What a fantastic year it has been for Fullife Celebrations! On the last Saturday of November, I performed two lovely wedding ceremonies for two couples who were different in every way. The locations were equally as different. It sums up what this year has been like as a Marriage Celebrant. So I felt that it would be good to sit down and write about these weddings in the form of a 2016 review!
Last year I had 4 weddings. This year, my goal for 2016 was to perform 12 wedding ceremonies. Considering two of my couples have rescheduled for 2017, I still achieved that goal. Here is my 2016 review…please enjoy:
- SIRANTHE & SAMU 16th January 2016 – This couple were Sri Lankan and saw Siranthe come over to Australia for the wedding. The ceremony was to be held in the Cascade Gardens in Broadbeach. As with all couples, I asked if they has a “Plan B” just in case of bad weather, but they were absolutely convinced that they wouldn’t need one. Well….it rained during the morning, didn’t it! Then at the last minute, I got notified that the venue was changed to the chapel at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Surfers Paradise. As it turned out, it was still a beautiful wedding in a lovely venue. And guess what? The rain had stopped 2 hours before their scheduled wedding time. Don’t you just hate that. And I learnt something too, and that is not to write the venue on the paperwork and certificates until the last minute!
- BRENDAN & FELECIA 20th March 2016 – These guys lived up in Mackay, but decided to have their wedding here on the Gold Coast to make it easier for family and friends. It was held at Boomerang Farm in Mudgeeraba. Felecia was very organised and delightful to work with. Theirs was one of the longer ceremonies that I had to do this year, but it suited them perfectly. Boomerang Farm has an amazing big tree house with a walk bridge to go over to it. It was a brilliant backdrop and very memorable for everyone who attended.
- MAXIM & ROZELLE 24th April 2016 – These guys were quite a young couple and lived in Sydney. Preparations for the legal paperwork were done via email with scanned documents sent to me. Maxim was from Russia and Rozelle was Australian with parents from the Philippines. Her Dad lives in New Zealand and brought over her Birth Certificate with him. I was to view all of the originals at a meeting when they arrived on the Gold Coast a day before the wedding at Alawara Mansion in Tallai…a brilliant venue! We met up, and to my astonishment, they had left all of the paperwork back in Sydney. I had the unenviable task of telling them that they could not be married the next day unless the original documents were there for me to sight. As it worked out, a friend of theirs came to the rescue. He was flying up the next day and was able to gain access to their place of residence. He found the paperwork and brought it up with him on the wedding day. A real hero for them! So I got to view the documents and all was good from then on…much to their relief. I’m sure that they’ll look back at this in years to come and have a good laugh about it!
- BARRY & STACEY 30th April 2016 – This was definitely one of the most amusing weddings I had the pleasure to perform in 2016. Simply because these guys knew how to have a good time. Nothing was a hassle for them and you could see that they were both enjoying the journey towards their wedding day. Barry made a beautiful Arbour for them to stand under. Their ceremony was held at the Gold Coast Botanical Gardens in Benowa on a boardwalk platform overlooking the big pond. 4 weeks prior to the wedding, we met at the location only to find that the pond had literally dried up…not a duck in sight! This didn’t discourage them one little bit. On the day, it was the groom who was running late but Barry arrived in his Ute with the Arbour in pieces hanging out over the back. He and his mates jumped into action and the Arbour was constructed (cable ties included) in a flash. Stacey arrived in style with rock music blaring. The guys looked very smart in their suits complete with runners, and the Bridesmaids and Stacey walked up looking beautiful…complete with their runners on. This way, none of the girls got their heels caught in the decking. The highlight of the ceremony was when Barry bent down to suck on Stacey’s finger so that the ring could slide in. A classic couple and a story that I will always enjoy telling people! And by the way, the pond had filled up with more water and there were ducks!
- ALAN & KAREN 12th June 2016 – This is definitely the couple who looked outside the square when it came to a wedding ceremony. At our first meeting, they asked if I was afraid of heights. That’s because the plan was to get married in a hot air balloon over the Gold Coast. Preparations for Alan and Karen was very easy. On the day of the wedding, we arrived at the venue in Carrara and soon found out that due to wind conditions that we were heading off to Beaudesert. But an hour into the drive, the flight was cancelled for safety reasons. Not to worry though because we ended up having the ceremony at the beautiful Palm Meadows Resort…followed by a yummy breakfast. A week or so later and we got to have the flight and it was fantastic! A great couple, a unique idea, and a tick for me off the “bucket list”!
- LIONEL & SIERRA 6th July 2016 – What a lovely and genuine couple! Lionel was born in New Zealand and his lovely bride Sierra from South Korea. Their wedding was held in the backyard of Lionel’s parent’s home in Nerang with the backdrop being a lovely green forest…complete with wildlife! I performed the ceremony and a family member held up a mobile phone with a video call going to Sierra’s Mum back in South Korea. It was simple but lovely. As they say, “less is often more”!
- AARON & CHRISTIANE 12th August 2016 – Their wedding was both a beautiful and emotional occasion at the Braeside Chapel in Merrimac. Having Skyped for our introduction meeting because they lived in Sydney, they felt that I was the ideal Celebrant for them. In the lead up to their wedding, they had to rush overseas to Germany because Christiane’s mother, who was flying to Australia for her daughter’s wedding was ill. Sadly, her Mum passed away, but I have to say that Christiane, with marvellous support from Aaron and friends, fulfilled their plans and had a very special day for their wedding, Her Mum was definitely looking upon them from Heaven and Christiane was a glowing bride. It was very moving and a day which I felt very privileged to be a part of.
- STEVE & CHERIE 25th September 2016 – I have known these guys since I moved up to the Gold Coast a couple of years ago with my wife. We randomly met Steve when he was quoting a pergola for us and we simply clicked. Steve helped me to get some employment and from there on we struck up a friendship. It was at this job that I met Cherie and we too simply hit it off! What a thrill it was when they asked me to marry them! The wedding was held on the foreshore in front of the Tugun Surf Life Saving Club. The setting was perfect…the weather was perfect, and it was the first time that I saw Steve speechless and emotional. Cherie did what she does best, and that was giggled through most of the ceremony. These guys have met at an ideal stage of their lives and I can only foresee a future with much happiness!
- WILL & BRODIE 30th of September 2016 – The scenario here was different from all of the other weddings I have been a part of this year. Will and Brodie were from Canberra and knew a former registered celebrant named Helen whom they wanted to marry them. Helen contacted me because she needed someone to assist with the legal paperwork, even though she too was a celebrant. I was delighted to help and met up with the couple earlier this year. We all got along really well and my role was to assist with the usual signing of certificates. Helen’s ceremony was beautiful and complimented the location on the sand dunes at Broken Head which is 10 minutes south of Byron Bay. I left that day thrilled that I could help another celebrant and be a part of such a lovely occasion.
- PAUL & OLENA 11th of November 2016 – This couple had met overseas in Europe and were now getting married here in Australia. Because they had been applying for Olena’s residency here in Australia with the Department of Immigration, they originally had been assigned a celebrant who resided in Sydney. But it was far more convenient for them to have a celebrant here on the Gold Coast, so they gave me a call. We met and all got on well, so they asked me to marry them. It was fascinating working with a couple with a rich Russian heritage. They were fantastic in assisting me with all of the required legal paperwork. So on Friday the 11th of September at 3:00pm, I was able to marry this beautiful couple on the beach at Burleigh Head. There was just family and a friend there, but this small and intimate occasion was perfect!
- JIM & JEANNIE 26th November 2016 – It’s always lovely to see that there is somebody out there for someone. For Jim and Jen, this was to be their second wedding each. Jim had met Jen in the Philippines and they simply “clicked”! Their wedding was held at the Gold Coast Holiday Park in Helensvale. They had hired a cabin for the weekend at the rear of the park, and the scene for their wedding was just beautiful. In amongst these cabins was literally a mini rain forest. Jim had set up an Arbour and bottles lining the pathway with beautiful white balloons. Again, this was a small and intimate wedding with just a handful of people in attendance. The highlight was seeing how much these guys adore eachother and love eachother’s company. They are definitely in for a future of fun and happiness!
- TOM & ALISA 26th November 2016 – This was my second wedding of that day which I performed, and it was very worth the drive from Helensvale down to Bilinga Surf Life Saving Club. They were a young couple, quirky, but extremely likeable. They contributed to the vows, which were very funny, and absolutely suited them. My goal for the day was to remember that Alisa’s named was pronounced Al-ee-sa! It was a bit windy on the beach, and a helicopter from the nearby airport kept buzzing over and making a nuisance of itself. But this just seemed to be a natural part of their day. They included a sand ritual in the ceremony and I bet them $20 that more sand would end up on the table and in their hair than in the glass vessel because of the wind. But they were determined to prove me wrong and got most of the sand in the jar. They were unique, and I have been left wondering how their future kids will turn out one day…beautiful I bet!
So that’s my 2016 review, and what a year it’s been. I have been blessed by the people I have met and helped…12 amazing couples! I look forward to next year and already have 8 weddings booked. My desire is for at least 2 weddings per month in 2017, and I reckon I can do it! Thanks everyone for a wonderful 2016!
Cheers,
Peter Blades – Your Gold Coast Marriage Celebrant