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..
One of my brides asked me recently; Where do I start with my wedding colours? There is so much information out there and everyone has their own take about which shades should be used for a 'seasonal' colour scheme and which Pantone colour of the year is best for you and the alignment of your astrological chart.
I'm all for a minimalistic wedding; just the two of you, your nearest and dearest, some food, drinks and music. There are lots of traditions and new trends, that I seriously think should be given the flick.
But I do believe that there is still room to thank people (like your Mum and Dad) for their love and support with a little token of your appreciation.
I've watched weddings change and evolve markedly over the last few years. Consider, for example, the relatively new (and 1st world problem) of coordinating unplugged weddings (ie. a ban on the social media upload of guests photos).
One of the trends that I have noticed and think is super cool, is the concept of giving back in the planning stages, the execution (there's got to be a better way to phrase that) and/or clean-up of a wedding. And the best part is that you don't need to be a paid-up member of Greenpeace, chain yourself to a heritage listed building or march in the streets to make a difference.
Here are some of the great new ways you can share the love of your special day with those less fortunate.
Some of the most visually stunning and relaxed wedding ceremonies that I have had the pleasure of officiating have been held in South Australia’s world-class winery venues.
South Australia boasts seven spectacular wine regions and hundreds of wineries, many of which include restaurants and function facilities purpose-built to cater for both intimate elopements and grand-scale, luxury wedding celebrations.
In my job I hear both the glowing and the snide comments whispered by wedding guests. And although you don’t want your wedding day to be an anxious rollercoaster-ride-of-people-pleasing-pain, if you didn’t care about your family and friends, you would have had your ceremony at the registry office, yes?
There are 3 pesky details, the same annoying issues, that come up for my winery wedding couples time and time again. If you can plan ahead and follow the golden rules, it is much more likely that your guests will remember your wedding for all the right reasons.
We've all seen the photos; black rivers of mascara streaming down the bride's cheeks and grooms gulping for air like a fish out of water. It's not an elegant look. It is also one of the most common concerns that my wedding couples have about their ceremony; "how do I stop myself from crying uncontrollably?"
The good news is that there are steps that you can take to minimise the 'damage' and prevent those embarrassing snotty snorts into the microphone as you're trying to say your vows.
Your mum and dad have stuck by you through all your awkward phases. Including your desperate pleas for a horse at 8 (of course I will feed it every day, Dad!), your emo phase at 14 (black was the new black) and your obsession with a really, really dodgy local band at 21 (don't deny it, you know it's true). And if your siblings are anything like mine, they would have mocked and teased you mercilessly through the aforementioned phases.
But here you are, planning your wedding and you really want to acknowledge and include them in your big day. Sure, your dad can walk you down the aisle, but what are your other options?
Once upon a time there was a savvy, no nonsense bride. Let's call her Jackie* (*bride's name has been changed to protect the overly ambitious). Jackie was planning the wedding to the man of her dreams on a pretty tight budget, but she knew what she wanted and figured; "hey, I'm a pretty smart/creative/resourceful woman. Why should I pay an arm and a leg for some things if I can learn how to do them myself AND get the satisfaction of having worked hands-on on our decor/flowers/signage/invitations/midnight snack boxes/hot chocolate spoons/limoncello cocktail favours etc.?"
When I first meet with my couples to discuss their wedding ceremony, once we get past all of the 'where, when and how' logistics, what I really want to know is their top 3. Some of my brides and grooms are are puzzled; what do you mean 'Our Top 3'?
