The Celebrants Network Inc - BLOG

The 8th of August is Dying to Know Day - a day to start a conversation about death and dying.  We tend to avoid talking about death, grief and loss despite this being something that affects all of us.  Dying to Know Day encourages us to talk with our loved ones about death and to learn how to support others who are bereaved. Today's blog has been written by TCN Member, Melanie Lawson from Oberon, NSW.

There are so many very good reasons to tell or record your life story, and a great way to express this is in a photo book. A beautiful book that tells the story of your life in words and photos. Written by Celebrant, Leslie Ridgeway from Ocean Grove, Victoria

Goodbye 2021 – this time last year we hoped you would behave far better than 2020 and you really let us down.  We can only hope that you will tell 2022 that we are ready for improvements.  Our esteemed Association Chairperson, Sonia Collins reminisces about this past year...

In 2023 we will be celebrating 50 years of a civil celebrant program in Australia.  In today’s blog celebrant Sonia Collins gives a brief history of the program as part of our celebrations for World Celebrants Week 2021.

Should you write your own wedding vows?  For so many couples, this is not an easy question to answer... but never fear, Celebrant Melissa Jones from Goulburn, NSW is helping us to navigate through.

Well... Congratulations! You have just got engaged, you might be wearing shiny new rings, and you have a wedding to plan. Celebrant Leslie Ridgeway is going to take you through the basics of getting married.

Have you just become a celebrant or are thinking about embarking on that journey?  Registered Celebrant and member of The Celebrants Network, Leslie Ridgeway gives us some insights into what you need at the business end of Celebrancy.

Having celebrant buddies is really important for a number of reasons. Celebrant Susie Roberts takes us through just a few...

Ever wondered what it is like to be a Marriage Celebrant?  Celebrant and trainer, Karen Faa from Queensland explains it so well...

We are certainly living in a strange time where some of us at sometime this year have been or will be denied access to our loved ones when they are sick, dying or have passed away.  Today we have Celebrant Susanna Jose from Canberra, ACT sharing her own personal story...

Part of you membership with The Celebrants Network includes an entry into our Celebrant Directory. Have you kept yours up to date? What about your phone?  Are you using it to its full potential?  Celebrant Susie Roberts from Grafton, NSW is asking us 2 questions.....

Have you been wondering how you might reaffirm your love for your partner?  What about a Vow Renewal Ceremony? Today's blog takes us through some great ideas to create a beautiful and personal ceremony - written by freelance writer and guest blogger - Harper Reid.

NSW Seniors Festival is happening during the week of 12-23 February.  The theme for this year’s festival is “Love to Celebrate”.  What a great topic for all of us at The Celebrants Network to embrace!  

In the spirit of this year’s festival, The Celebrants Network and Celebrant Mel Lawson bring you 5 things to celebrate about getting older...

Every year the Australian Burearu of Statistics puts out all the stats from the data collected from the year before... so we're always 12 months behind, but it gives us a good information about who is getting married in Australia adn how they're going about it.

Celebrants are involved in a wide range of ceremonies, often held outside involving children, dogs, emotional family members and people taking part in rituals for the first time in their lives. What could go wrong? The answer is anything and everything!

Today we have our regular guest blogger Melanie Lawson from Oberon, NSW raising awareness of potential calamities in your ceremonies and tips on how to be prepared.

This Sunday, the 1st of September is Father’s Day across Australia.  A day to celebrate the involvement of fathers of every size and shape in the care and development of our children and the support of our families.  Today's blog is written by TCN Celebrant, Melanie Lawson from Greater Western Sydney.

Marriage is a solemn and binding relationship.  In fact, marriage celebrants are legally required to remind a couple of this during their marriage ceremony.  But a marriage ceremony doesn’t need to be all solemn and serious and while marriage celebrants aren’t stand up comedians, there are many ways to include humour in your ceremony.... Today's blog post is written by TCN Celebrant Kim Waddington.

Writing your own marriage vows?  Not sure where to begin? Today's blog is the first of two parts - written by TCN Celebrant, author and today's guest blogger, Susanna Jose from Canberra, ACT.

Becoming a celebrant has generally been a second, third or even fourth career change for some people.  Most celebrants you speak to describe their work as 'a vocation', 'a calling', or 'a real labour of love', but once you've arrived at your destination of becoming a celebrant, it's hard to turn away.   In today's blog we're introducing you to two TCN Members - Karen Dearing from Cobbitty, NSW and Katherine Sessions from Bendigo, Vic, who are sharing the stories of how they transitioned into the the world of celebrancy...

TCN Celebrant and Guest Blogger, Susanna Jose from Canberra is sharing her thoughts on what you should do to plan for your Plan B - something we should all have in place, but all hope we never have to use.....

Are you new to the celebrancy world?  Trying to become more organised? or just wondering what a celebrant does?  Check out guest blogger, Susie Roberts' list of everything a celebrant needs to plan to help keep you on track....

Timing is vital on a day as important as your wedding day.  It's a juggling act with numerous balls in the air, so having a well timed out schedule and sticking to it will help the day run smoothly. If you've planned correctly and timed it all out in advance then you be free of stress knowing that you've done everything you can and the rest is in the hands of 'whatever happens now is what happens'.

Here is why timing is vital to your wedding day...

We have birthdays, mother's day and father's day... but what about everybody else in our family?  When do we celebrate them?

Shell Brown - Mandurah, WA

Elaine Dinnigan - Perth, WA

Sonia Collins - Batemans Bay, NSW

Susie Roberts - Grafton, NSW

Fiona Hall - Central Coast, NSW

Anna Wong - Melbourne, Vic

So, you are sitting there with your budget wondering why anyone could charge that much money for less than an hour’s work? 

Without the celebrant, your wedding is just a great party. The celebrant ensures that your party is actually a wedding. 

SO, how do you budget for your celebrant? First, you need to select your celebrant, and do that based on which one feels right for you, not based on their cost. And make sure that you book the date with them, and pay your deposit. 

Then, you can work out the best way to budget for the celebrant, in the same way you would budget for your cake, your reception, the photographer, the hairdresser. 

Some celebrants will happily work with you to organise a “lay by” scheme, whilst others have a scheduled three payment option. Talk with your celebrant about the best options for both of you. 

Having your perfect celebrant perform your perfect wedding ceremony is something that you will remember for the rest of your life.

With your perfect celebrant you can create magic on your wedding day and you can find your perfect celebrant in the TCN directory by clicking here.

READ MORE about Civil Celebrants by clicking here. 

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Despite the impression you may have gained from the latest reality TV show, you are legally required to give your celebrant a completed Notice of Intended Marriage at least one month before the planned wedding, if you want to be married in Australia.

Most couples of course plan their wedding much earlier and are keen to book their celebrant well in advance, especially if they are marrying on a busy Saturday in summer or a popular date like Valentine's Day. Wedding planning is an important part of the preparation for your life together as a married couple and working with your celebrant over a period of time to design your ideal ceremony is part of the fun.

There are some very limited circumstances where the Notice period can be shortened to less than one month.  In situations such as terminal illness, immediate overseas postings and similar cases it is possible to obtain permission for an earlier wedding.  Your celebrant will be able to tell you about these rules how to go about seeking permission.

So don't be fooled into thinking that you can call up your celebrant for a wedding in the morning because you have just met the new love of your life.  It just doesn't happen like that.

Of course, if you are so madly in love that you cannot wait a month to gather your family and friends around you and declare your love to the world, you can ask your celebrant to do a "commitment ceremony" - this is what you saw on TV.  These ceremonies have absolutely no legal basis and the celebrant  makes this clear to everyone present.  Later on, if you both decide you want to marry then you can return to your celebrant, give due notice and have a legal wedding - as large or small as you wish. 

ASK A CELEBRANT - FEATURED CELEBRANT

"Sports over the years have played a major part of my life being as a player and as a committee member and I am a life member of a local football and sports club". shares Paul Watts from Perth WA.

"Over many years both family and friends have encouraged me to become a marriage Celebrant which I did and was registered in January 2010."

"I enjoy public speaking and over many years have been the Master of Ceremonies at numerous weddings, birthdays, engagement parties, funerals and various other occasions."

Read more about Paul and other celebrants in our ASK A CELEBRANT profiles and snapshots section.

This weeks featured celebrant is Lorraine Stokes from Port Stephens NSW.

I am happily married with 2 married children, one granddaughter and another grandchild on the way. I worked in the finance industry for over 30 years and during that time often did public speaking at conferences, seminars and staff nights so was reasonably comfortable standing out the front and speaking to groups of people. I left that industry 12 months ago and also moved from the Blue Mountains to the Port Stephens area so I have really had a sea change. What made me become a Celebrant was my attendance at 2 weddings within 2 months of each other both conducted by Celebrants. The first was beautiful well written and very personal the second one was over in what seemed a flash with no feeling. I felt sorry for the Groom (who was my nephew) and Bride and thought everyone deserves a beautiful wedding day, I had a number of friends and family come up to me after the second wedding and say they felt I would have done a better job of it.

From Gwen Stephenson
Celebrants & Celebrations Network Australia Civil Celebrant
Cairns Queensland.
www.rhapsodyceremonies.com.au

I recently officiated at my nephew's wedding at the beautiful Annabelle the Wedding Chapel at Sunshine Coast.  This wedding, even though I knew it would be difficult as I actually knew half of the wedding party/guests, I had no  idea it would so emotional for all concerned. 

The groom cried, the bride cried, the flower girl cried - and then everyone cried (including myself and the photographer).  Unbelievable!! 

Thank goodness we only do family weddings once in a while.    But it was my first family one and I loved every minute of it.  Doing another one for one of my Goddaughters this Saturday so that one will be interesting also.  Can't wait.  Love doing weddings.  Cheers to all my colleagues (no matter where you are) and keep up the good work.  

Our job is very important and many people rely on us.

How many of us like to be kept waiting?  I've never met anyone who did.

It has become fashionable lately to state on wedding invitations a start time, which is actually considerably different to the actual start time.  On the face of it, it sounds like a good idea; after all, we don't all have good time-keeping skills and if guests have arrived in advance of the ceremony time then they won't miss the ceremony, or will they?  Perhaps they were intending to miss the ceremony anyway and just turn up at the reception?

This weeks featured celebrant is Dianne Sherrington from Townsville North Queensland.

I have worked in the meat industry for 30 years the last 10 years was in the training program, as I have a Certificate 4 in Assessment and Workplace Training, I was conducting in a class room of up to 50 people all inductions for the new employees. Teaching new employees skills required for the task they must performed.

I feel this role has given me the opportunity to feel relaxed and confident to stand in front of a large crowd and perform my ceremonies.

Being a  Civil Celebrant means that we are creating Ceremonies of love for  people within the community.  Ceremonies that Recognise and Celebrate the milestones in a person’s life. 

It does not matter whether it is a Marriage ,  Naming,  Commitment, Anniversary, Birthday, Rite of Passage, a Funeral or Memorial, a  Ceremony attached to any  Celebration adds meaning and enables the love to be shared by all who attend.

We Celebrants love what we do;  We love being able to create meaningful and memorable ceremonies for  people;  and in the words of Leo Buscalia, “We don’t love to be loved, we love to love!”  

On the 9^th and 10^th June in Melbourne at the Amora Hotel in Richmond, there will  be the opportunity for Celebrants to join together  to share experiences, to learn, to get to know each other and to celebrate and to share the love. 

It would be wonderful to see lots of Celebrants at the conference.  To find out more about this go to:

http://www.celebrations.org.au/blog/entry/general/invitation-celebrant-conference-not-to-miss

Proudly sponsored by:

Relationships Australia

This weeks featured celebrant is Barry Blundell from Tumut, Riverina and Snowy Moutains Area.

After completing high school at Tumut NSW; I moved to Sydney where I commenced a long career with the Post Master General’s Department (later to become Telstra). I returned to my home town ten years later, as an employee of Telstra in a customer service representative role. I have become more familiar with my local area and nearby regions of New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.