Michele the Celebrant Canberra. Experienced, flexible, friendly. Simple weddings any size any time. : Twelve Reasons for Choosing Michele as Your Celebrant

Updated May 2024

Please note - this is a Wedding Page. If you'd like to visit my blog, where you'll find masses of information about getting married in the ACT and surrounds, and getting married in Australia in general, click here. My latest wedding news and photos are on my facebook page. I also put photos on Pinterest and Instagram

Your day is my focus

That's my promise
It's my pleasure

Michele the Celebrant at a happy wedding on a beautiful
day at the Commonwealth Club Canberra
October 2023

Choosing Michele as your celebrant -

12 good reasons, plus something else

I'll start here with the 'something else' since it's a reason you may decide not to contact me. Here's the reason: I only have in-person meetings with couples who have already decided to book me for their wedding.
But - We can arrange a Zoom call together to talk about your wedding and the service I can provide for you both. And then we'll choose a time for a one-hour in-person meeting on a Monday or Wednesday evening at my home in The Heart Garden in Weston. I welcome you to email me or phone me with any questions you may have.

If you're interested in knowing more, please read on

Why would you choose me as your celebrant?

Here are twelve reasons

1 I am enthusiastic. I totally love the work I do. I consider it a great privilege to be with you at this most significant time in the life you share together. I will put my heart into your wedding (but I promise I won’t go OTT!)

On the left is a photo of me beside a bride who is totally in love with her new husband. Can you see how much I love being around a vibe like this?

2 I am very experienced. I know what I'm doing – I really know what I'm doing!

I’ve been celebrant for well over 1400 weddings. This has given me massive experience in many different settings - like a balloon, boats large and small, large islands like Springbank in Lake Burley Griffin. Plus an island in the Macquarie River that was so small, only five of us could fit! We crossed to the island on a narrow plank and the guests sat on the bank across the water.

I even officiated once at a ceremony inside a local Catholic chapel, with the blessing of the priest in charge. I've taken part in weddings in many other circumstances, like when a couple had their ceremony, simply sitting in their family room with a couple of friends.

I've taken part in a wedding ceremony within a grand choral concert in a small valley in the Brindabellas. I've been at a wedding in a bush chapel on a hill high above Wells Station and a sunset wedding on Tharwa bridge when it was closed to traffic. There have been many other memorable settings.

I once married twin sister brides in a dual ceremony in Glebe Park! And, in answer to a question I often get when couples are signing their Notice of Intended Marriage - yes, I have had a wedding where the bride and groom were related to each other. They were first cousins. The bride had the same surname in her married name and birthname.

I’ve officiated at Buddhist weddings, a Quaker wedding, themed weddings (including a mediaeval wedding in the Senate Chamber of Old Parliament House) and a wedding for a minor where we needed permission from the court.

These days, I prepare only simple ceremonies but with every variation the Attorney-General will allow, so even though your ceremony will be simple, it will embody choices of your own.

If you are overseas (one or both of you) and you plan to marry in Australia, you can be confident that I can help you every step along the way.

In September 2013, a couple actually flew from Italy to marry in my Heart Garden, then after a few days' touristing, flew back home again. My garden and I felt very honoured. Then in the spring of 2015, a couple flew from Shanghai to marry in my garden and flew back to China the next day!

If you are interstate and you plan to marry in Canberra, I can make the process as easy for you as possible. We can do so much by email, including the lodgement of your Notice so that your one-month waiting time starts straightaway. (We don't need to have an in-person meeting first. We can meet on Zoom)

Here I am with Cate and Terry
at their home in Burra NSW on 20 April 2013.
This was my one thousandth wedding.

I’ve learned to greet guests in Mandarin, Thai, Japanese, Finnish, Serbian, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Shona, French, and Bahasa Indonesia. I’ve even read a poem in Latin during a beautiful private ceremony. I hope that the pronunciations I came up with from my high school Latin were OK. I love the variety in this amazing job!

3 I won’t overbook and I'll never say 'the bride is late'.

Your wedding day needs to be as stress-free as possible. You want to know that your celebrant won’t be delayed at someone else’s wedding and turn up late for yours. If I have another wedding on a particular day, the bookings will be spaced with a very generous time cushion in between. I’ll always have my mobile with me to answer calls or messages.

Preparing to be a bride can take longer than anticipated. No bride intentionally arrives late.
To my own way of thinking though, brides are never late. I personally believe that on her own day, the bride arrives in perfect 'bride time'. I also believe that that 'bride time' is not of man's world. I will always welcome the bride joyfully and lovingly.

4 I’ll be there. In my thirty years as Michele the Celebrant, I have never been ill or had to change a wedding arrangement.

If my perfect record had to change for any reason, I could personally recommend an excellent replacement. Rest assured that if the need arises, changing your celebrant is a very simple process, even at the last minute.

5 I’ll make your marriage totally legal.

You can be confident that I'll carry out the requirements of the Australian Marriage Act to the letter. I think I may be one of the few civil celebrants who has actually read the entire Marriage Act, cover to cover.

With me as your celebrant, you can be sure that I will solemnise your marriage correctly, strictly according to law.
I offer you every option in the wording for your simple ceremony that the Attorney-General allows. You will have the choice for instance, between 'solemnise' and 'legalise'.
You don't have to have the formal legalistic 'I call upon the persons here present' that you usually hear at weddings of friends and family. You can have the simple friendly option: 'I ask everyone here'. I'll advise you of all your options. And feel free to add your personal vows - just bring them to your wedding. ☺

6 I'm flexible with the way that your ceremony's conducted.

Over the years, there were variations in the weddings I conducted, such as the traditional Sri Lankan Poruwa. As I now specialise in simple weddings because I'm building up my writing career, these complex options are - sadly - no longer available. You'd still be welcome to shatter the glass though if you're a Jewish groom.
I welcome the addition of 'Welcome to Country' before your ceremony begins, even for a very simple wedding.

Being a celebrant is not a part-time role for me. I can be available for a wedding at any time, day or evening, weekday or weekend. If the time to start needs to be auspicious according to your culture, I will fit in with your choice.

I had a wedding some time ago where the prospective bride and groom were in a remote part of South America. They needed to find a notary to sign their Notice of Intended Marriage and get it to me one month and one day before their wedding date. (That was the law at the time.)
By the time they’d got to a capital city and found a notary, and emailed the Notice to me, the month and a day took them to the day after they'd planned. It was actually the day that the groom’s parents were leaving Australia to fly back to England.

Our solution? Hold the wedding at one minute past midnight. And it was so lovely! We had candles, and white fairy lights in the trees. There was even a full moon to add to the glow, and since it was just after Christmas, the evening air was warm. The groom's parents flew to England later that morning.

I’ve also had weddings at dawn, like one on Mount Ainslie at sunrise, one on Mount Taylor at the same time, and one by the lake that was rather chilly for the feet.

Sometimes the party’s already started when the wedding takes place and I'm easy with that too. I’ve officiated at quite a few weddings like this. These 'party' weddings have a different feel to traditional weddings which begin with the entrance of the bridal party to the chosen venue. When all the guests are in party mode already, there are often lots of laughs!

I was snuck in to a party recently for the groom's 50th. When the party turned into a wedding, everyone was thrilled! It took about ten minutes for the guests to get used to the idea, and then the bride walked in, in a beautiful wedding frock. Wonderful!

7 I present myself well, and my voice is clear and strong.
Over the years I've heard horror stories about celebrants who wore inappropriate clothing to a wedding, like loud colours that stand out. Or people say the celebrant looked fine but their voice wasn't pleasant to listen to, or it wasn't clear and strong.

I take great care with my appearance. I usually wear suits and my jewellery is discreet. If you're planning a definite colour scheme, I'll ask you for details so I can blend in unobtrusively with my clothing choice.
Sometimes when I know the couple well, I'm invited as a guest. This gives me the chance to wear something that’s less businesslike. (By the way, you are never expected to invite your celebrant to your reception.)

You may have been to a wedding where you couldn’t hear what the celebrant was saying. With me as your celebrant, there is no risk of this. I have a small portable, battery-driven state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line PA system with cordless microphone.

If you wish, one of your guests can play music on a phone through my amplifier for the bride's entrance. I also have an extra microphone to use if we need an interpreter.

Sometimes the bride and groom like to hold the microphone for their personal vows. At other times, I will say to guests something like:‘Simon and Tasha will now share vows they've chosen just for each other’. Guests then understand that they may not hear all that's being said at that intimate part of the ceremony.

My diction is clear and my voice is well-modulated. (I’ve had two years of voice training - we used to call it Elocution - and I've done several voice training workshops.)

I used to have a short segment every week on Radio 2CC to commentate on current stories in the news as 'Our Favourite Psychologist'. Occasionally I ran long sessions on community radio 2XX and sometimes I was interviewed on the ABC. I’ve sold a couple of thousand relaxation tapes, featuring my gentle and relaxing Australian voice. The audio is now available for free to help you calm any pre-wedding nerves. It's free on my YouTube celebrant channel.

8 I am upfront about my fee. It's $700

The fee I quote you covers everything. There are no hidden costs.

For a 'Beautifully simple, simply beautiful' wedding, either in my Heart Garden or in another location of your choice, no deposit is necesssary. You pay the fee of $700 at the one meeting we have together. This meeting takes about an hour - allow an hour and a quarter if we're going to walk around the garden first to work out where to stand for your ceremony, etc. It's a comprehensive meeting that will completely prepare you both for getting married.

If there's a change to your wedding plan, a refund of $350 may apply.

The meeting to lodge your Notice of Intended Marriage must be held at least one month before your wedding (unless you have already emailed your signed and witnessed Notice to me earlier).
There's more information about my fee here.

At our meeting, you choose your ceremony wording and a virtual rehearsal. Our meeting covers every little thing so that when it comes to the wedding, you’ll be totally confident about exactly what's going to happen, and when.

At your wedding, along with your two witnesses and myself, you'll sign three certificates. I'll send one to the Registrar for the registration of your marriage and I'll keep one in my register. Your witnesses must be 18 or over. If they're related to you, that's no problem.
You'll receive a Personal Certificate printed in your choice of font, along with your ceremony on high quality parchment, printed in the same font. I place both these documents in a clear wallet for you to keep.
After your wedding, I'll email your papers to the Registrar for faster registration and then send the hard copies by post. These are your Notice of Intended Marriage and one marriage certificate. You will then need to buy an Official Certificate from the Registrar. I'll give you an info sheet about this at our meeting.

When you book with me, you know exactly what the cost is. At our meeting, I’ll provide you with a signed agreement. If you choose to marry in my Heart Garden, there’s no extra fee for this. You and your special people will be my guests. (Up to 12 adult guests, and all children welcome.)

* I will only quote extra for travel when I need to go beyond ‘city limits’ – past Watson, Lanyon, Hall or Queanbeyan. I calculate the extra for my return journey beyond these limits at $1 per kilometre (or less per km for long distances) and you'll see this extra amount in our agreement.

9 I’m readily available, any day of the week, with plenty of advice and expertise to share.

Because I'm self-employed, I'm available for weddings during weekends or week days. I'm available day or night. Of course I will travel to any other location for your wedding, whatever size. It's usually in the ACT or nearby NSW but I'm willing to travel further.

My timing is flexible. Please feel free to phone me any day between 9am and 9pm to chat about your wedding, or ask me any general questions about getting married. Text anytime.

I'm also a writer on personal wellbeing. I'm usually at my computer during the day (if I haven’t been lured into the garden because the sun is shining and the garden is calling me too loudly). I'm often at my computer after dinner as well, so if you email me, expect a swift reply.

At our meeting, I’ll provide you with a simple set ceremony and we'll adapt it with your details. You can make choices from approved options within the ceremony. Feel free to add your personal vows before you make your vows of marriage. (In Australia, marriage is an oral contract, so your marriage becomes legal when you make your vows to each other, after you have called on your witnesses to witness and your celebrant has informed you about the nature of marriage in Australian law).

Choose your own ending, like the traditional ‘I now declare you husband and wife’ or the less formal ending I've created: ‘It's time now for your first kiss as ... husband and wife’ or the simple ending that suits all marrying couples: 'Congratulations. You are married!' Or choose to end with a declaration of the married name you share. This can be either partner's birthname - not just the groom's - or a combination surname you have chosen together for your new legal name.)
During the Simple ceremony, there's an option to read vows to each other that you've brought with you to your wedding - perhaps on small cards, perhaps on special scrolls, or phone or iPad.

10 You’ll know exactly what to expect on the day.

In the one hour we spend together, I'll give you details about exactly what will happen at your wedding. As partners you may choose to arrive together, or perhaps the bride arrives separately after the guests are assembled. If you marry in my garden, you may choose to have a celebration drink with crystal champagne flutes. Please BYO bubbly (and children's drinks).

I’ll make sure that you are both very well-informed about proceedings. I can’t prepare you for the unique emotional atmosphere of your wedding ceremony. What I can do however, when we are standing together about to start your ceremony, is wait for each of you both to feel that you are totally present. (Many years ago, I missed the beautiful much-anticipated ‘Dearly beloved, we are gathered here’ at the beginning of my own wedding, because I was overwhelmed and just not ready to begin.)
I don't want you to miss a moment of your wedding. I’ll start when you each give me the nod. Because your ceremony is short and simple, there's only one A4 page for me to read!
I will speak clearly and slowly during your ceremony so everyone can take in the wording, including both of you. It's likely however, that you’ll think it all goes way too fast! You may remember your wedding as one magnificent blur!

11 I won't come between you - I won’t appear in the middle of your wedding photos. I don't feel comfortable standing between the marrying couple in what I consider to be their own special space. If you'd like your celebrant to stand in the traditional place between you, then please book another celebrant.

I prefer to stand slightly off to the side. From here I can have face-to-face contact with all the guests, as well as the couple getting married. It also means that the couple are at the centre of everything, not the celebrant.

Jordan shares her personal vow
with Karlo - May 2014
in their own intimate space

This will also give you an intimate, even ‘sacred', space of your own. Sometimes I even feel a need to step aside a little further when vows are being shared, as the emotions are so powerful and personal.

When you see your wedding photos, you won’t see me in shot at those very special moments, like when you're exchanging rings or when you're enjoying your first kiss as a married couple. I believe that you’ll be glad of that.

12 I can help you with other choices for your wedding. I am familiar with hundreds of wedding venues in ACT and nearby NSW, from a little quiet bush setting to a grand amphitheatre setting, or even to a grand amphitheatre in a bush setting.

To give you a perfect setting for your ceremony, I know what’s flowering and when. I know places that will impress your guests, especially those from interstate and overseas. I know of unusual places, like a magical place in a wild wood near the lake, with large spotted toadstools like in fairytales. I know a forest with mighty redwoods that's especially perfect for mediaeval nuptials.

I can recommend reception places for their specific atmosphere and style of food. I know some photographers I like to work with (though I'm not familiar with their product). I can, perhaps, recommend musicians. I'm happy to help you with ideas about other wedding services. Please note that, while I certainly have my personal favourites, I have no commercial arrangements with any wedding service providers.

In conclusion

Six civil celebrants have chosen me to be their celebrant at their own weddings. I think this is a great testimonial. When you think about the number of celebrants getting married, it's statistically a very small population. Six in such a small population is surely a really significant number.

I've become ‘our celebrant’ to several families and groups of friends and that’s just lovely. Sometimes I get to meet the babies and see them grow. Sometimes I've been celebrant for a son or daughter of a couple I have married. (I'm delighted to have another wedding like this in 2024.)

That’s about all I can think of at the moment.

Please let me know if there are any questions you have about the services I provide as celebrant. Email me, or phone 0406 376 375 any day between 9am and 9pm. Or text anytime. Or send me a message on my Michele the Celebrant Canberra Facebook page. Or on Michele the Celebrant Instagram

My role is to make you feel confident about your choice of wedding celebrant, and to help you stay relaxed, with plenty of joyful anticipation. Your wedding is a unique and wonderful event. It must be just the way you both want it.

I am an equal opportunity celebrant, comfortable with marrying all couples.

To me you are always valued clients and I am your service provider. I am here to meet your needs. I will give you advice and suggestions. I will conduct your wedding with a quiet air of authority. You will feature, centre-stage, not Michele the Celebrant. It's your day.
           I will provide you with efficient, professional, yet friendly service. I am totally committed to making your wedding fully legal, a great pleasure to take part in, and a most memorable success for you and all your guests.
           Your wedding ceremony will be a great lead-in to your celebrations, as well as an unforgettable beginning to your married life together.
           Thank you for visiting this page. I hope we'll make contact again. My heart-felt congratulations and very best wishes to you both.

Sincerely
Michele

(updated May 2024)