Kissing in the Circle of Love

As a Perth Wedding Celebrant I have had the honour of performing over 1000 weddings and I have come to realise that we are all different and each couple has a specific vision that they would like to achieve.

Their vision could be formal, relaxed or a combination of both of these aspects however they would like to include something special into their wedding ceremony.

One of the ways to make a Wedding Ceremony different, individual and special is for you to use a ceremony ritual.

Releasing Butterflies at Joondalup Resort

Adopting a wedding ritual can be as simple as using a common tradition as giving away or something that is a little less common such as Butterfly release or Sand Ceremony.

Most rituals will represent a symbol such as love, unity and coming together.

Here are a selection of some wedding rituals and some common explanations, history or symbolism that you may like to adopt for your wedding ceremony:

Circle of Love:

When your guests arrive they can make a circle of petals, flowers, stones, shells or pebbles.  During the ceremony the couple will step into the circle to say their vows. The circle represents the never ending cycle of love.

Sand Ceremony:

The bride and groom have two individual vessels of different coloured sand and combine into a third vessel.

Sand Ceremony on Cottesloe Beach

This represents two people becoming one in Unity. Here is an example of a Sand Ceremony I particularly enjoyed.

Silent Flower Ritual:

The bride walks down the aisle and takes from her bouquet 2 loose long stem flowers.  She lets go of her fathers arm and walks over to her mother and also mother to be and gives them a rose. This signifies the roles the mothers have and will play in the brides life.

Lovelock Ceremony:

A padlock is locked together by the bride and groom and symbolises the commitment they have to each other and represent their love:  solid, secure, safe and protected.

LoveLocks on the Tree of Life.

The lock can be locked onto a “Tree of Life” and you can even place the keys onto a balloon to be released into the beauty of the surrounds.  Have a look at Lovelock Ceremony.

Ring Warming:

Before the couple exchange rings they are passed around their guests who warm them with their love, then pass them on to the next person. The guests make a silent wish for the couple and when the rings are handed to the couple to exchange, the rings contain all the love and wishes from their guests.

Butterfly Release:

Releasing Doves at their wedding

Releasing butterflies is a magical to involve your guests, particularly small children. When butterflies are released, legend has it that the wishes of your loved ones will be taken on the wings of the butterfly up to the great spirit who will grant the wishes.

Dove Release:

Releasing Doves at your Marriage Ceremony symbolises the newly wed couple setting off on their life together, in harmony. We hope the couples marriage has all the wonderful qualities that the White Dove represents.

I hope you now have some great ideas to add something special to your wedding ceremony.

Doves of Love

Every wedding can be different so if you have a vision for your wedding, then please talk to your Wedding Celebrant who will be happy to write a ceremony that has the elements that will make your Wedding individual and unique:  Happy Wedding Planning.

Brad Whitelock, Perth Wedding Celebrant.  Ph: 0431 974 608

The post Wedding Rituals for your Ceremony by Perth Wedding Celebrant appeared first on Perth Wedding Bells.

You only ever plan a wedding and being married with the intention that it will last for the term of your natural life. And if you are getting married for the first time or have even been married before, at least in terms of the wedding ceremony itself, it is helpful when you are doing your planning that you try and see what needs doing and how it will look, “thru the eyes of a Celebrant”, a stage manager, a wedding planner, or, at the very least someone who runs events. ……………..Not easy I hear you say!

Most couples, I think would usually do 4 things first up:

• Select a day and date.
• And then try and book their venue for that date, and if the venue for the ceremony is not the same, then the venue for the ceremony, as well
• A photographer, and then
• The Celebrant or Minister of Religion………..

Unfortunately, the person marrying both of you, as in the Celebrant, and I can only speak for them, we come in a very poor, “fourth”, I have to say. And in many ways, I would suggest that you take the opportunity to speak to prospective Celebrants, before you do anything, as they are an absolute font of information. That said, it all depends on how soon you plan to marry, how big your wedding is, how grandiose or how intimate and small you want your wedding day to be and you will also know too well, that you will be guided by a thing called, “a budget”, so what is grand for some, may not be so grand for others.

Photo: Absolute and Alive

Some of the questions you may ask of a Celebrant! What is your favourite venue and why. But that said, just because it is your favourite venue, (as in the Celebrant), it doesn’t mean that it ticks all the boxes required to make your wedding ceremony successful. Information on venues whose core functions are weddings, functions, banquets and big events, have some advantage over the others. But what are they like, how well so they run things, do they have good customer service, are they clear in regard to their terms and conditions and can you easily understand what you are paying for, are they flexible where and if they can be?

Very few venues are purpose built for weddings in WA, and even if they are, they sometimes miss the mark too, in terms of good entrances and exits in regard to walking down the aisle both on entry and exit. Sometimes the entry is too short, sometimes we get to view the bride all too soon, which takes some of that mystery away, sometimes, lots of stairs, (Bride might stack it), and sometimes you don’t have a good exit to walk back down the aisle to a place where you can be congratulated peaceably and easily. Will you then be in full sun or indeed in the shade, if it is a cool day, and you are standing there getting burnt or freezing for at least 30 minutes more while you are congratulated by everyone. And if not much room to be congratulated, then with everyone coming up to congratulate you, it gets a bit tight and bottle-necked and it can be a little overwhelming.

So, how do the other type of venues stack up, the parks, reserves, gardens, the beach, the bush, the back yards. For a start, some local authorities.

Contact Victoria Wheeler for more information about your wedding ceremony.

The post Hiring a Wedding Celebrant: Hindsight to your Wedding Ceremony appeared first on Perth Wedding Bells.

Hidden Gardens, Caversham House

Perth has so many wonderful wedding Ceremony locations so it is so hard to just choose one.

I am often asked by  marrying couples who are starting to plan their wedding  ceremony to recommend some venues that will hold their perfect Perth Wedding.  I have performed almost 900 weddings in Perth and find it so difficult to just choose one as we have some many fine venues to choose from. There is never one true answer.  You may have a special place that might mean something to you. Was this where you got engaged?  Was it where you had your first kiss or your first date? Or is the food spectacular, service exceptional and the ambience right up there with the best, that there is no other choice….

Joondalup Resort Gazebo Wedding

There are many places you can choose from but it is always good to have a starting point.  You can start to decide if you want to have the ceremony on a beautiful Perth Beach, one of the wonderfully lush gardens, a private venue, on the Swan River or a winery in the Swan Valley.

In this article I look at a few of venues that have imprinted in my mind as spectaculary over the last few years as a Perth Wedding Celebrant.  By looking a few of these venues may be able to help you find that perfect place for your Perth wedding ceremony.

Wedding Ceremony in a tranquil Park or Garden:

Heathcote Reserve Wedding in Applecross

For a starting point lets look at some of the beautiful parks and gardens that Perth has to offer:  oh the serenity. Many of Perth’s luscious gardens have beautiful ponds and magnificant waterfalls with backdrops of the Swan River or a majestic gazebo.

These venues can be popular for weddingsand it is best to seek a booking well in advance of your wedding day.  You can book these venues through the relevant council or government authority.

Some of my favourites include:

• Kings Park, Perth
• 

  Iluka Beach Wedding Ceremony

  Hyde Park, Highgate

• Heathcote reserve, Applecross
• Queens Gardens, East Perth
• Swan Shell, Burswood Park
• G.O. Edwards Park, Burswood
• Harold Boas Gardens, West Perth
• Sir James McCusker Park, Iluka
• Cottesloe Civic Gardens

The sand between your toes at a Perth Beach Wedding Ceremony:

Do you envisage the soft sand between your tows or the sound of the waves gently crashing on the sand as you say your vows to each other? Perth has some wonderful beaches up and down the coast

Bayview Park overlooking the Swan River in Mosman Park

Most of the beaches are managed by local council or government authorities so once again contact them for a booking well in advance of the wedding date.

As I like to perform lots of fun and friendly weddings in Perth I seem to have lots of requests from couples to be a part of their relaxed beach wedding. Some of the beaches that have stood out to me as a Perth Wedding Celebrant are:

• Burns Beach
• Iluka Beach Pergola
• Iluka Beach (boardwalk end)
• North Cottesloe Beach
• 

  Harold Boas Gardens Wedding in Perth

  Trigg Beach

• Benion Beach
• Watermans Beach
• Point Walter Reserve, Bicton
• Sorrento Beach Foreshore Park, Hillarys
• The Basin, Rottnest Island
• Parakeet Bay Beach, Rottnest Island

Lets value our privacy…

Many different private venues have established themselves over time as wonderful wedding venues. . These venues cater for all types of couples and budgets so you will definitely be able to find a venue that suits your tastes.

Watergarden Pavilion Wedding in Kings Park

It is a highlight of my day to turn up to some Wedding Venues and I have included a few:

• Caversham House, Caversham
• Mulberry on Swan, Caversham
• Joondalup Resort, Connolly
• Wanneroo Botanic Gardens, Wanneroo
• The Vines Novotel Resort Swan Valley
• Belvoir Homestead, Swan Valley
• Bridgeleigh Reception Centre, Wanneroo
• Brookliegh Estate, Upper Swan Valley
• Villa Pourzand, Cottesloe
• Peel Manor House, Karnup
• Gershwins, Perth Hyatt Hotel

Upper Reach Winery Wedding in the Swan Valley

Spectacular Swan Valley Wineries for your Wedding:

Over the last few years some of the top wineries in Perth have started to branch out and offer their wonderful venues for Weddings.  The venues have magnificant gardens that you can use for your wedding ceremony followed by some wonderful photos and an amazing celebration in their restaurants.

The Swan Valley wineries are only 20 minutes from Perth CBD and I have loved performing weddings at some of the below wineries:

• 

  Mullberry on Swan wedding in the Swan Valley

  Broad’s restaurant – Upper Reach Winery

• Sittella Winery
• Sandalford Estate Winery
• Black Swan Winery
• Laughin’ Barrel Estate Winery
• Oakover Estate Winery
• Riverbank Estate Winery

So many to choose from for your Perth Wedding:

My apologies for giving you so many Perth Wedding venues to choose from but Perth is a wonderful and diverse city that has been able to put together some amazing venues to choose from.  The list is by no means exhaustive and I am sure I have missed a few other choice establishments.

Peel Manor House Wedding Ceremony

The best way to decide is to go and have a look at the venue and see first hand for yourself and do some proper research.  By having a look, checking out the staff, food and ambience, you will come up with a venue for your wedding that suits you.  Happy Wedding Planning.

Brad Whitelock, Perth Wedding Celebrant. Ph:  0431 974 608

Brad is an experience Perth Wedding Celebrant performing many fun and relaxed Wedding ceremonies in and around Perth and Western Australia since 2006.

The post Wedding Ceremony Venues in Perth appeared first on Perth Wedding Bells.

Legality

The first consideration when selecting Perth wedding celebrants is reviewing whether the celebrant is authorised to perform the ceremony. In Australia, all marriage celebrants need to be authorised by Australian Government under the Marriage Act 1961 of the Australia Law. The celebrants are usually religious representatives or civil marriage celebrants – who are not related to any religion. Registration as a marriage celebrant requires one to undergo some training in the area and meet other requirements set by the law. On complying with these legal requirements, the celebrant can then register to practice as a celebrant. This however applies only for marriage ceremonies. For other ceremonies such as baptism, renewal of wedding vows, funerals and naming of babies, a celebrant does not need to have the legal certification from the Australian government. Therefore, you need to ensure that the celebrant is registered and legally operating as a marriage celebrant.

Good Orator

Besides the legality, good wedding celebrants Perth service providers need to be good orators and have public speaking skills. This is especially the case if your marriage ceremony will be attended by a number of guests. The celebrant needs to be able to keep the audience entertained and participate in the ceremony so as to make it a fun and memorable event. You can interview some of the couples who have had their marriages conducted by a given celebrant to get an opinion about the celebrant’s charisma and ability to keep the crowd involved. You can also seek a referral of a humorous and good public speaker from friends and family who have been involved in other wedding ceremonies.

Can Officiate Other Ceremonies

Another important check you should make when choosing the celebrant to handle your marriage is their availability to handle other family ceremonies. Couples prefer having the same celebrant marry the, name and dedicate their children, baptize the children and participate in all other family ceremonies. In this case, you will need to get a celebrant who handles all these other ceremonies and who is available at the times that you will need him or her.

People Skills

You also need to get a celebrant who has good customer service skills. The celebrant should be able to keep appointments, be professional in how he or she handles himself or herself and be reliable. This is especially the case if you are looking for a celebrant who you want to cultivate a long term relationship with. In such cases, it is best to get referrals from friends and family of a good celebrant who is reliable and easy to deal with. Get a wedding celebrants Perth service provider who takes time to understand you and create a relationship with you. Some celebrants will not even take the time to know your names and keep asking for your names when officiating your wedding. You need to be careful and avoid such celebrants.

Religious Considerations

Another consideration that you need to make is religious affiliations. Many couples will want their religious leader to officiate the ceremony. In such a case, it is best to seek wedding celebrants Perth providers from your religious organization. Some religions allow you to select the celebrant that you prefer to handle your wedding while others allocate a celebrant based on availability and responsibility allocations. You may need to seek advise from someone who has married under your religion or someone who is a leader in your religious faith. For those of you who wish not to marry under a religion, you can choose any civil wedding celebrant to officiate your wedding.

Personalised Service

Another important consideration when seeking wedding celebrants Perth providers is personalised services. You need a celebrant who is not conservative and who is flexible enough to accommodate your ideas and flow with your wedding plan. Some celebrants especially those who are much older tend to be very conservative and this can limit your ability to express yourselves or have your wedding personalised. On the other hand, some celebrants are willing to incorporate your ideas in the ceremony and will even give you some advise and ideas on how to make your wedding unique.

Advice and Counseling

Some couples prefer having a celebrant who is also a marriage counselor and this way, the celebrant can coach them and give them marriage advise even before they get married. The celebrant also becomes a person they can count on when they get to have conflict and issues in their marriage. Since it is someone that they both respect and look up to, the celebrant can easily help them resolve conflicts and resolve marriage problems.

The post Choosing Wedding Celebrants Perth Services appeared first on Perth Wedding Bells.

Understanding the duties of a wedding celebrant is very important especially if this is your first time walking the aisle. There are certain documents that need to be in order and filed in a certain period of time in order to prepare for that magical day. All of these legalities are taken care of by the celebrant of your choosing, so when your wedding day comes everything has been completed. A professionally trained civil marriage celebrant will provide a variety of services which include weddings, commitment ceremonies, renewal or affirmation of vows, and even name giving ceremonies.

In addition to these services you will also be provided information and guidance on how to write a personal history, properly writing your vows, ceremony outlines, ceremony protocols, and basic wedding traditions. You will also be provided ideas that include the rose ceremony, ring warming, sand ceremonies, and how to involve children effectively. If your wedding is a nontraditional wedding you may prefer locations such as parks, beaches, or specific venues. If this is the case, you will be pleased to know that Perth wedding celebrants can provide services at any one of these locations as well as understanding any of the legalities that may be included.

Although all wedding celebrants are truly professionals, many of them provide different services as well as including additional items that may be appropriate for the situation such as relationship education. Many couples that get married today are unaware of some of the unfamiliar situations they may face during their marriage. Perth wedding celebrants can help in these areas as well as providing you with extremely important information, education, and services that are truly professional.

Content Source:

Perth Wedding Photographer: Absolute and Alive

Perth Wedding Celebrants: Celebrant Website

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