Irene and Scott got married.

My first wedding for 2014 was one of my first bookings. Irene and Scott, two people living in two different countries, meeting in another State in Australia accidentally, getting married, overcoming so many different odds. It was a great love story, and will continue to be a great love story. Their wedding was in the garden of the new home they have made together here, surrounded by a small group of family and closest friends, who were so welcoming to me: I found myself sharing a glass of bubbly afterwards with them all at their reception, having photos taken with them too. It was just lovely and a terrific start to 2014.

CORINTHIANS 1:13 (Adapted)

Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous;

Love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude and selfish;

It does not take offence, and is not resentful.

Love takes no pleasure in other people's faults but delights in the truth;

It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope.

It is always ready to endure whatever comes.

True love does not come to an end.

Girana & Jed's Wedding

A few weeks ago Girana and Jed were married. And to make this wedding even more special to me, Jed has been a wonderful family friend for too many years to count. He is a wonderful man, warm, caring, soft as butter, funny, smart and handsome. And he met his match in his new bride Giarana. I have watched this relationship grow, and I have watched my friend become just so happy and settled with the comfort of her unwavering love enveloping him. And this makes me happy. Congrats to you both, you are gorgeous x

A Rainy Wedding.

Yesterday Belinda and Nathaniel were married at Kirks Reservoir. They are a great couple, with two little kids, who each had an important role during the ceremony: they each handed over a wedding ring to their parents. So cute! And so emotional for us all, they were just so happy they both had happy tears.

 

The only difficulty was the weather. It poured down with rain, even hailing at one point, and we were so lucky that most of the guests had an umbrella. However, this did not really dampen what was a gorgeous family event, and I am so happy to have been a part of it all, especially being able to witness how happy the children were. It was just a truly beautiful moment in time. 

A Lovely Wedding Poem

I found this poem online today & I just love it. It's kind of quirky & quite a bit sweet, a bit modern too.

Taking: By Andrea Porter

Is this the part where I say I do?

I lost track somewhere around

us being gathered here together?

I don't recall anyone objecting.

My mind was somewhere else,

I had this image of us both older

weathered by the years, a scene

of us driving to your mother's

every Sunday for roast beef.

Discussions about good gravy,

the dog's arthritis, your sister,

the cost of bedding plants

Do you take this man?

Yes I take him, all of him.

I take his mother, her better gravy,

her hobbling dog, the sucked a lemon sister,

the cost of marigolds and geraniums.

I do, if it's the price for loving you.

The Tradition of the Wedding Garter.

Ever wondered why we have the wedding garter? It fascinates me, but I did not have one for my wedding. So, I have investigated and I did not expect the answer that I found! Apparently the wedding garter was developed as a way to actually protect the bride. Who knew?? 

There was once a tradition in medieval France and England, which was called "fingering the stocking", where wedding guests would be invited to go into the newly married couples bedroom to investigate the bride's stockings for evidence that the marriage had been consummated.

In addition to this practice, there was also another tradition in France where the wedding guests would rush to the bride at the alter to cut off a piece of the wedding dress as this was thought to be a piece of good luck. Imagine how scary that would be? And how odd as the wedding would obviously end with a beaten up bride left standing at the altar in a shredded dress.  

Eventually these traditions were probably considered to be too intrusive and aggressive towards the bride that some kind soul decided to save the bride and amuse the wedding guests by developing the garter for the bride or groom to throw at them. 

A photo at the launch of the Ballarat Wedding Industry Network.

As I have previously said, I went to the launch of the Ballarat Wedding Industry Network, (BWIN) and I had my photo taken with two other local celebrants, who are also great friends. This is the thing, the BWIN is there to promote the wedding industry and to encourage greater collaboration between service providers. I am lucky to already have this with quite a few local celebrants, who are kind, generous and happy to share knowledge with each other. We are a lucky little group of celebrants, and we seek to support one another as professionals, and also as friends.

 

Ballarat as a Wedding Destination.

Last night I attended the launch of the Ballarat Wedding Industry Network (BWIN). This not for profit group has been formed to unite as many of Ballarat's wedding industry professionals as possible, to help promote the industry as a whole, which is a marvellous idea, and long overdue. The goal is to provide a possible "one stop shop" for bridal couples, based on the BWIN website. After the official launch we heard from George Sossi, who is the head of Ballarat Regional Tourism, and it was interesting to hear the two entities can merge together to make Ballarat a place to destination weddings. And why not? This is a gorgeous town, with such a rich history, and where this history can be seen and experienced beautifully at a wedding event. I think as people who live in the region we are so lucky to have such great opportunities to marry amongst this all. I wish BWIN all the best, and very much look forward to being a beginning part of this amazing opportunity.

The First Day of the "Official" Wedding Season 2013.

Welcome to the first day of Spring, 2013, which is also the first "official" day of the 2013 - 2104 wedding season. I hope that if you are marrying soon, you have the wedding of your dreams, with few mix ups and muck ups, and a long and happy married life with the one you love.

From "THE Irrational Season", by Madeleine L'Engle

"But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. 

Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take. 

It is indeed a fearful gamble. 

Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature.

To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take. 

If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation. 

It takes a lifetime to learn another person. When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling, and which implies such risk that it is often rejected".

The Naked Wedding Cake.

This is a new wedding cake trend, which I actually quite like, the naked cake. Yep, nudie cakes, dressed with just layers and no covering. I particularly love the one in the photo below. I have never seen one "in the flesh", but would love to, just to see if they look as great in real life (hint hint to friends who are getting married soon).

Thanks to Bridal Guide Magazine for the photo.

Make your wedding your own.

Sometimes I wonder at the stress placed on brides and groom from their families and friends. I understand that it is a family day and everyone is dreadfully excited, but really, it should be up to the couple to plan what they want for their day shouldn't it? Of course, if they wish to make concessions for special requests then that is lovely and thoughtful, but I do think that they ultimately should have final say. They only get one chance to have this day, and I hope that no-one would have any regrets from the decisions that they have made. It is supposed to be a happy day, full of laughter and love, and all parties need to remember that, and not play the guilt card. So, brides and grooms, plan YOUR day and enjoy it, and do not let other's agendas upset you. You only get this once.

For the bridesmaid.

I found this very interesting article about one girl's experience of being a bridesmaid and why she resigned her position (click here). It does sound to be quite an extreme example but I do wonder how often bridesmaids feel this way. Do some brides truly take advantage of their bridesmaids and do the bridesmaids feel resentful and used? Obviously the answer would have to be yes, because we see the story here. So, it is something to consider for all involved in planning the wedding day: what do the brides expect and what are the bridesmaids prepared to commit to? Let's hope that the actual friendship survives the day, and possibly even becomes a stronger one.

A Creative Wedding Photo

This photo is doing the rounds of the internet, and I wanted to share it here, because it is just fabulous. What a great idea! Congratulations to whoever they are, I love the originality, the idea, the geekiness and the involvement of all the groomsmen to create such a truly cool wedding memory.

Why do we have the bridal bouquet?

In  thinking about the strawberry bridal bouquet (which I would eat in a heartbeat!) I began to wonder why we always have bridal bouquets. They are so pretty, so surely they must have just been added to the wedding tradition to enhance the beauty of the day??

Well, no, apparently. 

A dill bouquet - pretty unspectacular.

Rumour has it that traditionally brides walked down the aisle carrying a bouquet of herbs, such as dill and garlic. It is thought that this began in the time of the plague, when people needed the semll of the herbs to hide the stench of their surroundings. They also belived that the herbs would protect them from illness. The carrying of the bouquet continued after the plague ended, and gradually brides added nicer smelling and vastly prettier flowers to the bouquet, leading to the bouquets we have today. 

The Surprise Wedding That Was A Huge Surprise!!

Last weekend we had our surprise wedding, and it was just such a lovely day. The bride is my friend Kate, with whom I work, and her gorgeous partner Mark. The ruse for the day was their daughter's first birthday and her grandmother's 80th birthday. I went as a guest, and spent a few hours getting to meet their lovely families, and just after we had both celebratory cakes, they announced their impending wedding (just thinking of that now gives me goosebumps and a misty flood of tears, as their parent's reactions were utterly priceless: huge joy, many tears and just pure happiness). I am so honoured to have witnessed that incredible family moment. 

The fabulous bride, Kate, myself, and a very cool groom, Mark.

Kate, Mark and their children, who were so well behaved and helpful during the ceremony.

What I am so impressed with is the NO-ONE knew about the wedding plans. Kate and Mark did an incredible job on their own and I think their wedding will become one of the great moments in the history of their family. Congratulations on such a great achievement you two x

The Ballarat Courier: Ballarat Bride 2013

Congratulations to The Ballarat Courier on a great new Bridal Magazine. I love reading it for inspiration and just great wedding ideas. I love the dresses, the photos, the stories of how happy people are on their wedding day. If you haven't read it yet, pop into the Courier office and grab a copy.

     

This one is pretty special for me though as I am in it this year, and I am so happy to be placed next to an all time favourite wedding quote. It might be a good omen for the year ahead.

Vale Lou

On Monday May 13th 2013, the world lost a compassionate and outstanding young woman, and I lost a true friend. She was 33 years of age, and she died 13 days after the discovery of a tumour that turned out to be ovarian cancer. She was brave, dignified and funny to the end, and I will miss her enormously. 

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affectiion of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

The Beauty of Emotions.

On one overcast day in Ballarat, two soul mates were married, and I was the lucky one to be there to conduct their ceremony. What can I say about Hayley and Adam? Family. Love. Joy. Tears. Hope: these two have it all. Their ceremony was short, but so jam packed with emotion, it was simple, sweet and very much about them and their daughters. Thank you so very much for having me there. You are both just beautiful.

"Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness, and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulties, and fear assail your relationship – as they threaten all relationships at one time or other – remember to focus on what is right between you, not only that part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives – remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight"

-- Author Unknown