The Celebrants Network Inc - BLOG

When you get married in Australia the law is that you must give notice in writing by way of lodging a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form with your celebrant/registry office/clergy at least one (1) month prior to your ceremony date.  You can lodge your NOIM up to 18 months beforehand... but why the one month wait?  Celebrant Shell Brown takes us through the ins and outs of a Shortening of Time.

5 years ago today Australia spoke out loud and proud about their want for Marriage Equality.  Celebrant, Leslie Ridgeway takes us through some stats since that historical day...

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.

It is very easy to get overwhelmed during your wedding planning, so the first thing you need to decide is are you having a wedding or are you gettng married?  Celebrant Melanie Lawson from Oberon, NSW explains why your wedding isn't a competition.

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.

If you are planning a wedding in Australia you have probably given a beach wedding at least a passing thought.  Celebrant Sonia Collins from Batemans Bay, NSW gives us a few things to consider to make sure your day is amazing....

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.

Be prepared!  That was the motto of the scouts and it is also the mantra that celebrants live by.  Our blogger today is TCN Celebrant Sonia Collins and she is talking about the ins and outs of ceremony presentation...

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...

We kiss people every day, and we generally know what's appropriate for each situation... but you know, the first kiss after the celebrant declares you married? The one with everyone watching as you lip lock in public with the cameras and videos working overtime. Yes, that kiss. That's not an everyday kiss that you will automatically know what to do. Today we're looking at what type of kiss is appropriate...

Show me the Stats

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics dated November 2016, there were 113,595 marriages registered Australia wide in 2015.

The median age for men getting married was 31.8 years and for women it was 29.8 years - both ages increased from previous years.

 Out of the couples married in 2015 31.9% were born in different countries.

13.9% were born in the same overseas country.

Civil Celebrants have overseen the majority of marriage ceremonies (since 1999) at an average across the country of 74.9%

If you would like to engage a civil celebrant for your marriage ceremony, commitment ceremony, vow renewal, baby naming ceremony or any other event that you'd like to celebrate - including memorials and life celebrations - then please contact one our fabulous TCN Celebrants

???
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 ?! 
Please use this ? link: https://www.celebrations.org.au/blog when you share. ? 

Find us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter

First of all,  what is the role of the celebrant?

The role of a civil celebrant is to:

• work with couples and families to create a beautiful, meaningful ceremony that suits their style.

• witness two consenting adults entering into a legal and binding relationship.  
• complete all the legal paperwork and make sure that it is all done within the strict legal rules set in the Marriage Act of 1961. 

Here are some questions that you might consider when engaging a civil celebrant.

* ________________________________________________ *


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 ?! 

Please use this ? link: https://www.celebrations.org.au/blog when you share. ? 

Find us on Facebook & Twitter

The law in Australia at the moment is that legal marriage you must comply with these five things:

1. your relationship must be between a man and a woman

2. you must be 18 years of age or over *

3. you must not be married to anyone else

4. you cannot marry a person who is your antecedent or descendant by marriage or adoption

5. you must both be capable of and give free consent to marry the other 

If you can say yes to all five of those stipulations, then you are clear to start the getting married process with your celebrant.

Your first job, after finding your celebrant, is to complete the Notice of Intended Marriage form, commonly known as the NOIM.  Once this is filled in (your celebrant can help you) you lodge it with your celebrant.  This must be done no earlier than 18 months and no later than one whole month before your ceremony date.

Read more

If you are lucky enough to have found the one you love and they just happen to be the same sex as yourself then we are working hard to ensure that you are able to marry legally here in Australia.  However, until that time comes there are avenues in some states where you can register your union.  Click here for more information.

Why not speak to your celebrant about a Commitment ceremony or 'Betrothal' ceremony in preparation for full equality in marriage becoming legal in Australia?

Read More

* Under rare circumstances, a person between the age of 16 and 18 can marry, provided their prospective marriage partner is 18 years or over, and the couple have been granted permission by a Court as prescribed in the Marriage Act 1961.

ASK A CELEBRANT BLOG: When Rona Goold TCN Coordinator celebrated her 20th Anniversary, she sent her 'sweetie husband" Steve a personal e-card on the theme of 'Life is a bowl of cherries' - when you have a good partner, where one's joined at the heart and that they made "a good pair" with this image :-)

Steve and Rona say that knowing each other's Love Languages is one way they strengthen their relationship.

 "Fortunately 'gift giving' is not high on either of our lists, but words of affirmation and acts of service are.On receiving his e-card, Steve declared that it is really great to feel so close that neither "gives each other the pip"!" says Rona

What are your words of advice to newly weds about strengthening their marriage over time?

People sometimes say to me, why get married "it's only a piece of paper".  Is it this simple?
I think not....

 A lot of couples get caught up in the fun, glamour and frivolity of their wedding day - the dress, flowers, food and music.  It is however, the ceremony, in particular the legally binding words that are spoken by both bride and groom and the signing of the marriage documentation that is in effect the beginning of a legally binding contract, which comes with significant legal obligations and responsibilities.  Getting married changes your legal and taxation status and insurance, wills and social security status change.  Laws regarding inheritance and custody of children also come into play.  

Marriage really is one of the most important contracts one will sign in a lifetime, so perhaps this is why in Australia couples are legally required to give notice of their intended marriage to their celebrant, at least one clear month before their wedding day - a "cooling off" period perhaps?

ASK A CELEBRANT BLOG
www.celebrants.org.au

I lived in the North West of Western Australia which is a wonderful beautiful place. For myself and my family it presented opportunity for varied work and living experiences and some great memories.I’ve had the opportunity to work and study in various areas such as community agencies family support services, tourism and administration in the health industry.

Moving back to the city of Perth brought about a lot of change for my family. The more I thought about this the more

I was thinking about this question when someone recently suggested that civil ceremonies were a "cheap" option compared with the traditional church wedding.  Really nothing could be further from the true reason people choose civil ceremonies.  No matter where the ceremony is held, the cost of a wedding is determined by all the extras - dresses, flowers, photographs, cars, reception and so on, and these are usually the same whether the ceremony is civil or church.

No! The real reasons are about atmosphere and choice.  For the couple who do not have strong connections with a church, the words, music and atmosphere of a church service can be alien.  Whereas with a civil ceremony the couple can choose the time and day, their favourite location, the words and music for their ceremony and can make vows to eachother that are truly meaningful to them.  This choice leads to a happy, relaxed atmosphere in which guests can really appreciate the love and commitment that the couple are showing towards each other.  No wonder that civil marriage ceremonies, conducted by celebrants trained in both ceremonial and legal requirements, are the most popular ceremonies today.

This weeks featured celebrant is Eunice Phipps from South Brisbane QLD.

I come from a loving family background and have been married now for forty years. I have two children and four grandchildren. I have always been creative and as a twelve year old I learnt oil painting and still love to paint. For many years I have been involved in my community first teaching the art of calligraphy and then folk art which I am still actively teaching today. I have always enjoyed creative writing and have written many poems through the years, including my annual Christmas Verse.

This weeks featured celebrant is Anna Wong from Melbourne VIC.

My name is Anna Wong and I am a mother of 3, a grandmother of 3, a  registered civil celebrant, trained nurse, midwife and childbirth educator.

I was born and brought up in England, trained as a nurse and midwife in London and moved to Singapore in 1980 with my Chinese Singaporean Husband. He was a General Surgeon, I a Nurse, and, in a stereotyped manner, our eyes met over an operating table....... I founded my own health education centre called Birth & Beyond in 1985 and quickly became a leader in the field of childbirth education and parenting. I spent over 24 years educating, supporting, empowering and inspiring women and their partners through pregnancy, birth and beyond in Singapore and Indonesia. 

ASKACELEBRANT BLOG - Are you a bride or groom wondering about whether marriage is really for you? Marriage is a long term commitment. Even in a country where there is divorce, marriage carries thousands of years of expectations and hope that this is a relationship  "for life".

So what questions do you ask yourself to figure out if you are ready to take that BIG step?

Here's an article that uses no religious arguments - yet would be very much at home in many religious faiths - and what's more it is written by a bloke!

Our thanks to Seth Adam Smith for sharing his personal experiences on marriage :

http://sethadamsmith.com/2013/11/02/marriage-isnt-for-you/

Congratulations to our lovely Lyn Knorr

Lyn achieves 40 years today as civil celebrant having been appointed in Australia on 24th July 1973, the second Civil Marriage Celebrant appointed in Australia and the first  in Victoria.

Celebrants and Celebrations Network Australia - TCN is privileged to have Lyn Knorr as one of our founding TCN Inc Committee members and a TCN Life Member. 

And with some long-timers at the 40 the Anniversary last Friday of the appointment of the first Civil Marriage Celebrant, Lois D'Arcy.

Lyn shared some of her memories of the Early Days at a 2005 celebrant conference. 

We thank her for her faithful service to the Australian public and our civil celebrancy profession and wish her all the very best in the years ahead.

Stonewall UK has confirmed that Queen Elizabeth has granted royal assent to the marriage equality bill, concluding its process and officially making it law. This makes the UK the 16th country to pass marriage equality, and same-sex couples will be able to begin marrying in England and Wales by next summer.

See more:
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/07/17/2313921/marriage-equality-is-officially-law-in-the-united-kingdom/?mobile=nc

This weeks featured celebrant is Daphne Cole from Canberra ACT.

I am a Canberra mother of three, married for over 30 years. I love helping couples create a personalised service to celebrate their special wedding day.

I perform weddings, reaffirmation of vows and baby naming ceremonies in locations in and around Canberra and the NSW South Coast. I plan to continue my passion well into the future, operating from the beautiful coastal town of Tomakin.

I enjoy travelling to nearby towns to do ceremonies and think that Canberra and nearby NSW surrounds have some of the most beautiful formal and informal venues to celebrate special occasions.

I love visiting the chapels, gardens, lakes, beaches and home backyards and helping people choose the ceremony that is right for them and their situation.

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.