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| Tegan arrives for her marriage with Steve The Heart Garden 8 May 2015 |
Did you happen to see an article in the Canberra Times
recently about the Ten Top Canberra Wedding Venues for 2014? And did you happen to notice which place came in at Number 5? My
beautiful romantic Heart Garden! I was absolutely amazed, and absolutely
delighted. It was ahead of the Hyatt, and St John's Church in Reid. There were more weddings in my Heart Garden last year than at Nara Park. Who'd have guessed it? Certainly not me.
Getting married in winter
It’s the first day of winter in our nation’s capital and it’s
a typical Canberra winter day already. Crystal clear, sunny and icy!
I didn’t really
feel like going out into the garden from our snug warm house but then I
reminded myself how very special today is for the couple who will come to marry
in the garden at 2pm. (At their request, no mention of names.) Thinking of them made it easy for
me to rug up and be out the door, ready to plant some new flowers and spend some hours sprucing the garden up to look its best.
At this time of year, Heart Garden wedding ceremonies are
often held in my green room, with the bride and groom standing in the bay
window. Often the signing table’s in the green room as well, but if the weather’s
sunny, still and warm enough, we sign in the garden. Celebration drinks and
photos usually take place in the garden, with everyone warmly clad.
Today at 2 o'clock the sun was shining and the air had warmed a
lot. We had the ceremony in the garden, with bride and groom standing in front
of a huge ‘guelder rose’ viburnum, still resplendent with golden autumn leaves. The winter-flowering apricot tree is in flower
already and its pink blossom-laden branches stretch far out over the lawn.
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| Cindy and Billy married in the green room in July last year, then had celebration drinks and photos in the garden. |
I didn’t set out to specialise in small registry-style weddings, it just evolved that way. I set up this service in about 1997 when the ACT Registry Office closed its wedding room and moved to Fyshwick. Since then, registry-style weekday weddings in my large, peaceful romantic garden have become extremely popular. I enjoy the intimacy of these weddings. They’re perfect for couples who want to avoid a lot of stress and fuss. And expense. I describe this popular wedding option as 'simply beautiful and beautifully simple'.
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| Luke and Cassandra - happy newlyweds under the winter-flowering apricot Friday 13 June 2014 |
Here are some circumstances
for a registry office style wedding
- Bride and groom have been married before (to other partners). They just want a simple legal recognition and celebration of their relationship together.
- The couples has already created for themselves, a personal ceremony in which they made heart-to-heart commitments to each other, but it was not a legal wedding. For instance, they may have made their vows on a beach in Bali, or simply in their own home.
- The couple is having a big wedding overseas and getting legally married in Australia first (or after) is a much simpler option. I recall a bride and groom who had married in a huge, successful wedding in China with her family and community. They were planning another big traditional wedding in India in the new year, with his family and community. When they married in the peace and tranquility of the Heart Garden, with just one witness each, they looked so relaxed and contented. ‘This is just for us’ they said. They couldn’t stop smiling.
- Sometimes couples who have been together for a while, find they are being posted with work to a location where marriage is expected, such as Dubai. Even though they have a very low-key wedding, it’s still a memorable event. Each year from then, it’s still a cause for celebration.
- There may be a baby on the way and the parents want to formalise their relationship and have a celebration while they're still able to focus on a wedding.
- Sometimes people who love each other dearly simply want to elope. A private, secret Heart Garden wedding is the perfect plan.
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| Looking very pleased - Jacinda and Antonio married at Redbrow Gardens in Murrumbateman on May 9 this year. |
I’d love to be your celebrant, whatever sized wedding you
choose. I will travel to any location in the ACT or surrounding NSW (or
further, if needed). I am available for weddings every day of the week. I’ve had
a couple of dawn weddings and also some around supper time when the party was
already underway. I’ve married couples in their family room, in their lounge
room, sitting on their backsteps.
I’ve been at grand formal weddings (like one in the Senate
chamber of Old Parliament House) as well as casual parties, where I’ve been
invited to stay and dance. I’ve had several weddings in balloons, flying over
Lake Burley Griffin. You can tell from this I hope, that I'm really flexible
with when and where.
Your wedding is your choice. There are requirements of the
Marriage Act which have to be included. These are of course, important. They
need to be taken seriously but they don’t need to be a feature. As a writer I can
help you blend the legalities into your wording and still keep your ceremony very personal
and unique. I will deliver even the simplest one-page ceremony with heart.
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| Nellie and Truong married amidst the roses Old Parliament House Rose Gardens 13 April 2015 |
Sincerely
Michele
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