It all started at Celebrant School
A number of years ago I attended the Celebrant School run by Mary Hancock to get a good foundation to become a celebrant and found this series of courses an invaluable start. It equipped me with the necessary skills and confidence to get the celebrant ball rolling.
For any couple heading down the aisle, consultation is a key part of the entire marriage process, be it the wedding dress, catering, venue or the ceremony.
As a marriage celebrant I engage all couples in an introductory meeting. Here we get a better feel and understanding for one another and more importantly, it allows the couple to decide if I am the right person for them.
In total and on average, it typically takes around ten hours of planning and meeting with a couple and the average ceremony takes about 20 minutes.
With the aid of modern technology, I have carried out many interesting ceremonies for people from as far afield as China, Philipines and Australia. The communication here has been mostly through email and I meet the couple just a few days before the big day.
Despite the distance and lack of actual face-to-face time my overall planning and application of ceremony processes has always been spot on with all couples reporting huge satisfaction with the final days ceremony.
Plan, discuss and fine tune the ceremony
From here we progress into a planning meeting to decide what type of ceremony they want. This is another important step in the process as the ceremony must fit their ideals and convey the type of marriage ceremony that represents them as a couple, or is characteristic of their union.
As with any type of planning questions, changes and fine tuning are part of the package and from this point there will be a flow of emails and/or meetings to hone down the ceremony until we get the final version.
At the last meeting which is usually about five days before the big day, we do a final run through of the ceremony at the venue. My role in this is to listen to the couple, to determine what they want, give feedback where necessary and also examples of different components of the ceremony.
It’s important that the celebrant does not take over but guides the couple towards their needs. It’s a collaborative process that ends with a fitting and well executed ceremony that represents the couple and conveys the essence of their union.
The importance of a great venue
Markovina Estate has always been a great venue, one that couples embrace with the multiple outdoor settings and indoor, fully covered alternatives. The venue is flexible and alows a couple to infuse their own tastes and preferences into their big day.
It’s an aspect of the wedding set-up that makes my job easy. When the venue, theme and ceremony of the day are all in harmony couples are over the moon. It’s a cohesive package that they appreciate and adds to the overall magic of their special day.
John is very familiar with Markovina Estate and is able to officiate a wonderful ceremony for you. He also provides a very cost effective package for ceremonies at Markovina Estate. His special price for weddings at our venue during 2015 is only $350 including a planning meeting, rehearsal & your ceremony. Contact John to find out more.
