Laura and Mohsen

Laura and Mohsen are a truly lovely couple: they are sweet, kind, funny and both love helping others. I was very honoured to be their celebrant and we developed a friendship which I value enormously. Their ceremony was held at the Mercure in Ballarat, which has recently been renovated in terms of their wedding spaces, and the changes are beautiful. I asked Laura for some photos, and she sent me so many, so rather than waffling on, I'm just going to let the photos speak for themselves. Their photographer was Scott, from One Point Photography, who takes amazing photos. Congrats Laura and Mohsen, you two are just gorgeous together xx

"Quirky" Bridesmaids Photos.

You have probably seen these photos doing the rounds of the internet recently, it's a new trend apparently, so I thought they were too interesting not to share and discuss. 

I think that I am becoming a PRUDE. I think that once I may have thought this was a great thing to do (I hope not) but now I'm not convinced that I would want these as my wedding photos. I mean, where would I display them? Did all the girls give their full consent or did they feel pressured? I hope this isn't a trend now, but what would I know? What do you all think?

The Real Bottom Line.

Really can't believe my good fortune

This tale I'll do my best to shorten

The real bottom line

Was her yummy behind

It definitely relieved my damn boredom

© Jack Ellison 2013

Source: http://jezebel.com/bridesmaids-flashing-ass-is-the-hot-new-wedding-photo-t-1596600362

Best Marriage Advice?

A wedding is a fabulous thing. It's your big day, there is a dress, a suit, lovely rings, a huge cake, great hair, big party, and, of course, a fabulous celebrant to make sure that your marriage is valid. And then what? What is a marriage? How on earth do you manage to love this person for the rest of your life, through all the inevitable ups and downs? I had a bit of a trawl to look at the answer.....enjoy, and maybe, add your own advice.

"After a disillusioned first couple of years of marriage, my husband and I went to a therapist who told us: Marriage should not be so much about looking at each other but looking in the same direction together. I believe the message from this is to remember the positive things that brought you together and then to concentrate on positive goals to achieve as a couple. My observation is that all the cute, unique things that made your spouse wonderful in the beginning are going to be the things that grate on your nerves later. Try to focus on the positive, if you look for negative qualities in someone you are sure to find them" 

- Deb V

"Communicate, respect for self and each other, trust, faith, laugh together not at each other, don’t go to bed angry or hurt, remember your vows, don’t ask what you are not ready and willing to accept and let go and remember that often time we don’t know we’re making a mistake unless we are told so speak up without being rude and hurtful."

~ Antoinette 34

"Communicate. Make sure your sentences have verbs. Remember that only 7 percent of communication is verbal. Actions and non-verbal communication speak much louder."

- Dr Phil

"There is no right or wrong way to fix a relationship. Find your own way that works. But recognize when it's not working and be honest when it needs fixing."

- Dr Phil

"Learn how to agree to disagree. No two people agree on everything, and that's okay, but it's important to be okay with each other's differences."
- Lee Bowera, LP, PhD

"Research consistently shows that touching more creates a stronger bond by releasing oxytocin. Hold hands, rub shoulders, hug, kiss, give high-fives or even fist-bumps or bottom pats. When you give a quick hug or kiss, try to lengthen it to at least 5 or 10 seconds for more effective results!"
- Lori Lowe, MA

Sources:

1. http://marriage.about.com/od/advice/a/bestadvice.htm

2. http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/53

3. http://www.yourtango.com/201170768/50-best-marriage-tips-ever

A New Year's Eve Wedding.

Sylvia and Hans were married yesterday, on the 4 year anniversary of their first meeting. Their ceremony was held at Yuulong Lavender Estate, which is a beautiful and intimate venue for a garden wedding, and the staff there are fabulous, so helpful and involved to make the couple's day perfect. It's only about 30 minutes from Ballarat, which is not too hard for people to travel to. The Estate now has new owners, so maybe we will see some changes there in the future, but as it is now, it is gorgeous.

To Sylvia and Hans, congratulations on your wedding. I loved your very laid back approach, your focus on a family wedding, and also in doing all the catering yourselves. That would have made your day that extra bit stressful I am sure, but no-one would have guessed that your were stressed in any way at all. Congrats again, you guys are lovely x

A Wedding at The Tangled Maze.

Last weekend was Melissa and Adam's wedding at "The Tangled Maze" at Springmount. I had not been there for years, and had forgotten how very pretty it was out there. What a lovely spot it is, full of roses, beautiful hedges and really great staff to provide everything the bridal couple needs. It was a lovely sunny day, a bit breezy, but just a great day to get married. Congratulations to Melissa and Adam, I wish you both much joy for your married life together x

“Carrie’s Poem”, from the show, Sex and the City.

His “hello” was the end of her endings,

Her laugh was their first step down the aisle,

His hand would be hers to hold forever,

His forever was as simple as her smile,

He said she was what was missing,

She said instantly she knew,

She was a question to be answered,
And his answer was “I do”.

Hollie & Ben's Barn Wedding.

Yesterday I had the extreme privilege of being able to marry one of my dearest friends, to her high school sweet heart. It was held at her parent's home, where she grew up, and the barn was turned into a magical wedding venue, full of flowers, lights, music and great food. However, the most special moment was listening to the vows they had written for one another. They were absolutely personal, incredibly romantic, and the best tear makers. Thank you Hollie and Ben for having me as your celebrant, I love you guys, and I know that your life together will continue to be one of devotion to another and ongoing adventures, side by side.

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 Truffleduck Wedding.

When I was doing my celebrancy training, in Geelong, the trainer would often talk about a local wedding and reception venue, in hushed and awed tones. This magical spot was called Truffleduck, and we were told that if we were lucky enough to be able to officiate a wedding there, then we were very lucky: we had arrived. And of course, being from Ballarat I never, ever thought that I would ever get to work there. But guess what? I did, last weekend. I officiated my first Truffleduck wedding, with the totally gorgeous Shereena and Bo.

And it is indeed a lovely spot, with a sheltered garden area, and internally, the reception area is beautiful. But the best thing? Being with Shereena and Bo, and their families. We had a lovely time, in fantastic weather, blue skies with a balmy breeze. And I thought, what a great job I have.

Absolute Weddings

Not long ago I met a whirlwind, called Renee. And she has this great idea about a website to assist brides in the Central Victorian region arrange their weddings, a one-stop-shop of wedding inspiration. And she has done it! Her webpage is called Absolute Weddings, and this is my page. Congratulations Renee, your webpage is beautiful & I wish you all the best in making all your business dreams come true.

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.

Kathryn's baby shower

I have a lovely friend called Kathryn. We met through our husbands, who used to work together, and they are also good mates. From the moment we met, Kathryn and I have bonded, and I know that we will always be friends.  She funny, warm, caring,  she has an enormous generosity of spirit, she is beautiful and smart and she is PREGNANT! Yesterday we had her baby shower, where I was able to meet some more of her friends and family. It was actually the first baby shower I have ever been to, and it was just so sweet, to focus on such a joyous event in her life. And look at the cake! It was amazing, and obviously, "we" are having a baby boy. He is a lucky little boy, because he will have a very happy family life, his parents are awesome, and I am so pleased to be able to call them my friends.