5 Things Series: Nicola and Murray

So, one of the best things about being an early 30’s celebrant is that most of my own good friends are about that stage in their life where we have a Wedding every couple of months, and on the 25th of May I was lucky enough to be the Celebrant for my good friends Nicola and Murray’s wedding.

There was so much to like about this wedding, but, in staying true to the theme, I have tried to boil it down to the 5 things I loved most! So here there are….

1. The Bride’s entry! In honour of the Groom’s late father, who was of Scottish heritage, Nicola entered her wedding behind a bagpiper, who played Amazing Grace. This was a surprise to most of the guests and it was truly a touching moment. I knew it was coming and it still made my spine tingle. More than a few moist eyes in the crowd!

2. Destination/Location: The Ceremony and Reception both took place at The Stables and Bendooley Estate, in Berrima, NSW. Not only is Berrima a fantastic part of the world, but the venue itself was perfect for the 100 odd crowd that made came for the celebration.

3. Food: I have given up the booze since my own wedding (going on 2 and a bit months now) and so in lieu of getting excited about the amazing wine on offer, I focussed my attention on the food. The couple went with big sharing plates for each table, ravioli, pork belly, roast lamb, salads and breads in abundance and all of it was incredible!

4. Celebration of family: The couple wanted me to reach out to their nearest and dearest to provide input into their ceremony, and it was so nice to see that most of their nominees were family members. Better still, the feedback was consistent across everyone, lovely, and absolutely positively welcoming about the new addition to each side of the family. Very touching stuff.

5. Mates: Doing your friend’s wedding means one very important thing for me (sorry this one might not give you many ideas for your own wedding but it must be mentioned) and that thing is quality time spent with some of my best mates. Given Vanessa and I moved to Melbourne a couple of years back, I don’t see my good mates as much as I used to, and weddings are a great chance to catch up with them, talk a bit of rubbish and generally just enjoy their company. Looking forward to the next one already (Brett and Tegan, September!)

Cheers guys,

Mitch

Enjoying your ceremony

Mitch here!

So, it has been a while and a lot has happened since my last blog post (I didn’t realise I had given this so little love in the last year!). Some notable things have happened:

• I got married

• I have done about 35 wedding ceremonies, of all shapes and sizes (even MC’d a few)

• We have locked in all our travel plans for our honeymoon

• Did I mention I GOT MARRIED!

So, now that I have experienced it from both I wanted to come here and drop some knowledge, specifically on how to enjoy your ceremony. Seems funny but I do see a lot of couples who seem to have a bit of apprehension about the whole ceremony thing (don’t worry, we get them past that pretty quick). Whether they are concerned about public speaking, worried about looking weird in photos, scared of tripping over, having last minute issues with their more troublesome family members etc. etc. it doesn’t really matter - there are some things we can do and important things to remember to keep you in the right mindset.

So here they are, my 4 rules for really enjoying your own Marriage ceremony…

Rule 1: Remember why you are doing this

Seems simple doesn’t it, but you would be surprised how many people start worrying about all these things that are, in reality, inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Here is a quick list of questions you might want to ask yourself if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed or stressed:

• Do I love my partner and do we have a good relationship?

• Will I be celebrating this fact with people I love today (maybe with some obligatory extras)?

• Is the celebrant going to turn up so it actually goes ahead? (answer: yes I definitely am)

• Am I looking forward to being married?

  And if you answered yes to all of these, there is only one more question:

• Can I actually control everything and anything to do with my day?

Sorry, you can’t control that oddball relative, or perpetually late running friend, or the weather. So don’t stress it too much. What you can control is your mindset, which in fact has a HUGE impact on how end up presenting yourself, and flows on to how your partner, your Bridal Party and your guests will react. This sets the tone for the day. You are not getting married to show off your event planning skills, and great taste in food and drink (though these are nice added benefits) but because you want to be married to, and you are proud of, the person you are marrying. Don’t lose sight of that.

Rule 2: Do, say, and feel whatever you want (i.e. be present)

A lot of people get nervous before their ceremony because they believe there is a certain way they need to act. It is important to remember everyone coming is just there to celebrate you, and if they know you or your partner well, there is a pretty good chance they will be happy for you no matter what you do. If you stop worrying about what you should be doing, take it all in and just react to the lovely stuff that is going on around you, you will very quickly realise what I did a long time ago.: Wedding ceremonies are freaking amazing, particularly when you are at the centre of all the positive energy and love that is going on..

Rule 3: Vows are for you and your partner

A lot of people are worried about “public speaking” at their ceremony, thinking people will judge them if their vows aren’t amazing, if they stammer, or if they cry. The truth is, your vows are for you and your partner, the crowd are just lucky enough to be there to hear it. Write and deliver your vows to your partner, not the crowd. If you know your soon-to-be-spouse well, whatever you write will be perfect to them; they will react that way, and the audience will follow. Also don’t forget rule 2: feel whatever you want to feel when delivering and receiving your vows. Take it from someone who cried the whole way through - you’ll feel amazing for being and expressing yourself vs. forcing something you aren’t, and the little stammers, or wiping of tears, or giggles you share with your love one are the moments that you will look back on fondly.

Rule 4: Trust your suppliers (definitely trust your Celebrant)

This is the last one, and very important. I was lucky enough to be married by my amazing business partner and dear friend Bridge for my big day, so I knew I was in safe hands. And, I also knew, having done a lot of ceremonies myself, that sometimes, not everything goes to plan. You know what? That is totally ok. Maybe your flower-girl cries, or the ceremony starts later than you planned, or someone’s phone goes off, or you struggle to put the ring on your partner due to shaky hands, or that place you wanted to get photos isn’t available. But I have to tell you, that while it may seem a big deal as you imagine it now, it really doesn’t matter too much (see rule 1). You will end up married, you will end up with lovely memories and photos, and if you picked your celebrant because you trust them to do a good job and your rapport with them, then trust that they will navigate all these things for you. Because they will (Bridge did for me, and I will for you).

Chur!

5 Things Series: Alexie and Tim

Two of my best mates, a couple I have had the pleasure of living with and travelling with many times in my life, got married in 2017. Tim and Lex, pulled together what many thought was a joint 30th birthday (but there were a few that reckon they knew what was going on) , given they were back in Australia briefly from their home base at the time; Bangalore, India.

Given how close I felt to both parties to this marriage, there was plenty to love about the wedding and so much I will remember for a long time to come. Boiling it down to 5 items was very hard work, but nonetheless here they are....

1. The first dance: Tim will be stoked this makes number 1 after my disparaging comments about both his fashion sense and questionable dance skills in the opening speech. Lex has been a stellar dancer since as long as I can remember and she and Tim took up swing dancing a few years back. Needless to say, their first dance was high energy, perfectly synchronised and probably will never be topped at another wedding I ever go to, ever, again.

2. The surprise itself: now a lot of people claim they knew what was going on, but I still think Lex and Tim had a few people guessing right down to the point we actually announced that their 30th Birthday speech was in fact the beginning of their wedding ceremony. It worked really well for these two as they had the perfect reason to get everyone together without having to claim it was a wedding given they are rarely together in the country. I am not saying surprise weddings are for every couple, but in this case I think it perfectly reflected Lex and Tim's vibe and laid back attitudes as well.

3. The Band: Tim and Lex hired a 3 piece band for their wedding; "Slide McBride". These guys were super fun, playing a great mix of tunes and keeping it high energy all the way through from when it was just a birthday party, post ceremony happiness, and the first dance itself. Highly recommend to anyone interested in live music for their big day.

4. The activities: leading into the ceremony there was a great spread of lawn games and activities available for guests to play. This was a great way to break down a few social barriers but also get everyone in a pretty happy, festive mood ahead of the big surprise. Bocce, Finska, the home made Slip and Slide;

5. Camping: given the wedding was on Alexie's Dad's farm out at Mittagong, there was plenty of space for guests to pitch a tent and camp out the night. This was especially convenient given the tunes didn't stop until very late in the evening and the fact a lot of us had travelled either interstate or internationally and wanted to get their drink on. If you are planning a destination type wedding - or at least one with a decent commute - I highly encourage you to help your guests find suitable accommodation.

So that is it; my top 5 for Alexie and Tim's wedding. Looking forward to their return to Australia in 2019!

5 Things Series: Charlotte and Sheldon

Charlotte and Sheldon married in Daylesford, Victoria in November 2017. For those who have been to Daylesford you can imagine just how picturesque this day would have been, and for those who haven't yet visited the region I highly recommend it!

I had the pleasure of meeting Charlotte and Sheldon via Charlotte's cousin who is a very good friend of mine. They were after a younger celebrant and luckily for me I managed to convince them I was up for the job.

So here it is, my Top 5 memorable things from Charlotte and Sheldon's wedding:

1. Family vibes: Very hard to go past Charlotte and Sheldon's 1 year old son Harry as the page-boy!! Whilst he might not have made it all the way without a last minute carry from his uncle James he certainly was an adorable addition to the ceremony! These family vibes continued across the day with a strong focus on family participation across the videos and speeches.
2. Whisky lover's dream: Sheldon is big on his whisky and cigars and he made sure to share this love with all those present at the wedding - with a manned table offering drinks and smokes in the later stages of the evening. Add to this the little single serve bourbon bottles that greeted each guest as they sat down at the reception and we certainly had a recipe for a good evening!
3. The Cake: Charlotte is a Happy Potter fanatic (points to Sheldon for making a surprise appearance as Harry during the speeches) and the cake reflected this - a very convincing stack of mystical books that looked equal parts magical and delicious.
4. Destination: The Lake House at Daylesford is a stunning venue, providing not only a tranquil background for the ceremony but beautiful event rooms for the reception as well. The service across the day was fantastic - particularly with respect to some of my last minute audio requests.
5. Live music: Charlotte and Sheldon hired two musicians for their ceremony and reception and whilst I am a big fan of the live music making way for the later parts of the reception it was a beautiful touch to have the ladies kick off both parts of the day. 

Big congratulations to Charlotte, Sheldon and of course Harry!