Kerren and Paul.

When Kerren and Paul asked me to marry them, I was so delighted. A second marriage for both, a small wedding with only their nearest and dearest, and not only a wedding, but a celebration of life and triumph. And what a celebration it was, and I was invited to stay to be a part of their after wedding festivities, which was great fun, especially as I also knew some of their guests. Congratulations Kerren and Paul, you created a magical family day xx

“Don’t Ever”

Don't ever try to understand everything - some things will just never make sense. 

Don't ever be reluctant to show your feelings - when you're happy, give into it! 

When you're not, live with it. 

Don't ever be afraid to try to make things better - you might be surprised at the results. Don't ever take the weight of the world on your shoulders. 

Don't ever feel threatened by the future - take life one day at a time. 

Don't ever feel guilty about the past - what's done is done. 

Learn from any mistakes you might have made. 

Don't ever forget that you can achieve so many of the things you can imagine - imagine that! 

It's not as hard as it seems. 

Don't ever stop loving, don't ever stop believing; don't ever stop dreaming your dreams.”

~~ Laine Parsons ~~

An Open Letter in Support of Marriage Equality.

As you would be aware, I am a supporter of Marriage Equality. I believe everyone has the equal right to love and marry the person of their choice. Today, I publish my open letter in support of Australian Marriage Equality and I hope that many of you do too, using that link. You can also donate your support here

I, Tania Bannister, the undersigned Australian celebrant, write to express my support for Marriage Equality.

Australian celebrants are privileged to share in a unique celebration of love when couples make formal and legal commitments to each other. We can see that the joy of the moment extends far beyond the couple making the commitment and also includes their families, friends and communities.

In contemporary Australia, however, some couples are denied the opportunity to share the joy of this moment. As marriage equality is not recognised, couples in same-sex relationships do not enjoy the same rights and are not treated with the same dignity as other Australians.

As a celebrant, I believe I have an important role to play in promoting inclusion and tolerance. I support diversity in society and recognise the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Australians to marry. Denying celebrants the ability to marry same-sex couples also impinges on our individual freedom.

I believe the rights and liberties of all individuals are sacrosanct. They are essential in the creation of a healthy, harmonious and open society. An equitable society, free of discrimination, allows all members to function at their best. Legalised discrimination in one area allows discrimination to flourish in all areas.

Australia is a robust democracy with a proud history of social reform. This should continue, with all citizens being treated equally, including those who are currently excluded from the institution of marriage.

Australians are increasingly supportive of marriage equality, with a recent Crosby Textor survey showing seventy-two percent of Australians are in favour of same sex couples marrying. This overwhelming level of support should be reflected with legal change.

Globally, nineteen countries have passed laws to allow same sex marriage, including countries that are culturally similar to ours such as New Zealand and Great Britain. These countries passed this important reform with a lower level of public support for marriage equality than exists in Australia right now. In the United States, thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have legalised same sex marriage.

On May 22nd, the Republic of Ireland held a referendum to sanction same sex marriage. A Yes vote was supported by the Government, all major political parties and the voters  themselves.

In June of this year, the U.S. Supreme court is likely to return a judgement in favour of legalising same-sex marriage across that nation.

These two events will see Australia isolated amongst countries where English is spoken as a first language as the last nation to recognise equal marriage rights.

Marriage is a celebration that joins people together and denying same-sex couples this opportunity limits us as a society. Equal Marriage is the only truly fair.  It will create a climate where the bonds of love and commitment are recognised equally and celebrated widely.

The ability to make equal commitments is fair and just.  Discrimination is not.

Yours faithfully,

Tania Bannister

Authorised Civil Celebrant

"Ask Her To Marry You"

http://www.jameslooker.com/looker-portfolio/weddings/

"Will You Marry Me?" -- John Mangalindan

It's been a while and now I know

That I can never ever let you go

From the first time we met and your first hello

I knew you're the one where my heart will grow

You are my dream..the angel from the sky

Who showed me what life is and how I can cry

How I can have someone who I can always rely

To be there forever and never say goodbye

The one I can hug when I am in need

The one who give love.. that no one can exceed

The one who'll shed tears ...if my heart ever bleed

The one I have wanted..to share my life with...

So, now I ask you this ...will please you take my hand

And be the person... who will always understand

I want to grow old with you .... Im down in one knee

You're the only one I'll ask..."will you marry me?"...

Morgana and Chris: Wed at Kryal Castle.

My goodness, what can I say about this wedding, other than fabulous? It certainly was, and they certainly were. What a great couple Morgana and Chris are. From the very first meeting with them, I knew we were going to have a memorable wedding, (they had such a clear plan), and an ongoing friendship (because they are so warm and genuine). Their ceremony was held at Kryal Castle, which is a terrific wedding venue, and getting married on the Monday was a smart idea, as we had the entire Castle to ourselves. So, wedding, accommodation and reception all in one: brilliant. Congrats to you both, and thank you for having me as your celebrant, you are just adorable xx

Kaylene and Andrew

I had the absolute honour, last weekend, of officiating at Kaylene and Andrew's wedding ceremony, which was held in the gardens of The Grange Bellinzona, Hepburn Springs. Kaylene was a very organised bride, with a great eye for detail, and she ensured that all four parents were included in their ceremony, which is always a lovely tribute. Congratulations to you both, I hope that you had a wonderful evening of celebration together, and that you have a long, joyous and healthy married life together xx

“The Journey” - - PJ Mayrhofer.

Two friends decided to journey together towards a common destination. Before they began their journey they shared their expectations as follows:

There will be days, my friend when one will want to walk along the mountain path, whilst the other may prefer the valley. But we will come together at the end of the day and share our experiences.

There will be days when one will want to sing and dance, whilst the other will prefer to travel in quietness, so we will choose different paths, but we will meet at the close of the day and be content with our experiences.

There will be days when one will want to rest, whilst the other may want to move further along the path, but at the right time we will come together and be happy that each has fulfilled their own needs.

There will be days when we shall travel together as one.”

Rules For Men & Women

I had to laugh at this, some of them are so true; I hope you enjoy them as much as I did xx

Rules for men and women

Rules for women

1. Women, learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

2. Birthdays, Valentines, and Anniversaries are not considered by us to be opportunities to see if we can find the perfect present again!

3. Sometimes we are not thinking about you. Live with it.

4. Sunday = sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

5. Don't cut your hair. Ever. Long hair is always more attractive than short hair. One of the big reasons guys fear getting married is that married women always cut their hair, and by then you're stuck with her.

6. Ask for what you want. Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

7. We don't remember dates. . . .Period!!

8. Most guys own three pairs of shoes - tops. What makes you think we'd be any good at choosing which pair, out of thirty, would look good with your dress?

9. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

10. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

11. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

12. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

13. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect us to act like soap opera guys.

14. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us. We've been tricked before!!

15. If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

16. Let us ogle. We are going to look anyway; it's genetic.

17. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

18. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

19. Christopher Columbus did not need directions, and neither do we.

20. The relationship is never going to be like it was the first two months we were going out. Get over it. And quit whining to your girlfriends.

21. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

22. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

23. We are not mind readers and we never will be. Our lack of mind-reading ability is not proof of how little we care about you.

24. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing", we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

25. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

26. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as navel lint, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.

27. Foreign films are best left to foreigners. (Unless it's Bruce Lee or some war flick where it doesn't really matter what they're saying anyway.)

28. BEER is as exciting for us as handbags are for you.

29. Thank you for reading this; Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight, but did you know, it's like camping. 

Rules for men

1. Call.

2. Don't lie.

3. Never tape any of her body parts together.

4. If a guys' night out is going to be fun, invite the girls.

5. If a guys' night out is going to involve strippers, remember the zoo rules: No Petting.

6. The correct answer to "Do I look fat?" is never, ever "Yes."

7. Ditto for "Is she prettier than me?"

8. Victoria's Secret is good. Frederick's of Hollywood is bad.

9. Ordering for her is good. Telling her what she wants is bad.

10. Being attentive is good. Stalking is bad.

11. "Honey", "Darling", and "Sweetheart" are good. "Nag", "Lardass", and "Bitch" are bad.

12. Talking is good. Shouting is bad. Slapping is a felony.

13. A grunt is seldom an acceptable answer to any question.

14. None of your ex-girlfriends were ever nicer, prettier, or better in bed.

15. Her cooking is excellent.

16. That isn't an excuse for you to avoid cooking.

17. Soap is your friend.

18. Hat does not equal shower, aftershave does not equal soap, and warm does not equal clean.

19. Buying her dinner does not equal foreplay.

20. Answering "Who was that on the phone?" with "Nobody" is never going to end that conversation.

21. Ditto for "Whose lipstick is this?"

22. Two words: clean socks.

23. Believe it or not, you're probably not more attractive when you're drunk.

24. Burping is not sexy.

25. You're wrong.

26. You're sorry.

27. She is probably less impressed by your discourse on your cool car than you think she is.

28. Ditto for your discourse on football.

29. Ditto for your ability to jump up and hit any awning in a single bound.

30. "Will you marry me?" is good. "Let's shack up together" is bad.

31. Don't assume PMS is the cause for every bad mood.

32. Don't assume PMS doesn't exist.

33. No means No. Yes means Yes. Silence could mean anything she feels like at that particular moment in time, and it could change without notice.

34. "But, we kiss..." is not justification for using her toothbrush. You don't clean plaque with your tongue.

35. Never let her walk anywhere alone after 11pm.

36. Chivalry and feminism are NOT mutually exclusive.

37. Pick her up at the airport. Don't whine about it, just do it.

38. If you want to break up with her, break up with her. Don't act like a complete jerk until she does it for you.

39. Don't tell her you love her if you don't.

40. Tell her you love her if you do. Often.

41. Always, always suck up to her brother.

42. Think boxers.

43. Silk boxers.

44. Remember Valentine's Day, and any cheesy "anniversary" she so-names.

45. Don't try to change the way she dresses.

46. Her haircut is never bad.

47. Don't let your friends pick on her.

48. Call.

49. Don't lie.

50. The rules are never fair. Accept this without question. The fact that she has to go through labor while you sit in the waiting room on your ass smoking cigars isn't fair either, and it balances everything.

Source: http://specchum.blogspot.com.au/2008/02/rules-for-men-and-women.html