If you’re looking to change your last name after your wedding, but don’t know where to start, you’re not alone.
In my experience as a marriage celebrant, up to 90% of newly-married brides (and a few pioneering grooms and spouses) choose to change their last or family name after marriage and are super confused about how to go about it.
It’s a real process that can take around 8 hours over several days or weeks to complete. This is because every company or institution has their own unique process and is not legally permitted to share your details with anyone else.
The good news is, I can help save you a lot of time and even some money too.
Let’s get started!
Alana and Peter's wedding plans (like so many engaged couples worldwide) were thrown into disarray in 2020.
Between the NSW border closures due to COVID-19 and their original venue in Byron Bay burning down (true story!) Peter and Alana tried for a 3rd and final time to have a super low-key, no stress day just for them and their immediate family.
Something simple, but beautiful, elegant, but without any pretence.
Sam and Emily make time to see their families, to share special moments together, and they love talk on the phone often. They wanted to bring this warmth and appreciation, that had always been shown towards them, into their wedding ceremony too.
With COVID border closures, the tyranny of distance and for those who'd passed away, some of their family were not able to be with us in person, so we incorporated them and their interests as much as we could through readings, a memorial and with a big smoochy kiss right down Alex's lens. 😅
I’m not one for fluffy and OTT poetry and I think it’s fair to say that the majority of my couples aren’t massive fans either.
But I do recognise how the power of a well chosen wedding reading in a ceremony can be instrumental in bringing about a feeling of gratefulness, humanity, and hope.
And a great reader who takes the time to deliver a quote, reading or poem with poise and intention can really lift a modern wedding ceremony above and beyond the ordinary.
But first, you need a great wedding reading.
Hopefully this post, along with 5 Wedding Readings That Aren’t Too Soppy and More Unique & Beautiful Wedding Readings For Your Ceremony, will help you to narrow down the search.
What are your options if you want to include a reading in your wedding ceremony, but aren't a fan of Shakespeare and don't want to have 1 Corinthians 13?
The great thing about civil ceremonies in Australia is, apart from 3 sentences that I have to say from The Marriage Act 1961 and 1 legal sentence you have to say in your vows, the rest is completely up to you. The sky's the limit.
And you can make your ceremony even more meaningful by finding a reading (or two) that you LOVE - rather than something you think is 'just okay'. Readings can come from anywhere; lyrics from songs, quotes from movies or the words from your team's victory song (God help us all..)
Here are five of my favourites..
Such a cute photo from Meg Hansen Photography of little April at Tyler and Angela's wedding ceremony, yes? She was telling everyone who she thought that they loved the most; it was an adorable and precious moment for everyone.
What I see in this shot, is how far I have come in 11+ years.
It's been a pretty busy week for me, which I'm guessing is par for the course for most celebrants in peak season. When family and friends ask me what I've been up to, I invariably answer 'just busy with work' which is often met with a raised eyebrow and some exasperation. The look on their faces says 'are you really THAT busy, when your job is just to stand at a ceremony and talk for 20 minutes?'
It used to make me angry when people didn't get what I do, but I have learned over the years that many people are simply not aware of what goes on behind the scenes, how much preparation goes into a ceremony and the contingencies that a good celebrant needs to account for.
So in the interests of being open and trying to educate rather than explode, here's a snapshot of what I get up to in an average week.
I've been meaning to make a celebrant video for my website for ages.
You know, something simple and to the point, just to say hi and let people know a little of what I'm about. And I am well aware that if I were 20 years younger, I'd be snapchatting my way through most weekends.
But when I tried to take a handful of short videos for Bridechilla Club last week at Luke Simon's studio (thank you again, Luke), I discovered that it wouldn't be the walk in the park I hoped it would be.
But then, I had a revelation.
One of the most uplifting, and yet sometimes subconscious, first impressions a guest has of a wedding ceremony is conveyed via the music they're greeted with. The atmosphere live music creates at a wedding can be emotional, calming and magical.
Enter Amicus Strings; a professional string quartet founded in 1996 by Carolyn Lam. I've worked with the girls at several wedding ceremonies over the years and have admired their professionalism and polished performances.
Carolyn and I got the chance to sit down for a chat last week about what sets Amicus Strings apart from other quartets and how couples CAN afford live music no matter what their wedding budget.
Maria Athanasopoulos from Zink: The Element of Hair, Plympton gives Brides the low-down on how to make sure that your hairstyle is one you'll love - not just on your wedding day, but years down the track as well.
2015 has been a massive year for me and my business.
On top of all of the incredible weddings, renewal of vows, commitment and naming ceremonies that I have been a part of and all of the beautiful people that I have met along the way, I have also achieved some big business and personal goals too.
I was absolutely thrilled to have my first article: 'No Ugly Crying' published in the Huffington Post earlier this month. A little surprised and very grateful to receive the 2015 ABIA Marriage Celebrant Award in October. And then on Thursday I was told that I had been chosen as a finalist in the Flying Solo Business Awards for customer service.
Did you know that there is just one question you need to ask to help determine if someone is a trained, experienced and professional wedding DJ?
It was during my interview with wedding photographer and nice guy, Luke Simon, when I first heard about this cool DJ/businessman that I have never crossed paths with before; David Bartholomeusz. David's level of commitment to client satisfaction and business excellence is inspiring. And even though David and I couldn't match our schedules for a face to face chat, he generously volunteered to record his answers to my hard-hitting questions for us.
I hope you enjoy his take on DJ trends, the science of holding a crowd and the difference between extroverted and introverted DJs as much as I did. One day, we may even get to have that face to face chat.
***READ ON TO FIND OUT HOW TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 14-PAGE, 300+ SONG EBOOK: WEDDING CEREMONY MUSIC GUIDE!***
Over to you, David!
Luke is just one of those perennially 'up' kinda guys - always brimming with energy and enthusiasm whenever our paths cross. But the best part about working beside him is how inspiring and talented he is as a wedding photographer and businessman. From the outside at least, he seems to do a stellar job of balancing his family life with his ever-growing business interests, which include yearly trips to the Maldives for work (yeah, right..!)
I caught up with Luke in his Colonel Light Gardens studio for a chat about his process and why couples really need a wedding photographer who is always 3 steps ahead.
Here's something to consider when you're hiring your wedding photographer; you may spend anywhere up to 10 hours of your big day with them and around 8 hours with your new husband or wife. Yep - crazy to think about, yes?
For me, Dan Evans of Dan Evans Photography is just a pleasure to be around - just like an old (or quite young!) friend. There is no pretence with him and he's also very passionate about what he does. We sat down for a coffee at The Edge Deli Brighton, just down the road from his studio, to chat about how to make the taking of your wedding photos fun and relaxed which in turn, translates into an awesome end result.
Nothing can match the celebratory nature and heightened sense of anticipation that live music can impart on a wedding ceremony. In my past life, I was a performance music degree graduate and although I try to stay out of the way of the musos while I’m doing weddings, I can’t help but notice when an artist gets it right; there is a big difference between ‘just playing a song’ and performing an original interpretation with energy and integrity.
Brian Ruiz is one of the most soulful musicians and fun guys that I have had the pleasure of working with at my Adelaide weddings. It was great to sit down with him at Patch Kitchen & Garden, Stirling and have a chat about what he does and why he believes (contrary to musician snob rhetoric) that performing at a wedding is the best gig in town.
