Eloping is becoming far more common as the costs of weddings increases, whilst they are cost effective they do as the other celebrants have stated to be legal require two qualified witnsses to be present and sign the legal documents, I have officiated at many elopements where there have been two best friends present and the ceremony has been just with a cup of tea and biscuits.

I do however put a lot of effiort into the ceremony with regard to the wording to make it a personal as possible for which my couples who just wanted the legals have afterwards said that it made the day very special for them and thanked me.

Depends on the celebrant - I have been very fortunate to travel all over Qld from Port Douglas to Tweed Heads, All of the North Coast of NSW, Canberra times and Hobart several times as well as many of the islands of the coast of Qld.

Costs can vary normally my airfares to and from and two night accom are the normal extras I charge on top of my ceremony fee.

The above are normally discussed with the couple so all exppenses are clerar and there are no hidden charges.

Happpy  to discuss off line if brides and grooms are wanting more imnformation - 0407676550.

Best Regards

geoff Mazlin - Marriage Celebrant

I consider the personal vows the most important part of a ceremony, and encourage the bride and groom to write their own, I have a selection of vowes they can go through and amend and also a planner where there is a section on how they can write their own vowes from scratch which has been extremely popular with my couples.

Many brides and grooms though have trouble writing their personal feelings on paper, I ask them to send me their thoughts, words etc and I then compose vows for them to consider and we go from there, takes a lot of stress out of it for them.

I prefer my couples to say their vows to each other and not repeat after, if they have often spent countless hours crafting words that are pesonal and from the heart, I consider they should not hear them from someone else first.

My ceremony booklet is a small A5 tapestry covered one and the couples read directly from it and i am not in the picture, so many professional photographers comment that they wished all celebrants did it this way, but in the end it is a peronal choice of the couple and the celebrant.

Trust this advice has helped.

Many celebrants will travel to destination weddings, I have officiated at ceremonies in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and many of the Qld islands, the couples pay for air fares and accommodation and any other associated costs which is detailed in our meetings.

In most cases i have been booked where they are staying as it normally worksout cheaper for them and i am there to assist.

Regards

Geoff Mazlin

Like many of the celebrants have already mentioned, l always go through a briefing for guests before the bride arrives, which includes phones, photos able to be taken but no standing or leaning into aisle, or a totally unplugged ceremony no photos please just relax and enjoy the ceremony, the professional photographer will have lots of wonderful photos for your section after.

Similar to Social media can do or cannot do.

Hope this helps

Geoff M

A good question and one that is so often asked of me and often online where we do not get an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation of what the couples dreams are for their day, the style, content and theme all these variants go towards creating a personal and intimate ceremony.

The time it takes to craft an individual ceremony and not just a ceremony that has virtually names pasted into an existing copy, and those little things like rehearsals, meetings, the paperwork that is required to ensure the ceremony legal.

As many previous celebrants have mentioned, reviews, photos etc on the celebrants website/Facebook pages are often a remarkable start for your search for the celebrant, but nothing beats a good old face to face meeting where you can instantly get a feel for the person sitting opposite and how you all interact.

I meet my couples normally at their home for a no obligation meeting as I find it a much more relaxed environment for them and they are under no pressure to book my services, all my Wedding Planner material is detailed so they can see how together we can craft a very personal ceremony.

At the meeting my fees are discussed in detail and we proceed from there, this is where the real value of a celebrant fee is understood I feel.

Really trust this may assist.

Geoff Mazlin - I Do Creative Ceremonies

Hi Melissa, this is a very common dilemma many of my brides and grooms face and often caused them many sleepless nights, my advice to them is to think about the many text messages and the hours spent on the phone just chatting about their life in general and what makes their partner so special.

The phrases used, nicknames and those little things you remember fondly.

Write them in a letter form or just jot them all down in no particular order, then start to compose them into phrases, sentences - write from the heart.

I use the analogy of when we were in school and the old multiple choice question, where it was easy to pick an answer, writing personal heartfelt words is like the exam question where you had to write a detailed response, your heart and mind know what you want to say but it just will not translate to paper.

Couples send me their words, phrases, sentences and I wordsmith them for them, we send them back and forth until they are just what they want to say.

Remember your personal vows are to be heard by all and not as a private conversation, that may embarrass family and guests.

Speaking slowly and clearly so all can hear your words, I have my couples read from my A5 ceremony booklet to each other, only the couple are involved and so many photographers say to me they wish all celebrants did the personal vows this way.

Your celebrants is a wealth of knowledge on personal vows and should supply you with the latest trending in writing of your personal vows.

Have a wonderful time composing your heartfelt words to your loved one.

Geoff Mazlin

Marriage Celebrant - Brisbane Qld