Alana introducing the wedding of Ashley and Carlos at Aunty Kim's in Collingwood

Your celebrant, the person which you need in order to get legally married, or your wedding is just an expensive party. But what else do we actually do? Well, let me tell you through this fun post!

Before the wedding:

Firstly, before everything is locked in, it is so important to establish your vibe, and make sure that it matches with your celebrant. My vibe is fun, light-hearted and refined, with a casual vibe which is not over the top or out there. For me, this is the perfect mix of modern and traditional which all my couples absolutely love! When we go on an initial Zoom call/in person meeting, we establish this vibe as it is so important to have this moving forward with your ceremony. If our vibe is not a match, or I am already booked, there are always other celebrants who I can recommend to you, we are a very tight-knit group :)

Once we vibe and I am the perfect celebrant for you, we then move on to the NOIM signing, otherwise known as the Notice of Intended Marriage. During this meeting (which we usually do in person), we will collect your details and let the BDM know that you are both about to be officially off the market! This can be signed from 18 months up to 1 month before the ceremony, so there is plenty of time to book this in with your celebrant. I generally like to do this ASAP so we can get it out of the way and focus on the fun parts of your ceremony!

You will then fill out a couple of fun questionnaires about your meeting, love, proposal and a few others thrown in so I can draft your perfect love story, I also send this draft back to you for any corrections, or so you can read it and shed a few tears before the ceremony, knowing it is absolutely perfect!

On the day of the wedding:

Alana celebrating Jessy and Sangil in Yarra Valley

If we don't have a rehearsal beforehand, then we will sign the Declaration of No Legal Impediment to Marriage (DONLIM) right before the ceremony. This is to ensure that there is no fraud or coercion, and you are both over 18 and still want to get married (of course you both do)! It is my job during this time to ensure you and your guests are relaxed, stress-free and ready to get married!

So, what makes a marriage legal?

This is a very valid question as there are ceremonies which can take 5 minutes, and some can take 45 minutes, it all depends on what you do during it. Here are the essential parts which are required in order to ensure a marriage is legal:

Monitum:

This is the legal wording a celebrant says to ensure that the marriage is legal and everyone needs to hear it, even though it may be very formal wording. This is the Monitum:

“I am duly authorised by law to solemnise marriages according to law. Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter. Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life”

Did you know, the wording used to say 'the union of a man and a woman' but luckily, the Australian law was changed with marriage equality law, and this has now correctly been changed to 'the union of two people'.

Vows:

Fatima and Shuang exchanging their vows at Riverstone Estate

Whilst personal vows to each other are optional (but we all love them!) there are legal vows which are required to be said. Below is what needs to be said by both parties, either repeating after the celebrant, or read during their personal vows:

'I call upon everyone here to witness, that I, Alana Loise Tran, take you, Alana Tran, to be my wedded husband/wife/partner'.

Please note if you have many names, you must say all your names in full as per your full legal name. It may be fun to shorten 'Ronald' to 'Ron' but remember, this will not be legal!

Witnesses:

Jess and Ric signing their wedding docs with their 2 witnesses at Carousel Albert Park

In order to make your marriage legal, you must also have 2 witnesses who are both over age 18 and can understand what they are doing, an interpreter may be able to assist your witnesses if they do not speak English. If the witnesses understand that they are about to seal the commitment you are both making to each other, they are the ones! This is also where you sign your Official Certificate of Marriage, one final element to ensuring your marriage is complete. I then order your marriage certificate on your behalf which can take 4-6 weeks for the BDM to express post this directly to your door!

How do you go about choosing your celebrant?!

With so many celebrants who offer similar vibes and styles, it can be difficult to choose the right one for your wedding. For me, my couples want an emotional ceremony, with a few laughs to keep everyone engaged, but nothing over the top.

Something else to consider when choosing your celebrant is videos. It is important to see your celebrant in action to see if that vibe is something that can translate to your wedding. You can find a few videos of me here and here and I know that our vibes will match!

Another important thing to consider is the reviews that a celebrant has. I am fortunate that every single couple I have married has had a positive review about me, and you can find these reviews right here. I am well known for being a celebrant who is incredibly organised and someone who brings good vibes to the day!

Finally, something important is that we meet up! If it is on a call, or in person, I am always available to establish a vibe and ensure that we discuss the most important things about your ceremony, what you love and how we will work together to create the wedding vision of your dreams, and I can't wait to make that happen for you!

MC at your reception:

As a bonus, I can stay on for the night as your MC, and it is important to stress the importance of having a professional as your MC, as we have done this before and know exactly how to plan the night and ensure everything runs smoothly.

MCing for Linda and John at their surprise wedding at QT Melbourne

The MC does many things, which includes, but is not limited to - liaising with all vendors to ensure times all go according to plan, ensure you are all well fed, hydrated and having a great time, and of course, making sure you have fun the entire day and night! I will always make sure your night is a huge success, and I have the experience and reviews to prove it!

So after all that, can I be your celebrant? Feel free to enquire here :)