real wedding
Camille Abbott
Alex and Tom's Mandalay House and Garden ...

Alex and Tom's wedding was a stunning black-tie event that perfectly captured their fun-loving spirits. The couple chose to write their own vows, adding a personal touch to the ceremony that had everyone in stitches and reaching for the tissues as well. Their main goal? To feel happy and in the moment, with lots of laughs and happy tears.

Their ceremony was a testament to their enduring love story, light-hearted and filled with joy, exactly as they envisioned.

Alex and Tom's Mandalay House and Garden Black-Tie Wedding
wedding planning, wedding advice
Camille Abbott
How to Change Your Name After Your Wedding in ...

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!

How to Change Your Name After Your Wedding in Australia
real wedding
Camille Abbott
Alana and Peter’s McLaren Vale Micro wedding

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.

Alana and Peter’s McLaren Vale Micro wedding
real wedding
Camille Abbott
Emily and Sam's Romantic Adelaide Hills Wedding

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. 😅

Emily and Sam's Romantic Adelaide Hills Wedding
wedding planning
Camille Abbott
EVEN MORE unique wedding ceremony readings

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.

EVEN MORE unique wedding ceremony readings

Give good mic - Part 2

Give good mic - Part 2

I can certainly understand how, if you don't use a mic in your line of work or on a regular basis, it can be a bit intimidating to have to use one on one of the biggest days of your life. 

In Giving good mic - Part 1  we learned that getting the attention of your guests (and keeping it) is as much about being heard as it is about a heartfelt and relevant ceremony. And now we can all (albeit begrudgingly) agree that mics are not evil and are in fact very helpful. 

So in the interests of keeping your stress levels low and your confidence high, here are my answers to the top 3 questions about mics that I am asked by my brides and grooms.

Give good mic - Part 1

Give good mic - Part 1

A good wedding photographer friend of mine once commented on how a handheld microphone (henceforth referred to as a 'mic') looks a little phallic in his ceremony photos. Some brides and grooms shriek with dismay when I let them know that, for their 100 guests to actually hear them, they will need to speak into a mic during their ceremony; "oh, I HATE the sound of my voice!"

Everyone wants to know why I (and every other registered marriage celebrant in Australia who is required by the Code of Practice to "make efforts to ensure that the marriage ceremony is audible to all those present, using audio equipment, if required")  believe that using a good quality mic properly is so important. Apart from having a mildly sadistic streak (haha!), there are several other excellent reasons why making the effort to use a mic will make your ceremony so much more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Relaxed glamour - Bronte and Tim

Relaxed glamour - Bronte and Tim

I think it's a common misconception that only the bride or groom get nervous at their wedding ceremony. But in my experience, most of the guests and in particular their immediate family, also have a ticket to ride on the roller coaster of wedding emotions. So I always love it when the bride and groom are as easy going and relaxed as possible because, as much as it allows them to experience a more calm version of their special day, it also sends a subconscious signal to their guests that they can just chill out and enjoy it too. 

The other great signal for wedding guests is the provision of a specialty drinks table. Nothing says 'time to celebrate' like a Pimm's drink station. 

Bronte and Tim's wedding was celebrated at the spectacular Longview Vineyard on a mild April afternoon. Their photos are courtesy of Angie from Mink Studio. 

Grab a Pimm's, sit back and enjoy!

Dan Evans of Dan Evans Photography

Dan Evans of Dan Evans Photography

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.

,

No Ugly Crying

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No Ugly Crying

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.

Brian Ruiz from The Shizzle

Brian Ruiz from The Shizzle

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.

Jess and Ruby from Longview Vineyard

Jess and Ruby from Longview Vineyard

Jess and Ruby run the weddings at Longview Vineyard like a well-oiled machine. They are responsive yet measured and always very organised. But this is not to say they take a 'one size fits all' approach. To the contrary; the celebrations that I have been a part of at Longview are among the most unique and creative I've seen.So I was happy to have the chance to sit down with the girls over a hot chocolate at Chocolateria San Churro to chat about how they translate their couple's ideas into reality and how your wedding planning needn't be a stressful or overwhelming experience.

DIY love - Elyce and Patrick

DIY love - Elyce and Patrick

Elyce and Patrick are one of those warm and immediately friendly couples that, after meeting them for the first time, make you feel like you have known them for years. When I chatted with them in 2013 about their vision for their Golding Wines wedding, they described it as vintage/rustic with a relaxed atmosphere and the end result did not disappoint. It was, in fact, a DIY extravaganza which I would try to deter other couples from even attempting (DIY vs Delegation; a cautionary tale). But true to their tenancious yet caring natures, Patrick and Elyce pulled it off with aplomb.

Shots courtesy of Emma Sharkey Photography. Enjoy!

9 new-world rules of wedding ceremonies

9 new-world rules of wedding ceremonies

Okay, so here’s the thing; civil wedding ceremonies (in Australia, at least) can be as wacky or subdued, formal or relaxed, modern or traditional as you and your fiancé want. All you need is an experienced and willing celebrant to guide and support you (call me) and the intent to make your marriage ceremony one that your guests won’t sleep through. So the truth of the matter is, there are no rules. But in the interests of giving you something to work with, here are my 9 new-world rules of wedding ceremonies.

Sarina Jenkins of Golding Wines

Sarina Jenkins of Golding Wines

With sweeping vineyard views from the paved terrace bordered by landscaped gardens and the character sandstone barn, family owned and run Golding Wines boasts a wonderfully distinctive and rustic setting for celebrations or just a lazy Sunday afternoon sipping wine at the cellar door (accompanied by a slice or two of their crusty wood oven pizza, of course). 

And even though every wedding that I have been a part of there looks like it's been ripped from the pages of a magazine, they also run incredibly smoothly. Their Events Manager, Sarina Jenkins, is in the business of making dreams come true. Sarina and her team's attention to detail (like having a staff member ask the groomsmen to empty their pockets just before the ceremony starts so their mobile phones or keys are not unsightly distractions in the photos) and professionalism week after week is what really sets Golding Wines apart.