Engage Celebrants blazed a trail along Oxford Street last Saturday as the first celebrants to march in the parade in the event’s 35 year history.

As strong supporters of Marriage Equality, we believe that all couples should be able to celebrate their love by getting married in front of their family and friends.

Our float was “Engage Celebrants supports Marriage Equality – Tie the Knot with Us”. With two Kens and two Barbies tied to the front of the ute, two real-life brides standing inside a giant love heart on the back, Engage Celebrant Elizabeth in position with them and lots of sparkly bits everywhere we were ready!

Dressed from top to toe in love heart red we chanted, danced, cheered, clapped and waved as we paraded our way from Hyde Park to Moore Park. Waving our banners, we called to the crowd to support marriage equality. “Do you?” “We do!” we shouted. And the reply came back... “We do too!”

Below our celebrants share their memories of a special evening.

Engage Celebrant Suzanne Holland

Wow - what an experience! I loved the way that the crowd were just so happy to be part of such an amazing celebration.

From a marriage equality perspective, it was great to see so many people with the I-Do tshirts on and it was fun picking them out of the crowd and engaging with them as we marched with our banners.

The crowd made us feel like celebrities, wanting to hi-five us, wishing us Happy Mardi Gras and even prying away one of our signs as a keepsake. It truly was a memorable experience and so much fun.

Engage Celebrant Elizabeth Trevan

There is truly no greater seal of approval for Engage Celebrants and their support of Marriage Equality than the immediacy of hundreds and thousands of jubilant, excited and sparkly people, cheering us on in our endeavours.

The roar of the crowd and that colourful, sequined vision of the vast sea of faces lining our way up Oxford Street is something that will stay in my memory till I lose my marbles. An experience of a lifetime!

Engage Celebrant Sarah Cummings

To me our maiden Mardi Gras parade really was like the weddings we were marching for. It started with love and a desire to make a public declaration.It took months of planning (and then a week of chaos as all the final decisions were made).

The day itself was a mix of excitement and nerves that everything would go well and the weather would hold off (it didn’t but no-one let that dampen their spirits). And then it was time for the parade to begin!

Just as those who’ve been married will say that their wedding day felt like it was over in a flash, we’d been told by others who’d been before us that the walk itself would fly but like others preparing for their big day we didn’t believe them (it’s a long way from Hyde Park to the SCG...).

Then there was the thought of 300,000 people watching – what would they think of our float? Well it turns out they loved it and all those experienced marchers were right – I couldn’t believe how quickly the night went. From the minute we turned that first corner into Oxford St we found a wall either side of people smiling and cheering and it didn’t stop until we got to the Strip Joint (no that’s not the after party, it’s where the floats get de-sparkled and roadworthy again)!

You could see people look at our float, realise what we were saying and then just get so excited about it. It just made me so proud to be able to stand up for marriage equality and share the night with so many amazing people. Can’t wait for next year!

Engage Celebrant Kathryn Breusch

It really was such a fantastic experience and I reflected on it in the very same way - like putting a wedding together (although I was probably like a work friend of the bride - just turn up on the day all dressed up and enjoy the party!)

The car looked fantastic, the signs were so simple and made a huge impact on the spectators and the energy was electric. What fabulous memories!

Engage Celebrant Stephen Lee

We’d been planning for weeks but I don’t think anything quite prepared me for the explosion of fun, colour, glitter, sequins, feathers, celebration, noise, excitement and pride of marching in support of Marriage Equality in the Sydney Mardi Gras parade. What an amazing night!

Who’d have thought my local dollar shop sold so much material for a costume?! My dining room table looked like a drag queen’s workroom as I stuck, sewed, glued and stapled everything together. I half wondered if I’d overdone it but then I realised that’s actually not possible for Mardi Gras!

As we turned the corner into Oxford Street, the adrenelin rushed and we were swept along on a wave of utter excitement. It felt like as soon as we’d started, we were at the end! With one final cheer for the Glamstand, we were done. I said my goodbyes to my colleagues on such a high… I felt proud of them, and myself, for standing up for something we all believe in. Let’s hope our voices are heard.

Engage Celebrant Melissa Soncini

I loved the energy,
seeing a see of people cheer,
Stephen Lee dancing,
hugging strangers,
smiling, smiling, smiling...

Massive thanks to the people who helped us with our float – we couldn’t have done it without them.

Ross provided the signs, ute and was our driver. Visit his website here – he does amazing signwork!

And Kelly from Kelly Luker Photography took some brilliant photos as our official Media Partner. Check out her other work here.

Watch our photo slideshow of Sydney Mardi Gras:

Happy Valentine's Day - will you be OUR valentine?

Engage Celebrants is sharing the love to celebrate the annual day of romance. We asked some of our celebrants to put into words what Valentine's Day is all about and they also shared some wonderful stories of love from some of their weddings.

Watch the video above to hear what they said!

Celebrate YOUR love story this Valentine's Day. It's a great day to remind your loved one of the stories you've created together. Flowers are great but also remember to use words to share the love. Some find this quite difficult thinking their words won't be right so try retelling your favourite moments with them or 10 reasons you love them. Remember - if they come from the heart they will be perfect.

St. Valentine's Day began as a celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. The most popular martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire.

The day was first associated with romantic love by poet Geoffrey Chaucer. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion on which lovers expressed their love for each other.

The well-known Valentine's Day poem originated in a collection of English nursery rhymes in 1784:

The rose is red, the violet's blue,
The honey's sweet, and so are you.
Thou art my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast and then I drew,
And Fortune said it shou'd be you.

Why not be our valentine and let us help you celebrate.

Engage Celebrants are young marriage celebrants in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne who love bringing fun and laughter to weddings, commitments, renewals and namings.



Meet Jane Zwar - one of the newest members of our Engage Celebrants family.

Jane lives with her family in the Southern Highlands just south of Sydney, along with a menagerie of animals. If you call in to visit expect to see ponies, rabbits, dogs, cats and fish!

We caught up with Jane as she recorded her welcome video for the Engage Celebrants website at Key Studios in North Sydney. Her three young girls came along too and loved seeing their mum on TV!

Find out why Jane loves the end of her ceremonies - she says the kiss is definitely her favourite part.

Engage Celebrants are young marriage celebrants in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne who love bringing fun and laughter to weddings, commitments, renewals and namings.

Every Engage Celebrants wedding is special but one recent ceremony stands out as something truly amazing.

Natalie Newman, a policewoman from Sydney, has inoperable ovarian cancer. It’s the second time she has battled the disease but this time doctors have told her that her illness is too advanced to treat successfully.

Natalie took the decision to share her story through Channel 9's A Current Affair to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer. She’s a special Ambassador for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation. 1200 Australian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year. Without clear symptoms, most women diagnosed are already in advanced stages so the search is on for an early detection test - the key to changing the statistics. More information on ovarian cancer can be found in OCRF's fact sheet which you can access here and remember, noone knows your body like you do.

After seeing Natalie's story Modern Wedding brought together a group of wedding professionals, including Engage Celebrants, to give Natalie and her fiancé Matt a unique gift, a wedding day like no other.

Natalie’s young daughter Emily played a big part in the ceremony too, which brought a few tears to the eyes of family and friends watching.

They were married by EC’s Sarah Cummings at Chateau Élan in the Hunter Valley, NSW. The whole day was captured by A Current Affair.

Modern Wedding interviewed Sarah about her role in the ceremony and you can read their blog post here. We've had a lot of people ask us about the ceremony itself so we thought we'd ask Sarah to share with you a little more on how Natalie and Matt's ceremony was created...

At Engage Celebrants we believe that wedding ceremonies are a chance to share your love story. This means that every ceremony will be unique. So the most important thing to do first is to listen. I met with Natalie and Matt as well as Natalie's mum Kerrieanne and we talked; about how Natalie and Matt met, what it is they love about each other, the important people in their lives, why they want to get married (yep I really do have the best job in the world!).

We also talked about the ceremony. It's clear as soon as you meet them that this is a fun family so there was going to be a lot of laughter but it was also important to them that we didn't ignore the struggle they are going through. Their suggestion to play Emily's song (which you can hear in our video) was a really nice way to express how Natalie's cancer had affected their lives.

Like many couples we marry this wedding would also create a new formal relationship between Emily and her soon-to-be step-dad, Matt. To recognise this we put together some promises that they would make to each other in the ceremony. Many couples give their children a gift and it can be a chance to find something that represents the relationship between step-parent and child. Matt and Emily already spend a lot of time playing Lego together so they chose to give each other half of a Lego house. They will build it together to symbolise the loving home they are creating as a new family.

Natalie and Matt also had a few promises to each other. Instead of the traditional askings ('for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health, etc) Matt promised to not ask questions when Natalie brought home more four-legged friends and Natalie agreed to share Matt with his other great love, fishing.

There are some legal requirements in every marriage and the vows are one of them. However most couples choose to add their own personal vows as well. To me vows are at the very heart of a ceremony - it is where you declare before the world that this is the person you love, the person you will spend the rest of your life with. Like many people Matt and Natalie were hoping to write their own vows but weren't sure where to begin so in our first draft I included some suggestions. For most people it is easier to adapt something (often to the point where none of the original words exist) than start with a blank piece of paper. I already knew that Matt and Natalie had a way with words so I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw them for the first time but I still got goosebumps when I read their vows!

At that point in the ceremony I ran out of tissues! I always keep a supply in my folder but between Sarah and Michelle, the bridesmaids, and Natalie and Matt I was all out. Luckily Natalie's mum Kerrieanne and Matt's mum Marilyn brought their own up when they joined us fora reading, Blessing of the Hands. This is a gorgeous reading which is perfect for weddings and by including it after the vows and exchange of rings it really was a blessing of Natalie and Matt's marriage by two people who were immensely important to them.

The kiss was my favourite moment. We had joked throughout the planning about how Nat needed a step ladder to kiss Matt (he's quite a bit taller than her) so we thought it would be fun to include this in the ceremony. Just before their kiss we brought out a gorgeous pink stool (to match her amazing Wendy Makin blush coloured dress) which she stepped onto for their first magical kiss as husband and wife.

From there it was a matter of completing the formalities; signing the legal documents and presenting them with their certificate. And for the moment we'd all been waiting for... It is with great pleasure as I introduce to you all for the very first time.... Mr and Mrs Turner!

Every day as celebrants we have the privilege of sharing in that one amazing day for couples and it isn't something we take lightly. I can't even begin to express how lucky I feel to have played a small part in Natalie and Matt's love story. We wish for them many more precious moments together filled with laughter and love.

To find out more about ovarian cancer or to make a donation visit the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation or click here to make a donation.

Engage Celebrants are young marriage celebrants in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne who love bringing fun and laughter to weddings, commitments, renewals and namings.

More than 70% of weddings in Australia are civil ceremonies with the majority held in gardens, parks and beaches. Most couples tie the knot between 2pm and 4pm in the afternoon when the heat is often at its peak.

While most brides and grooms have a Plan B in the event of rain, many haven’t thought about what to do when the mercury climbs. Most importantly, we are currently at the height of bushfire season and several states have already been affected. So if your wedding is in one of these regions make sure you check with the local authorities in the lead up to your wedding.

It's likely that you've been planning your wedding day for months or even years but the health and safety of everyone is paramount. You need to consider whether to postpone to a later time or date or change your venue. Remember that older guests and very young children are particularly vulnerable to heat. It's best to have discussed your options with everyone in the week before. This will make it less stressful to make a decision on the day.

Sometimes even a small change can make a big difference. Recently Engage Celebrant Sarah suggested to a groom that they move a ceremony from a gazebo in the sun to the shade of a large tree 20 metres away. A quick check with the bride revealed her concerns about her makeup melting in the sun so the decision was made and 5 minutes later they were ready to begin. It was about 5 degrees cooler under the tree and there was a nice breeze so guests could relax and enjoy the ceremony rather than hoping it would be over quickly so they could get out of the sun.

Here are five top tips from Engage Celebrants to avoid a marriage meltdown:

1. Liquid gold - Forget the champers! Giving your guests alcoholic beverages and then popping them in the sun for a few hours is a surefire way to end their celebrations early. Have some water on hand (you can even get your names on the labels from some suppliers) or for a more sophisticated approach why not put together an old fashioned drinks stand with pitchers of iced tea and lemonade. Here's one from Autumn and Ryan's wedding. For inspiration check out this blog post from Hello May or if you want someone to take care of it all for you try The Soda Stand. Photo thanks to Gaia Photography.

2. Shade, shade, shade - If there is no natural shade nearby then bring your own. Consider a canopy for your alter (Christy and James' beautiful canopy is from The Hire End), hire large market umbrellas for your guests or provide a supply of umbrellas or parasols. You could even put out some picnic rugs for them to relax under between your ceremony and reception whilst you are having photos taken, like Chris and Anna did. Also make sure that you look after the elderly and very young. Have chairs available for them and perhaps some cool washers kept with icepacks.

3. Bombonieres - Consider providing hand-held fans to your guests. They are always appreciated and make a nice keepsake from your wedding. They come in all different colours and styles and you can customise them to match your theme with ribbons and other decorations. You can even get DIY kits that double as your program or order of service. We found these cute ones at Pink Frosting.

4. Always be prepared - If it’s hot then make sure you both drink plenty of fluid (of the non-alcoholic variety!) throughout the day and eat something. You don’t want to faint during your own wedding! Have a packet of jelly beans in your emergency kit just in case. Also make sure you apply sunscreen (check with your makeup artist if you are concerned about the reflection aspect) and guys don’t forget the top of your head if you’re a little light on coverage up there! Consider supplying some for guests as well.

5. Don’t be late! - These days it is never acceptable for the bride to be more than 15 minutes late but especially on a very hot day it is important not to keep your guests waiting out in the sun any longer than they need to. Make sure you communicate with your celebrant about your progress. That way guests can stay in the shade until the last minute and only be out in the sun when they need to be.

Engage Celebrants are young marriage celebrants in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne who love bringing fun and laughter to weddings, commitments, renewals and namings.

Civil ceremonies are no longer just for the non-religious. They enable you to bring your culture, traditions and (if you like) religious beliefs to create a ceremony that reflects who you are as individuals and as a couple.  Elizabeth shares stories of how several couples have married with unique ceremonies that bring their rich heritages together and create new traditions for their families.

There seems to be a huge cultural shift in the way we view marriage in Australia today, in particular over the past 10 years. Couples are getting married later in life, one third are unmarried at the time of the birth of their first child and there has been a large increase in the volume of ceremonies conducted by civil marriage celebrants. As celebrants we see this change unfold in a small scale, regularly and before our very eyes. In 2010, almost 70% of marriage ceremonies were conducted by civil celebrants, up from 42% in 1990.

As a young celebrant I am asked by people from all walks of life to help them publicly declare their love. This wedding season has seen a great deal of marriages where the bride and groom come from diverse and differing cultural and religious backgrounds. Now this is not unusual, obviously. We live in Australia after all - a wonderful melting-pot of humanity and so cross-cultural weddings are the norm.

What has been more notable however is that for many this civil wedding is the first in the family to be conducted outside of the church, synagogue or place of worship. For most of the guests this will be their first ever experience of a civil wedding as well. It’s extremely exciting to be able to showcase such a personal rite of passage which is very focused on the bride and groom and the reactions so far have been amazing.

Photo by Alex Vaughan

In using the couple’s language, rituals and symbolism and by including family we have been able to honour the beliefs and doctrines of each bride and groom. At the same time we’ve created a ceremony that is theirs alone. It celebrates their relationship and what binds them together, acknowledges their individual selves and where they have come from but also pays tribute to a new partnership that is more than the sum of its parts.

Here are just a few examples:

• Tobhiyah and Daniel were able to marry under a Chuppah (a Jewish tradition). They shared wine with their parents in a Ukranian ritual and had one of their good friends Bella read a rollicking poem she had written for their wedding day; all in acknowledgement of this unique couple.
• Elissa and Daniel (a different Daniel) had a Greek Crowning Ceremony, assisted by Elissa’s auntie or Koumbara (God Mother), to honour the bride’s heritage. They also entered via an aisle of huge maritime ropes “borrowed” from Sydney Ferries in recognition of their love of sailing.
• Sabina and David were also married under a Chuppah, had religious readings in Italian and English and finished with a traditional Jewish breaking of the glass. In this way they were honouring the differing religious upbringings of both the bride and groom, Catholic and Jewish, whilst setting a new path for themselves.

Photos by Alex Vaughan

In the past perhaps either the bride or groom may have conceded some ground and the wedding would have been conducted at the place of worship of one or the other. Now it seems there is a sense that through a civil ceremony the cultural and religious heritages of both bride and groom and their families can be acknowledged and honoured. Most importantly this can be done without taking away from the fact that this union is ultimately the decision of the bride and groom to share their future together regardless of their origins or beliefs.

Part of the reason for this may be that because couples are marrying slightly older they have spent more years out from under the family roof, more time in education and building a career and often have a stronger sense of self. So within their ceremony they have a clearer set of values that they speak from. Their choices of wording and sentiment for the ceremony are very much indicative of who they are as individuals as well as a couple.

Photos by Alex Vaughan

Whatever the reason we love it when couples work with their celebrant to create unique meaningful ceremonies that are a true reflection of their relationship. How fortunate we are to be able to celebrate the richness that makes up the diversity of Australia and witness it in such a beautiful way at a wedding.

If you would like to find out more about creating your own unique ceremony, talk to an Engage Celebrant. They can help you turn your ideas into a cohesive, memorable ceremony.

Source(s): ABS 2010 Marriages and Divorces, Australia (cat. no. 3310.0); ABS 2008 Australian Historical Population Statistics (cat. no. 3105.0.65.001); ABS Australian Demographic Statistics Quarterly (cat. no. 3101.0)

Merry Christmas... from our family to yours!

It's been a big year for us at Engage Celebrants and we'd like to say thank you for all the fun, love and laughter we've all enjoyed over the past 12 months. We've celebranted from dawn to dusk (literally) in gardens, parks, beaches and chapels all across Australia and even as far as Fiji!. We've been welcomed into the lives of so many special couples and families and we've loved getting to know every single one of you.

• Thank you to all the gorgeous couples who chose us to marry them, commit them (in a good way!) and renew their vows.
  
  
• Thank you to the wonderful families who trusted us to help them welcome new family members and to say goodbye to loved ones,
  
  
• Thank you to all of the amazing celebration professionals we get to work with each and every day - from photographers to event managers to florists and everyone in between.

A few of us have got together to send you our personal festive greetings via a special video Christmas card to you all.

So have a wonderful Christmas, and here's to lots more love in 2013!

12/12/12 was the final time most of us will see a repeating date like that in our lifetimes and it was a busy day for marriage celebrants across Australia.

Fu and Susan were married by Engage Celebrant Melissa Soncini (wearing blue in the photo) in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens on 12/12/12 at 12 noon. And their ceremony finished on the dot of 12.12pm!

Here you can see their witnessess signing the register as Fu and Susan look on.

ABC News came along to film the ceremony and it was broadcast live on their Midday Report news bulletin. Special thanks go to the rangers at the Botanic Gardens for their help and patience.

Engage Celebrants founder Sarah Cummings said, “People like to get married on dates with unique number patterns. It certainly makes it easier to remember your anniversary. Last year 11/11/11 was a really busy day for our celebrants. Even though it was a Friday, many of us celebrated two weddings.”

The most recent data available on Australian marriages shows that on 10/10/10 there were 2454 weddings across the country. That compares to the daily average of 330.

12/12/12 came just a few weeks after 10/11/12 – another date combination seen as bringing good fortune. It was also another packed day of weddings for Engage Celebrants. Sarah Cummings said, "I married a couple on 10/11/12 who chose the day because they first met on 7/8/09. So for Manfred and Orsolya taking the next big step in their relationship on 10/11/12 seemed a natural progression!"

Numerology is seen as important in many cultures when it comes to weddings. The Chinese consider dates that include the numbers 8 and 9 to be fortunate. The Chinese word for ‘eight’ sounds like the word for ‘wealth’ and ‘nine’ rhymes with ‘long-lasting’.  June is also considered lucky for weddings because it's named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage.

But don't leave your wedding to luck - trust Engage Celebrants to make sure all goes to plan!

Engage Celebrants are young marriage celebrants in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne who love bringing fun and laughter to weddings, commitments, renewals and namings.

They're extra special for us because they were the very first people to contact Engage Celebrants looking for a Marriage Celebrant. So you could call it our 'Marriage Milestone'!

Dara and Nguyen held their ceremony at Wiley Park in Sydney's southwest. There was a lovely reading from Dara’s sister Darith - she read a poem that Nguyen had written for Dara in the early days of their relationship.

Engage Celebrant James said, "Their original request was for a celebrant who would be happy to dress up as a Ninja."

"In the end their plans went in another direction, so the Ginger Ninja has yet to be unleashed!"

Sarah, our founder, said, "This was indeed the very first enquiry we had back in January 2012. It shows that we attracted people immediately who were after someone special, not just someone to make it legal."

Maybe James will embrace his inner Ginger Ninja for someone else.... we'll definitely keep you updated!

Engage Celebrants are young marriage celebrants in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne who love bringing fun and laughter to weddings, commitments, renewals and namings

Meet William - our first Engage Celebrants baby!

William John Connor arrived on 6th November and has been keeping Engage Celebrant Kathryn Munro and her husband David very busy ever since.

Normally we're congratulating our couples on their new arrivals but it's the first time we've had a baby in our own family and we couldn't be more excited.

So it looks like Engage Celebrants is about to organise a very special baby naming ceremony indeed!

Engage Celebrants are young marriage celebrants in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne who love bringing fun and laughter to weddings, commitments, renewals and namings.