Celebrants Online welcomes ...

Celebrants Online welcomes ... Ron Thomas, CMC

Ron has been a celebrant for over 20 years. He's also a founding of the Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants (AFCC). This experience means that Ron is well-suited to prepare and present your Ceremony.

For further information about Ron, visit his profile on Celebrants Online.

Celebrants Online welcomes ...

Celebrants Online welcomes ... Wendy Withers, CMC

Wendy is a Melbourne Marriage Celebrant based in Ferntree Gully but travelling across Melbourne's Eastern Suburbs and farther afield as required.

Wendy celebrates weddings & funerals and provides a professional & personal service.

For further information or to contact Wendy, click here to view her Celebrants Online profile.

Celebrants Online welcomes ...

Celebrants Online welcomes ... Noni Johnson, CMC

Noni is a Marriage Celebrant on Victoria's beautiful Great Ocean Road. Based in Aireys Inlet, Noni travels the Surf Coast celebrating weddings, namings, renewal of vows and other ceremonies as required.

For further information or to contact Noni, click here to view her Celebrants Online profile.

Becoming a Marriage Celebrant

Since the Australian Government changed the rules for becoming an authorised Marriage Celebrant, the number of such Celebrants has increased exponentially, from about 3,000 to 13,000 (approximate figures).

If that doesn't worry you, and you're keen to enter the world of Marriage Celebrancy, then your first stop should be the website of the Attorney-General, specifically the page that has all the up-to-date information about becoming a celebrant.

On this page you'll find background information about being a Marriage Celebrant, with some facts & figures that may give you cause to reconsider, information about required qualifications and the application process.

If you have decided that this path is for you ... Good Luck!

Eternity by Aileen Guirnela

Celebrants Online welcomes ...

Celebrants Online welcomes ... Tracey Patterson, CMC

Tracey loves her job as a Marriage & General Celebrant & travels throughout Central Victoria to celebrate Ceremonies. The Daylesford / Hepburn region is Tracey's home base, but she is happy to travel to your Ceremony location.

For more information about Tracey and the services she offers, view her profile on Celebrants Online.

Marriage equality videos

Came across this blog post a few days back, 'The ten best marriage equality videos from around the world'.

Videos from Ireland, Australia, Canada, and the US speak eloquently about love, commitment, relationship, and family. Whether you have an opinion on this topic or not, why not take a few minutes to view one or two (or all!) of the videos. It surely can't hurt.

Source - ABC News website

Robbie Fincham - Featured Marriage Celebrant

Melbourne Marriage Celebrant ~ Boronia Wedding Celebrant
 

 

Based in Melbourne's outer east, servicing Melbourne metro, the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley region

 

2012 Gold Rose Celebrant & Secretary of the Civil Celebrations Network, Inc.

Hi, I'm Roberta, but everyone calls me 'Robbie'.

 

I'd never considered a career in celebrancy until my Father passed away 6 years ago. I found it extremely gratifying working with the funeral celebrant in the planning of his funeral. It was one of those 'lightning bolt' moments when I just knew that celebrancy was the meaningful career I had been looking for all my life. I have never looked back.


A wedding ceremony still holds the excitement, optimism and wonder today, as it always has. To be asked to be a part of this special event in a couple's lives, is indeed an honour. I can honestly say I just 'LOVE' meeting with couples and families and helping them plan their ceremony; one that tells their story, their hopes and dreams.



Robbie Fincham, CMC with Jessica & Shane at Chateau Wyuna

I listen carefully to my couples so I understand what's important to them. My aim is to translate their wishes into the 'ceremony of their dreams'.

The marriage ceremony marks an important rite of passage; moving from single to married. It has the potential to be a very powerful occasion. It shouldn't be just a few obligatory words thrown together before the reception party. Paying attention to all the little details can turn an ordinary ceremony into an extraordinary one.

There is no particular ceremony I've officiated at which stands out in my mind, as all ceremonies have been memorable in their own way. They were created with joy and pleasure and reflect the people for whom they were written. It is my endeavour, for every couple that entrusts me with facilitating their wedding ceremony, to exceed their expectations.

Robbie Fincham, CMC with Michelle & Darren at Healesville

To all my couples; past, present and future, I say 'Thank You' for allowing me the privilege of sharing this significant day in your lives.

Robbie Fincham, CMC with Kristy & Luke at Coldstream

Marriage = COURAGE

Sometimes getting married takes courage. Inter-faith, mixed race, same-sex, & disabled-able bodied couples often face obstacles to their relationships. In many of these situations, couples have to dig deep and tap in to their internal reserves of resilience, personal strength and courage.

In Srebrenica, an inter-faith couple has done just that. Almir Salihovic & Ducisa Rendulic have been a couple since mid 2010. Since getting together they've been blessed with a son, Jusuf.

What's unusual about this couple is that Almir is Bosnian Muslim and Ducisa is Serb-Croat Catholic. In a country riven by ethnic and religious hatred in the 1990's during the Bosnian War, inter-faith marriage has virtually died out.

Before the War, inter-faith marriages made up about 33% of all marriages in the country. After the war, in which Serbian soldiers slaughtered the male Muslim population of Srebrenica, the collective psyche just couldn't stomach inter-faith marriage. There was too much simmering hatred, too much pain, too much grief.

But now, 17 years after the war ended, a young couple is ready to test the waters. In announcing their pending wedding, Almir & Ducisa are putting themselves out there. They're risking social isolation, retribution, employment difficulties and worse. But they're willing to give it a go - for each other and for their son.

Now, that's what I call 'COURAGE'! Read more about Ducisa & Almir here.

Almir Salihovic, Ducisa Rendulic & Jusuf                 Source

 

Celebrants Online welcomes ...

Celebrants Online welcomes ... Andrea Campbell, CMC & Melissa Fahey, CMC

Andrea is a Marriage Celebrant based on the stunning Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. She is a vibrant, young celebrant who can assist you in creating your dream wedding ceremony, committment, naming or renewal of vows ceremony.

View Andrea Campbell's Celebrants Online profile here.












Based in Newport, Melissa provides a ceremony service throughout Melbourne & suburbs. Getting to know a couple or family in order to provide a unique, personalised wedding, commitment or naming ceremony, is just a part of what Melissa does.

For further information, view Melissa Fahey's Celebrants Online profile.





 

Marriage celebrant matters

The Department of the Attorney-General, Marriage Law & Celebrants Section has produced a newsletter for Marriage Celebrants, Marriage celebrant matters.

In this first edition of the newsletter, Marriage Celebrants will find information about:

• Reforms to the Marriage Celebrants Program
• New resources for Marriage Celebrants
• Ongoing professional development
• Outcome of the last CoCA meeting
• New Guidelines on the Marriage Act 1961 for Marriage Celebrants
• FAQs

Celebrants Online welcomes ...

Celebrants Online welcomes ... Gail Nagel

Gail is a Marriage Celebrant & Justice of the Peace based in the beautiful Blue Mountains in NSW.

Appointed in 2004, Gail travels throughout Sydney and farther afield to celebrate ceremonies. For further information, view Gail's profile on Celebrants Online.

Location, location, location

I'm obviously a wimp at heart. I read this story and thought, "Why would you do it?" Although, I can (sort of) understand with Bob & Antonie - both are fit, avid climbers and climbing seems to run through their veins and those of other family members. So, it was a challenge, but it was also significant in that it was where Bob proposed to Antonie. And the wedding photos ARE stunning!

But what's with this craze about trashing your wedding dress by having your wedding photos taken in dangerous locations and potentially deadly circumstances. I truly can't understand that! And Maria Pantazopoulos' family and friends and recently bereaved husband are probably questioning the craze too. Ms Pantazopoulos drowned while participating in a shoot at Dorwin Falls, north of Montreal.

Read what 'M' at Style Sizzle has to say. She sums it up pretty well I think.

Floating dress by Aaron Barker from Flickr Creative Commons

Same sex marriage in Tas & NZ?

It's looking increasingly likely that both Tasmania & New Zealand will soon be legislating in favour of same-sex marriage.

In NZ, the Marriage Equality Bill passed its first reading in Parliament by 80 votes to 40. Prime Minister John Keys expects debate to be "quite ferocious" despite the early, easy win. The Bill has now been sent to a select committee to take public submissions

In Tasmania, the Same-Sex Marriage Bill, 2012 has successfully passed its first major challenge, winning passage through the Lower House on a vote of 13 to 11. With Parliament in recess for 3 weeks, the Bill must wait to be put to a vote in the Upper House. While not assured of safe passage through the Upper House, Premier Lara Giddings and other supporters are hopeful that it will pass.

And, in Northern Ireland the Alliance Party's ruling council has spoken out in favour of allowing same-sex civil marriage, while in Scotland, robust discussion on this same topic has been occurring over the past 6 months. And with Scotland's Parliament resuming after the summer break, and with a marriage equality bill on the table, it looks increasingly likely that Scotland will be the UK forerunner in legislating for same-sex marriage.

France is also joining the same-sex marriage party, where it's Parliament will soon be considering a marriage equality bill to be introduced by the Prime Minister & supported by the President.

by Michael Daddino from Flickr Creative Commons

Relationship preparation for couples

Family Relationships Online is an initiative of the Australian Government. The website is a place where families - whether together or separated - can find information and advice about relationships and associated issues.

Whether it's pre-marriage education, communication, building trust, dispute resolution or parenting issues, there are links to external agency websites, government websites and general information that will assist.

Pre-marriage education is an important part of family relationships education. Having some sort of idea about what you're getting yourself in to is probably a good idea for both parties. Some of the major issues that pre-marriage education may deal with are:

• finances
• children
• religious beliefs
• family issues
• conflict management

Having some idea of your partner's thoughts and stance in these areas is vitally important prior to actually getting married! An interesting article in the Straits Times shows that marriage preparation eudcation is taken seriously by many couples in Singapore.

Maryanne Sterling ~ Featured Marriage Celebrant

Melbourne Marriage Celebrant ~ Hoppers Crossing Wedding Celebrant

One of my goals in life was that of someday becoming a Civil Marriage Celebrant.

As my children grew up, I found that I had time to myself which allowed me to do the required course.

I love being with people from all walks of life and creating a ceremony that is designed especially for them, one that reflects their personalities. From the traditional service to a specific themed wedding I will work with the couple to ensure that their wedding is every thing they dreamed it would be and as stress free as possible.

I can provide couples with a wide range of ceremonies to suit them and also help them to create their own unique style. Some of the themes and sub ceremonies I have used in weddings have been sand ceremonies, rose, candles, cultural, medieval, releasing of doves, ring warming and the list goes on.

My services also go beyond marriage ceremonies. I also offer Renewal of vows, or Reaffirmation of vows, Commitment ceremonies, Namings and Major birthdays and Anniversaries.

Melanie & Kenan with Maryanne Sterling, CMC & husband

Chelsea & Karl with Maryanne Sterling CMC, & husband, Allan 

Maryanne Sterling, CMC celebrates the wedding of Leayane & Ian

I can honestly say that I do not have a single ceremony that stands out more than the rest. They have all been very enjoyable experiences. I travel to where I am needed even interstate. Weddings can be as simple as in my own garden, in a marquee or as glamorous as a 5 star reception room, each wedding ceremony is just as exciting and memorable.

Celebrants Online welcomes ...

Celebrants Online welcomes ... Wendy Scott.

Wendy is a Melbourne Marriage Celebrant, servicing Berwick and the outer Eastern suburbs of the city.

Wendy is happy to travel to be of service to marrying couples. View Wendy's profile on Celebrants Online for more information.

What's in a name - hers, his, yours, mine?

You're getting married. So, whose name will it be?

Once upon a time, this question didn't exist. Women automatically, with no thought or concern, adopted their husband's last name as their own. It was expected. It was the norm. Going against this norm would have had you labelled 'different', 'odd', 'feminist' and had the older generation worrying that you were going to be a handful for your new husband!

Today, though, it's a question that all committed couples - gay & straight - need to be upfront about and address. Not talking about this before fully committing to each other is confusion, hurt and disagreement just waiting to happen.

The husband can no longer just assume that the wife will take his name. The wife can't just assume that the husband will understand her desire to retain her own last name. And for same-sex couples the situation can be even more complex; retain individual names, form a double-barrel name (but whose goes first?) or create a totally new last name to support the new union.

Conversation needs to be entered in to; feelings and beliefs made known.

Why should I change? Why should I retain? What do I believe a name says about a person? How do I feel if you don't take my name?

Future children will be impacted by a couple's decision. Family and friends will all have opinions, but, in the end, it's up to the couple to decide ... and to ensure that each truly understands the thinking and feelings that inform their joint decision.

Suzanne Katz - Featured Marriage Celebrant

Melbourne Marriage Celebrant ~ Canterbury Wedding Celebrant

I have been a celebrant for five years and love writing personal scripts, to celebrate the different stories told to me by my brides and grooms.

I'm keen to have every wedding special enough to reflect the people most closely concerned.  I especially love the stories of the proposals and the funny glitches, as they add a personal magic to the scripts

As a garden guide in the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens, I like to weave in an analogy of how a good marriage is like a satisfying garden - full of different colour and foliage, much like all the experiences and traditions couples bring to their relationship and that they are different month to month, year to year and always a work in progress.

In the 3rd photo, my daughter, Georgia Puttock [husband, Tobie is a celebrity chef!] actually turned up as a guest at a wedding for which I was the celebrant!!! A coincidence!

Suzanne Katz, CMC ~ Kim & Stephen's wedding, Botanic Gardens, May 2012

Suzanne Katz, CMC ~ Natasha & Dougal, Parliament House Gardens, Apr. 2012

Tobie & Georgia Puttock with Suzanne Katz, CMC

Suzanne Katz, CMC ~ Sally & Brad's wedding, Lake House Daylesford, Dec. 2011

Couples - be true to yourselves!

Planning your wedding? Remember that your special day - the start of your married life - is about YOU as a couple.

Be true to yourselves. Be guided by your beliefs, your interests, your feelings ...

Be brave enough to rock the boat if that will make your Wedding Ceremony one to remember forever.

Work with your Marriage Celebrant - religious officiant or civil celebrant - to create a Marriage Ceremony that celebrates your coupledom, that speaks to who YOU really are.

• Traditional or not?
• Hundreds of guests or intimate and cosy?
• Indoor or outdoor?
• Religious or civil?
• Beach, winery or back garden?
• Trailing veil or small head piece?
• Write-your-own or standard vows?

Above all else, be true to yourselves. Honour your reality. Katie & Kellan were brave enough to do just that. Check out their ceremony & reception on the Offbeat Bride blog.

Photography by Cheryl Bolton-Reuter

Your marriage & your will

When getting married it's probably a good idea to have some understanding of the relationship between getting married and your will.

A will is a written legal document that sets out what you want to happen to your estate - your possessions & assets - property, belongings, savings, investments, etc. - after you die. With the median age of marriage in Australia being 31.4 years for men and 29.2 years for women, it's highly likely that the majority of marrying couples will have significant individual estates to consider, and existing wills may be in force in relation to those estates.

'Last will and testament' - image from East Coast Lawyers

But, as a future bride or groom, do you realise that your coming marriage will affect the state of your pre-existing will?

Actually, it will automatically cancel or revoke the existing will, unless it's made clear in the will that you were planning to marry!

So, along with all the wedding planning, you might also want to consider estate planning.

Not something you want to think about at one of the happiest times of your life? Probably not. But you really should! For your peace-of-mind as a newly-wed couple.

Barbara Cieslak - Featured Marriage Celebrant

Brisbane Marriage Celebrant ~ Heritage Park Wedding Celebrant

A Celebrant is something I always wanted to be but never had the opportunity until, getting redundancy from my fulltime work I jumped at the opportunity, and I have never looked back.

Barbara Cieslak, CMC - Kris & Lara-Jane's wedding

I love the work, and seeing so many happy couples makes my job very satisfying.







I have a Diploma in Business Management and also being a Justice of the Peace, I get to deal with people from all walks of life.

 Coming from an ethnic background gives me a greater understanding of the traditions of the different cultures. And with this in mind I include this in a lot of the ceremonies I perform.

Barbara Cieslak, CMC - Chris & Allison's wedding

As an example, I recently had the pleasure and the honour of performing a ceremony in 2 languages. Both English and Polish as I am fluent in the Polish language.

The couple in question were over the moon and couldn't thank me enough for making them feel so special, and their guests were absolutely thrilled. The couple were so grateful they came to my home the next day to thank me personally for making their day so unique. This ceremony would have to be one of my most memorable.

I am a very happy person and try to pass this on to all people I meet.

Every couple is special and I do my utmost to ensure their day is one they will never forget.

Celebrants Online welcomes ...

Celebrants Online welcomes ... Gramatia Young & Karen Ambrose.


Gramatia is a Sydney Eastern suburbs-based Marriage Celebrant & JP.

She specialise in mixed cultural weddings, including Greek Orthodox rituals & Handfasting ceremonies.

Karen is NSW South Coast-based Marriage Celebrant.

She will be delighted to celebrate your Ceremony at one of the many beautiful, scenic locations along the South Coast.

Your wedding : what would you do differently?

Planning your wedding can be one of the most stressful times in your life; so many people to deal with, so many decisions to be made, so much choice ...

But what about if you could redo the planning, with the hindsight of maturity and access to more amazing technologies to assist?

Nicole, on her blog, Our crazy beautiful, has done just that!

In her post, 'Wedding do over list', Nicole writes with humour and some regret over decisions made when planning her wedding, and offers her take on how she (and husband, Luke) would do it today.

'Before the days of Pinterest and blogging, I got married. It was a very sweet lovely day. But it really wasn’t ‘us’. I just don’t think at that time we really knew who ‘us’ was- in a style sense of course.'

What about YOU. Would you do anything differently? Or are you still as happy with your special day as you were on the day itself?

'And a flower smile' by C. Frank Starmer - CC licence

Celebrants Online welcomes ...

Celebrants Online welcomes ... Lesley Kerl.



Lesley is a NSW Marriage Celebrant & JP.

Based on the Central Coast near Gosford, Lesley celebrates weddings, commitment ceremonies, funerals, namings and renewal of vow ceremonies, among others.

Celebrants Online website statistics

Website statistics have just been updated on the Celebrants Online website.

In the first 6 months of this year, almost 17,000 visitors stopped by to search for a Celebrant.

Between them, these visitors viewed just over 149,000 pages! That averages out to about 9 pages viewed per visitor.

Click here to see the January-June 2012 stats in full.

Wedding day survival guide

'We're married' by lemonjenny

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a Federal Agency concerned with, 'preparing for and responding to public health events' has published a Wedding day survival guide on its blog.

The guide advocates three main steps in surviving the wedding day: Get a kit, Make a plan, and Be informed. In a slightly tongue-in-cheek fashion, the CDC guide says that 'planning for a wedding isn’t that much different from planning for a disaster.'

The common sense guide suggests items to be included in an emergency kit and keeping an eye on the weather - be it tornado warning, bushfire alert, flood or torrential rain advice, saying, 'A little rain on your wedding day is one thing; a severe weather situation is another.' Like a boy scout, the CDC advocates that it's best to be prepared for whatever's coming.

Marriage Equality or Civil Unions?

Malcolm Turnbull gave an impassioned speech at Southern Cross University on the 6th July, ostensibly in support of marriage equality. However, when it came to the crunch Turnbull shied away from standing up for his beliefs and those of a significant proportion of the Australian population, instead calling on marriage equality advocates to compromise and accept Civil Unions in lieu of Marriage.

Delivering the Keynote Address at the 6th Annual Michael Kirby Lecture & Dinner, Turnbull spoke about the journey he's been on as he considers the question of marriage equality for same-sex couples. He said, "As I have reflected on this question of 'marriage equality' I have found the arguments against gay marriage less and less convincing."

Turnbull is to be commended for reflecting on this issue and being open to the journey; however, as a politician it's his moral obligation to do so. As a representative of the people, his job is to represent the views of his constituents.

Turnbull is also to be commended for having the courage to speak publicly about his journey, sharing the fruits of his reflections with all of us. In doing so, he has come in for both praise and criticism from the media and members of the public. Rodney Croome, honorary lecturer in Sociology at the University of Tasmania and campaign coordinator for Australian Marriage Equality, applauds the case that Turnbull makes for marriage equality but considers Turnbull's conclusion to be 'appalling'.

Read an edited extract from Turnbull's speech here.

Read Rodney Croome's response here.

In reading these differing views you also can be a part of the journey.

Choice - blessing or curse?

We live in a world that is chock full of choices to be made - from breakfast food to eat, television to buy, and blogs to read. Having choice can be a good thing. Having too much choice can be paralysing, according to psychologist, Barry Schwartz in his 2005 TEDtalk [see below] and this recent article, 'No freedom in too much choice' from the Sydney Morning Herald.


Couples readying for marriage also find themselves bombarded with overwhelming choice and decisions to be made - venue, flowers, cake, photographer, outfits, transport, and of course, Celebrant.

It's interesting to note in the latest statistics from Celebrants Online that many couples seeking the services of a wedding celebrant send an enquiry to just one Celebrant. The statistics show that, in the 6 months - January to June 2012 - for enquiries sent to Celebrants via their Celebrants Online direct contact forms

• 77.9% of enquirers contacted just the ONE Celebrant
• 13.6% of enquirers contacted two Celebrants
• 4.1% of enquirers contacted three Celebrants
• 4.4% of enquirers contacted four or more Celebrants

How did those 321 people (77.9%) choose their one Celebrant to contact? Celebrant location generally plays a part in a potential client's decision. But other factors may be:

• Celebrant smile - approachability, grooming, sense of openness and welcome apparent in a Celebrant's profile photo
• Profile text - experience, point of difference, sense of humanity and warmth, human touch apparent in a Celebrant's profile text

It all comes back to a sense of connectedness - connecting with a smile, connecting with a voice, connecting with an experience, connecting with a way of being.

If a Celebrant can make or enable that connection, then that Celebrant is enabling choice, allowing a potential client to bypass the 'too much choice' paralysis.

The Archibald - relationships, intimacy, partnership

Yesterday I visited Tarrawarra Museum of Art to see this year's Archibald Prize exhibition. On display were the 41 finalists, chosen by the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW. Many of the works on display were beautifully executed portraits. Two in particular caught my eye though, not only for the quality of the work but also because of the love story behind each. Each love story is a story of relationship, partnership, intimacy and undying love ... qualities that we all look for and long to find in our own unions, be they marriage or de facto, same-sex or heterosexual.

Jenny Sages, 'After Jack', 2012

Jenny Sages is an elder stateswoman of the Australian art scene. Her self-portrait shows her bereft; grief-stricken after the death of her beloved husband, Jack. Sages and her husband had been married 55 years when he died in October 2010.

During their life together, Sages painted just one portrait of Jack, 'My Jack', her entry in the 2011 Archibald Prize. Sages said about last year's work, ‘The MDF board on which this work is painted was the last one he built for me. I used it to make my first and only portrait of Jack.’

In 'After Jack' the raw grief, the sense of bewilderment, the questions, 'What do I do now?', 'How will I survive?', all speak so powerfully through Sages' honest and unflinching approach.

Craig Waddell, 'I see myself in you - self portrait', 2012

Forty years younger than his co-finalist, Sages, Craig Waddell's love for his wife, Jessie, is stated as powerfully as is Sages' for Jack.

Waddell writes that his portrait was, 'inspired by my wife Jessie and our deep, abiding relationship.'

HIs portrait is full of motion and energy, life and movement, the passion he feels for his wife and the energy and joy she instils in him, 'When I paint my wife my senses are highly stimulated; she brings out a passion in me like no other; a passion for life, for love and for paint.'

Waddell and Sages are sharing a great gift with us, the public. These portraits speak loudly of relationship - love, intimacy, support. May we all listen to them, hear what they have to say and embrace their understanding.




References
http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2011/28933/
http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2012/29253/

Julie Maclean - Featured Marriage Celebrant

Bellarine Peninsula Marriage Celebrant - Surf Coast Wedding Celebrant

I love living on the Surf Coast, but I didn't think I'd be a marriage celebrant here.

After the death of my father I wanted to be a funeral celebrant. I really enjoy alternative, personal funerals but I started getting booked for weddings, of friends at first. The more celebrants I spoke to, the more it seemed that they loved weddings for the happy, positive occasions that they are. Then I got hooked.

Julie Maclean, CMC - Andy & Jade's beach wedding

You can probably see from the photos that I am comfortable and enjoy all styles of weddings from backyard to stately home.

Couples who come to me want to be engaged in the whole process. They love to hear their story as part of the ceremony. They want something elegant but relaxed.

I wouldn't be able to single out one ceremony as being more memorable than the next because I get swept up in all of them for different reasons.

Julie Maclean, CMC - Fiona & Claude's special day

I believe in all the couples I meet. I know they go into marriage knowing it means challenges as well as rewards.

I sense there is a new generation that has a strong commitment to the ideal of family life and the strength of life partnerships, as difficult as they are. They go into marriage with their eyes open.

You could say that I am down to earth but an idealist and optimist.

Hear me on Life Matters on ABC Radio National.

Celebrants Online 2012 Enquiry Statistics

Fantastic news to share... for the first six months of 2012 - January to June - Celebrants Online Celebrants have received 580 enquiries! And this is just enquiries that have been sent to a Celebrant via their direct contact form on the website.

Feedback I receive from Celebrants tells me that lots of potential clients make initial contact with their preferred Celebrant via telephone. And when that happens it doesn't show up in my stats. So, keep in mind that the graph below just tells a part of the story ... :)



Enquiries received by Celebrants Online Celebrants via their direct contact form - January to June 2012