat.
When your wedding plans are becoming overwhelming - remember the reason you’re getting married.
Your wedding is getting close and your nerves are becoming more frazzled. Feeling overwhelmed is becoming your new normal, and you and your fiance seem to spend all of your time consumed with wedding plans.
Sounds familiar? According to a survey by fearcourse.com
- 71% of brides-to-be suffered from some type of nerves during the build-up to their wedding
- 92% of brides experienced nerves on the day of the wedding or the evening before
- 66% reported that it affected their daily lives prior to it, or hampered their performance and enjoyment during the day itself.
These feeling of overwhelm could be caused by a number of issues in the busy lead up to your wedding.
- Budget
- Guest lists
- Seating plans
- Suppliers who don't deliver
- Disagreements over some of the wedding details
- Family pressure
- Wanting the day to be perfect.
Whatever your reasons are, perhaps it is time to take a wedding planning break, just you and your partner spending time together, just hanging out and remembering your reasons why you wanted to get married.
Taking a mini break dedicated to you as a couple is a great way to let you see the big picture, strengthen your bond, and to set a good pattern for your marriage, especially after you have kids.
Minibreaks could be an afternoon off, a weekend off, or even a whole week with wedding planning put on the back burner, while you spend time looking after your relationship. Some great mini breaks are :
- A couples massage session
- An afternoon movie session
- A romantic dinner date
- A weekend away at your favourite B and B
- Bingeing out on a whole TV series.
- A walk on the beach.
Time out is a great habit for couples to adopt, and when better to start the habit, than during the planning of your important day.
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Thank you for joining us....
?? We would love it if you would let us know what you think ?.
There is a comment section ? at the bottom ⬇ of the blog for you to do just that.
? Click on the word "Comment" and go for it!
? Don't forget to subscribe ? to this blog - the "subscribe" button is up the top of the page ⇞⇞⇞ and the blog will magically ?? appear in your email inbox ?.
Also please feel free to share ? our blog on your social media ? so we can spread the love ?!
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April is Poetry Month
Poems play a very important part in all of the ceremonies we celebrants perform.
A poem that has been carefully selected, can add a depth to your ceremony. A great poem can add a touch of humour, a gentle romantic touch, a spiritual tone or a sense of solemn respect, and so much more.
It can express a parent’s love for their child at a baby naming, a couple’s love and commitment in a wedding ceremony or renewal of vows, and showcase a life in a funeral ceremony.
The big question is, how do you selection poems. 
One really workable suggestion is to build up a collection of poems to offer your clients, and to add to the collection all of the time to keep your selections fresh and appealing.
I keep mine in different folders to make it easier to pick the best poem for the ceremony: modern love poems, classic love poems, naming poems, funeral poems, etc., and make sure that you follow the copyright laws, and always, always, always acknowledge the poet. 
Fortunately, there are lots of tools online to help.
Here are just three wedding poem lists after a quick Google search:
- The Poetry Foundation offers a small list that covers classical and offbeat poems.
www.poetryfoundation.org - Hitched has highlighted a number of wonderful poems to select from.
www.hitched.com.au - A Practical Wedding lists these “non-cheesy” poems.
apracticalwedding.com
And three funeral poetry guides :
- FamilyFriendPoems , a website dedicated to Poetry, has a great section on Funeral poetry.
www.familyfriendpoems.com - FuneralHelper has a collection of Non Religious Poetry.
www.funeralhelper.org - LastingPost has a vast number of poems and readings.
www.lastingpost.com
Naming day poems are always very personal to the parents, and often the parents have researched and selected the poem for themselves.
- PoemSource is a great place to start.
www.poemsource.com
On the Forum Board on our TCN website, there is a New Forum Topic for you as TCN members to put links to your favourite poems.
So, can you hop online, find your favourite poem and add the link to this Forum, and we will end up with a great resource section of poetry for all occasions.