Michele Bolitho Civil Marriage Celebrant Canberra. Simple short registry style Heart Garden weddings: February 2010

14 February 2010

With this ring I marry you

Well, here it is St Valentine's Day and the one I love who got the best gift is Mother Earth. Canberra got constant rain day and night this weekend and my heart has gone out to the Valentine newlyweds. If they were planning to marry outdoors, as many couples do at this time of the year, I hope they had a beautiful indoor venue as a backup plan (like The Oaks Brasserie).

   On the question of who marries you, is it your celebrant? No. You marry each other with your vows. So, for a celebrant to say 'with the power vested in me by the state, I now declare you husband and wife' (or words to that effect) is rather misleading. Your celebrant can certainly declare you husband and wife but anyone can assume the power to do that. If you wish, you can tell your guests yourselves that you are now married.
   Your celebrant's role is to make your marriage legal.
   A beautiful shady venue at this time of the year is the Old English Gardens in Yarralumla. In the photo above, I'm standing with Sally and Kingsley, whose wedding was at the beginning of March. Sally wore cream lace and green satin, perfect for the dappled-shade setting.

   I plan to write a blog post soon about The Oaks Brasserie, which is next to the Old English Gardens and, if you marry in the gardens, it's the ideal place for your reception. I've been celebrant at a couple of weddings there recently when we've needed to get cover from the rain, and in the marquee attached to the brasserie/gallery, this was no problem.
   Here's another happy photo of Kingsley and Sally when they were newlyweds.
   I see the sun coming out as I write. Time to finish and take a stroll in the wonderfully refreshed Heart Garden.
   If you’d like to email me about your wedding plans, please click here. I would be delighted to be your celebrant. I also welcome your questions and comments about this blog.
   Till next time
   Sincerely
   Michele

Let's make contact!

You're getting married . . .

How wonderful!

My congratulations to you both.

Will I be the celebrant who’ll have the privilege and pleasure of officiating at your wedding?

In these YouTube videos, you can see how I look and hear how I sound, and I believe that my personal style comes across in my blog posts. In my profile page, you'll find an audio introduction.

I am a very experienced celebrant. Flexible, friendly and efficient, that's me! Click on '12 Good Reasons' and you'll see more details about me and what I offer you.

Please feel free to phone or email me with any questions you may have. You are most welcome to phone for a chat about your wedding plans 0406 376 375 any day between 9am and 9pm.

You can email by clicking a link in any post, or by filling in this contact form. I'll respond quickly, especially on a week day (or night, until about 11pm). I'll send you lots of information about the process of getting married.

If you'd like a short simple (but still special) wedding, this is now my specialty. I've streamlined all we need to do together into a one-hour meeting. If you wish to marry ASAP, you'll still need to wait the statutory one month from the date of lodgment. I can help you lodge your Notice with me on the day you contact me. You can then marry in one month's time.

I offer you the simple service on any day, at any time, in any location, with any number of guests. There's more information here. If you'd like to marry in my beautiful Heart Garden, it would be an intimate wedding with a small number of guests. (Up to about ten adults.) Children welcome.

The Heart Garden has its own site. There's a slideshow menu so that you can see how the garden looks in the month you are planning to marry. You may also access the month-by-month slideshows on my Heart Garden Pinterest page.

Thank you so much for visiting Michele the Celebrant. I look forward to more contact with you about your happy plan.