What To Expect

Every wedding ceremony is different. You, your families and friends will bring a unique and memorable quality to this ceremony. It's important that you know that I will make your wedding day as special as you would like it to be.

I suggest you come around for a cup of tea so that we can talk about your wedding ceremony and get to know one another.

We'll talk about your venue, the logistics and legal requirements. I will walk you through the mandatory components of the wedding ceremony and give you ideas of the choices you have regarding vows, readings, ring exchanges, giving away of the bride and how to include stepchildren into the ceremony, etc.

You can then go away and think about it. If you are happy and want to proceed then we can meet again and complete the Notice of Intended Marriage. At this point I would require a deposit for Lodgement to secure my commitment to your wedding date. After this I will e-mail you a document with all the sample ceremonies and ideas that we have discussed. You both can go through this and highlight things you like and your wedding ceremony will begin to take shape.

Your Notice of Intended Marriage has to be completed and lodged one month before your marriage. I will take care of this for you, and remind you.

We will speak over the phone or email (whichever is easiest) and I will help you to build your wedding ceremony. I will email you a document with 10 different variations of each part of the ceremony, as well as an anonymous complete copy of the most recent ceremony I have done, so that you can see how it all fits together. There are many good websites for marriage vows and wedding ceremonies that will also assist you in shaping your special wedding ceremony.

Unique Ceremonies

There really is no limit to being able to incorporate your personality, values, culture and traditions into the event. You might want to involve a candle lighting ceremony, a rose ceremony, a flower and ivy ceremony, a handbinding ceremony or a butterfly releasing ceremony into your wedding day.

Including a Step-Family Commitment component to a ceremony can also be quite beautiful. This is when the Bride and/or Groom already have children, who are incorporated into the ceremony. The step-parent to be and step child make promises to one another to respect and acknowledge one another's role in the family unit. Then the Bride & Groom make their legally binding commitment to each other.

Order of Service

You might want to prepare an Order of Service, which is the program guide for the wedding ceremony. Ceremonies with Soul can help you with this.

Rehearsal

Before the event, I recommend that the Bride & Groom host a rehearsal. That way we'll know where best to stand (important for light aspects for the photographer), how the bride will walk in, how long the music needs to play for, where the signing table will be, and many other aspects that I can bring my experience to.

We'll do a run-through so that you're familiar with how your wedding ceremony will unfold and it will help calm your nerves for the big day. I am here to make your day special and one that you will remember forever.

What to expect on your wedding day