Modern Sydney Celebrant

Australian Greens leader Bob Brown will push for a conscience vote to allow gay and lesbian marriage after the next election. Both major parties are currently against changes to Australian marriage laws which would allow weddings for same-sex couples. But if the Green party take the balance of power in the Senate after tomorrow’s federal election, then gay marriage will be back on the agenda. As it stands, the Marriage Act states that marriage is “the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.” Same-sex couples are currently restricted to Commitment Ceremonies, which hold no legal standing. A civil celebrant can help make a Commitment Ceremony as close to a legal marriage as possible. Commitment Ceremonies celebrate the spiritual, emotional and practical joining of same-sex or other devoted couples. About the author: Laura Craddock is an open-minded and modern Sydney civil celebrant who conducts same-sex Commitment Ceremo...

Pop icon Robbie Williams is planning a wedding band tattoo to commemorate his 7 August nuptials to Ayda Field. The already well-inked star exchanged traditional bands from XIV Karats on his recent wedding day but admits that like a lot of men, he's not that into bling. ‘I'm not very comfortable with jewellery, and I lose stuff,' he told Hello! magazine before the ceremony ‘So I'm thinking of having a tattoo on my wedding finger.' Inked wedding bands are also popular with professional sportspeople,who can't wear jewellry whilst competing. Eva Longoria Parker's husband, basketballer Tony Parker, has a tattoo of the couple's wedding date around his ring finger. Whilst not especially common, some couples choose wedding tattoos because they prefer a non-traditional approach to life and marriage. They are also popular with labourers and people who with their hands, making it difficult to wear rings every day. A civil marriage celebrant can create special wor...

Start your dream marriage ceremony in a way that you will remember forever. The bridal entrance (Processional) can be a culmination of nerves and anticipation. It is often the first time bride and groom have seen each other on their wedding day and is guest’s first glimpse of the beautiful bride. Modern couples don’t have to be constrained by convention. A civil wedding provides couples with great freedom in choosing how their ceremony begins: You may decide on a traditional bridal procession or; The groom may walk back up the aisle to greet his bride half-way or; Families/attendants accompany both the bride & groom down the aisle or; The bride & groom enter together , without attendants or; You are free to decide who ‘gives away’ the bride - both parents, her mother, children, her whole family or no one at all. Your marriage celebrant should be able to give you advice and suggestions on how to customise your wedding entrance. I know of one bride who ...