Apple’s Business Connect, now accepting marriage celebrants
In an exciting development for Aussie marriage celebrants, Apple has announced new features that could help make your business more professional and trustworthy in the eyes of potential clients using Apple devices like iPhones. The expansion of Apple Business Connect,...
SA BDM unilaterally modifying the NOIM…
BDMs can’t just go around modifying the legal marriage documents, that’s not how it works!
Encrypting your couples’ NOIMs and Marriage Certificates
As authorised marriage celebrants, we’re entrusted with some of the most sensitive details in our clients' lives. One of our colleagues - an Australian marriage celebrant - was recently hacked and the hackers gained access to their computer, the hard drive contents...
AI webinars on productivity and search
Artificial intelligence workshops for wedding professionals and celebrants by the Celebrant Institute
What to do when it’s a tough financial season
Things are tough out there, financially and commercially speaking. Many of us are on the coal face, working hard, and not striking gold. Starbucks is selling fewer coffees and Heineken is selling fewer beers, McDonalds is struggling, music festivals aren't financially...
Shortage of celebrants in NSW???
Is there really a shortage of celebrants in NSW? Sarah takes a look at the numbers…
Where I stand during the ceremony, Josh’s point of view
Let’s talk about why I, as a celebrant, stand in the middle of the ceremony, right between the couple, instead of off to the side. The short answer? Our senses demand it. We don’t experience weddings purely through words—we experience them through sight, sound, feel,...
Podcast: They just decided to extend that to all weddings
In this episode of the Celebrant Talk Show, Josh Withers and I discuss recent changes to marriage laws, managing NOIM remote witnessing, consent meetings, celebrant pricing strategies, and some light-hearted banter!
How to be a rockstar celebrant: commanding attention without a spotlight
Speaking to a group of people who don’t have to listen to you is a privilege I don’t take lightly. As a celebrant, it’s a daily honour, and it comes with an immense responsibility every time I pick up that microphone. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting...
My new favourite microphone: the Rode Interview Pro
For the last decade, I’ve famously recommended the Sennheiser EW range of wireless microphones to celebrants. They’ve been my go-to for reliable, high-quality sound in all kinds of wedding environments. And while I still believe they’re the best for many situations,...
How to perform a commitment ceremony without breaking the law in Australia
A commitment ceremony can be an important and simple way to celebrate a marriage-like-love when the legal formalities of marriage according to the law in Australia aren’t possible, as in one of our member’s cases today where her couple won’t have their divorce papers ready in time. While not legally binding, these ceremonies can be as meaningful and special as a wedding, maintaining a fun, honest, and legal approach without stepping into the realm of marriage solemnisation under Australian law.
The deal with Australian celebrants and international weddings
Anka asks: Lately I’ve noticed a lot of celebrants on Facebook have started advertising that they can do weddings overseas?? I didn’t think we could? Im presuming they might be just completing paperwork at the airport before they depart? Or did u miss something
Josh on the Wed.co podcast
This week, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Steve and Joel on the Wed.Co Podcast, recorded at the picturesque Gabbinbar Homestead in Toowoomba. It was such a great chat about all things celebrancy, storytelling, and the magic of creating wedding ceremonies...
The five laws of sales your celebrant website needs to respect
When you're building your celebrant website, you’re crafting the digital front door to your business, the handshake before you meet your couple. And like any good intro, it needs to do more than look good—it needs to work for you. Let’s break it down using these five...
When someone gets engaged, what’s on their mind?
The best marketing in the world meets the target market where they're at. Whether that's in placement, or in creative. Have you ever considered where people are "at" when they get engaged? And more importantly, have you considered how the at changes over time? I'm...
Talking about talking about celebrant price
A wedding blog that you and I both love posed some questions to me about how much celebrants cost, how to budget for one, and what to expect from certain fees. I know from a recent celebrant group chat I'm in that this conversation sends most of us to the sand to put...
Learnings from MrBeast’s strategy, for wedding celebrants
If you don’t know who MrBeast is, then jump onto Youtube and search for the guy with 312 million subscribers, and almost 60 billion views over his 800 videos released over the last 12 years. Jimmy has a large staff today and as anyone with a strong company culture...
What do I do if a celebrant has the same name as me?
Tracey asks: As of last month, another celebrant has been registered in the regional city where I live (population 40,000) who has the exact same personal name as mine. Our registered business names are slightly different, but both include our first names. Word of...
Best portable PA speaker system for wedding celebrants in 2024
Jo asks: Hey Josh, it’s one of your favourite subjects – P.A. systems. I am saving up for my first one, not even sure where to start but think my budget might stretch to $2k. Is that too little? Can you provide some options and good suppliers? Would love to hear your thoughts.
A decade of Aird and Withers
Over a decade ago (a decade and two months actually) everyone's favourite celebrant-shaped human and oracle - Sarah Aird - reached out to me with a software/technology question and that was the beginning of a decade long text-message-thread/phone-call-marathon/email...
Marriage statistics 2023
It's marriage statistics release day, somehow three and a half months ahead of schedule! For as many years as I've been paying attention to them, the marriage statistics have been released at the end of November or early December. I got my usual daily email from the...
The best modern SEO strategy for Australian wedding celebrants
If you're a wedding celebrant looking to improve your online presence and attract more couples, here’s a straightforward SEO content strategy you can use to make your website more visible on Google and Bing. If things are quiet through winter, this is a great strategy...
Instagram Mythbusters for Insights Members
This week members can rewatch the webinar recording of Josh Withers and Edwin from The Social Sandwich with their 90 minute Instagram Mythbusters webinar on organic growth and attracting couples through Instagram. https://vimeo.com/975155523
Where should I advertise as a celebrant?
Amanda asks about social media and marketing: Hi, I’ve been registered since March 2024. Initially, I was lucky to secure four bookings relatively quickly, but lately, it’s been super quiet. I’m attempting to navigating the world of advertising and could use some...
Instagram mythbusting for wedding creators
Are you ready to take your Instagram game to the next level? Join us for an exclusive online event, the Instagram Mythbusters event, featuring the incredible Edwin Smith from The Social Sandwich and hosted by me (Josh Withers).
Celebrants must have separate meetings with each party to marriage before the wedding
Webinar on this topic: $10 to watch on demand webinars to learn about the new marriage law changes. From 12 June 2024, all authorised marriage celebrants must meet with each party separately and in person before solemnising a marriage to ensure real consent is given...
NOIM Remote Witnessing has been made law
Webinar on this topic: $10 to watch on demand webinars to learn about the new marriage law changes. As of today remote witnessing of the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) is made permanent by Commonwealth law. Remote witnessing of the NOIM is law It's finally...
Your celebrancy business needs an accountant like a wedding needs a celebrant
Let's have a chat about something not everyone loves discussing, but we all know is essential: accountants. Your celebrancy business needs an accountant like a wedding needs a celebrant. Seriously. And there's no better time to get on board with a good one than right...
How Sharon and Adam chose Tim Maddren to be their celebrant and MC
Come dive into Sharon and Adam's wedding in the picturesque Douglas Vale Historic Vineyard and Homestead in Port Macquarie, New South Wales. Sharon's wedding was not just a lovely occasion but also a masterclass in thoughtful planning and celebrant selection in Tam...
Insights from the SBS Insights episode on weddings and the Wedding Grinch
The wedding industry in Australia is vibrant and evolving, despite the shifting societal views on marriage. As a celebrant deeply embedded in this industry through both personal and industry-wide lenses, I've distilled some insights from recent discussions on SBS...
Are you prepared to lose your Facebook, Meta, Google, access?
This week saw the 28th user of Instagram - that's right, he's been using Instagram for longer than everyone except for 27 other people - get locked out of his Instagram because an automatic content checker deemed that he had shared one of the worst and most criminal...
History of the one month’s notice period
Couples who want to get married in Australia have to give one month’s notice. Whenever the mere suggestion of changing that is raised, there is extreme pushback from many celebrants. So I did some digging into why this rule exists…
Decrypted Australian PDF Marriage Forms
We understand that accessibility is key in providing seamless services as a marriage celebrant, and we also understand that the Notice of Intended Marriage and Official Certificate of Marriage being provided from the AGD as protected PDFs is not just annoying but an impediment to a digital and modern paperwork workflow.
That’s why we’ve taken the initiative to make your life a little easier by decrypting the PDFs provided by the Marriage Law and Celebrants Section of the Attorney-General’s Department and making them available to members use. Here, you’ll find all the essential documents you need, free from the cumbersome password protections that can slow you down – or in my case recently, stop a marriage being registered by the BDM.
Our aim is to ensure that you, as a celebrant, have quick and effortless access to these important resources, allowing you to focus more on crafting memorable ceremonies for your couples. Whether you’re conducting legal paperwork or looking for guidance on the latest in marriage regulations, our unlocked PDFs are readily available for your convenience.
Dive into our collection today and experience hassle-free access to all the documents you need at your fingertips:
Sarah-Louise’s trip to the wedding trail and her Maleny wedding
This Insights podcast episode is with Josh and Sarah-Louise Anderson, who is planning her wedding on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland for the 1st of October. They discuss the process of choosing a wedding date around her partner's FIFO work schedule, her brother's...
Kim & Zac’s Cronulla wedding
Kim and Zac married in Cronulla and they always knew that Tania Marsh was going to be their celebrant. The couple got married in Cronulla and flew Tania down to Sydney for their wedding. [audio...
Basic accounting and financial management for celebrants
A celebrant reached out recently with a query that sparked me thinking about how well we're all managing our finances. They emailed me asking if they were still a paying member of the Celebrant Institute. Ironically, the simplest way to find this out would have been...
Just a bunch of gibberish + legislation + quiet wedding industry times
In this episode of The Celebrant Talk Show, hosts Josh Withers and Sarah Aird discuss the current state of the wedding industry and the impact of COVID-19, inflation, and the “engagement gap” on wedding businesses. They also provide an update on the Attorney-General’s Portfolio Miscellaneous Measures Bill 2023, which includes amendments that would allow for remote witnessing of notices of intended marriage. However, the bill has been delayed in the Senate due to controversy over unrelated amendments to the Native Title Act.
Marketing yourself as a new celebrant
Silvia asks: I really want to find out how to start a website when you haven't done any weddings yet. I've looked at many celebrant's websites and find myself overwhelmed. Starting out can be hard, but rest assured, everyone started at zero so it's a journey worth...
Public speaking skills you can learn from Steve Jobs and John Mulaney
As a wedding celebrant, our role is pivotal in creating a memorable experience for couples on their special day. Public speaking is an integral part of this role, and there's much to learn from seasoned speakers across different fields. Let's delve into the insights...
2024’s Ongoing Professional Development topics are now available
Our friends in Canberra emailed all Aussie celebrants with the good news that our OPD - our ongoing professional development obligation - is now online on the Marcel Portal. The department is delivering the two (2) activities free of charge and they are set out in the...
Card Buddy, your new ceremony writing app
I've described my ceremony preparation and writing style before as a series of "bits", much like how a comedian will assemble a show from their jokes and bits, I'll assemble a ceremony together much the same. So when I saw Card Buddy being reviewed in issue 110 of...
Engagement ring sales in 2023 explain the 2024 dip in enquiries
Explaining the 2024 dip in wedding enquiries and bookings, or the shortening of planning time, Shane references a New York Times article which references the investors letter from the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewellery, Signet.
Science proves: quick reply means a positive impression
A new study finds that the later we meet someone in a sequence, the more negatively we describe them. The research finds that unconscious bias could disadvantage people who happen to be evaluated later in a sequence, whether it's job applicants, contestants on a...
The state of the wedding industry, according to the 2024 Easy Weddings survey
The Easy Weddings 2024 Australian Wedding Industry Report provides an overview of the state of the wedding industry from the point of view of Easy Weddings and its 4,200 engaged and newlywed couples that completed the survey, input from nearly 600 wedding businesses,...
Learn from WeddingWire’s annual report WeddingPro report
The 2023 WeddingPro Benchmarking Report offers a comprehensive look into the current state of the American wedding industry, focusing on the challenges and strategies wedding professionals use to grow their businesses. It's important to note that this report is...
On Sanebox, and how I learned to love my inbox again
I love my email inbox. That's not something many people can say today. But I really do. I do my business there which provides for my family, plus I subscribe to so many interesting and important email letters there, so it's a source of income, entertainment, and joy...
Charissa and Scott got up real high in their wedding
In this episode of the Insights podcast episode - can - Josh interviews...
Take payments directly on your phone – no card reader!
A Celebrant Institute member was asking a question of us this week and mentioned taking payment in person. Sarah offered the correct advice that she might want to consider getting a Square card reader that you connect to your phone over Bluetooth so you can take...
Madelin and Jeremy’s Frogmore Creek wedding
Madelin and Jeremy had no idea how much Sue would cost but they were prepared to pay whatever Sue would cost because they were set on her without even knowing her fee.
What return did I see from a $20k advertising investment last year?
Coming back into full-time celebrancy in 2023 I knew that the industry had changed, the celebrant population had changed, and the couples booking weddings were not just different but they had different means and ways of identifying which celebrant was the best for them, so I spent $20,000 on marketing.
The Photographer, The Dress, and The Celebrant
How one brand new celebrant was treated terribly by other vendors, and my recommendations for the future
Interstate online BDM systems
Sutha asks: I am registered in NSW, but will be getting a close friend married in Melbourne. Can I get access to BDM RIO? or is it limited to Victorian celebrants? A blog post about all the different electronic lodgement systems and who can have access to it will be...
On paying for a NSW Official Certificate of Marriage
Lifelink was a controversial project, first proposed in 2002, it cost almost $50 million to bring it to life, but one of the small blessings it brought was surety to celebrants that the marriage was registered properly, and then we could order certificates for our couples.
When can a celebrant marry a couple overseas and without a NOIM?
Did you know that in a very specific circumstance a certain kind of celebrant can marry a certain kind of couple in a country that isn't Australia - and it's all allowed by Australian law, plus it's a valid Australian marriage? Out of the current (2021) Guidelines on...
New “stuff” to include in your wedding ceremonies
I would like “new stuff” to include in my ceremonies.
Be exceptional
If your celebrant offering, your service, the thing you're selling, is the same as everyone else's, or appears the same, or you portray it as the same, then potential clients will look for the lowest price. Raise your rates. Create demand. Separate yourself from the...
Report of the Senate Inquiry into the AG Portfolio Miscellaneous Measure Bill 2023
As of June 12 2024 remote witnessing of Notice of Intended Marriage forms is now law and you can visit this page for an update. As mentioned in previous posts, the Bill containing amendments to the Marriage Act was referred to the Senate Legal and Constitutional...
What is every other Australian celebrant charging in 2024?
In January we asked Australian celebrants to complete a survey. Of the 10,339 authorised marriage celebrants in Australia, 297 responded, giving us a 2.87% response rate, and this is our analysis of the survey results.
Tori Brown’s Path to Passion and Purpose
In this enlightening episode of the Celebrant Talk Show, host Josh Withers delves into the captivating world of new celebrants with guest Tori Brown from Grace and Soul Celebrancy. A recent graduate of the Certificate IV in Celebrancy at the Celebrant Institute, Tori...
Musician-Turned-Celebrant: Ryan’s Story
Welcome to another engaging episode of the Celebrant Talk Show, where we explore the diverse journeys of newly authorised celebrants in Australia. Today, I, Josh Withers, have the pleasure of hosting Ryan Enright from Paper Hearts, a Melbourne-based wedding musician...
Journey to Joy: Rachel Ivy McDermott-Magrath’s Celebrant Adventure
Welcome to another enriching episode of the Celebrant Talk Show, where we delve into the inspiring journeys of those who've embarked on the path of becoming a celebrant. Today's episode features Rachel Ivy McDermott-Magrath, known professionally as "The Ivy Aisle,"...
Our submission to the Senate Inquiry into the AG Portfolio Miscellaneous Measure Bill 2023
As of June 12 2024 remote witnessing of Notice of Intended Marriage forms is now law and you can visit this page for an update. As mentioned in an update to my article about the Bill containing amendments to the Marriage Act that went to Parliament late last year, the...
Create a rabbit hole for your couples to “fall” down
Create a rabbit hole for your couples to fall down so they fall in love with you!
The right (and new) form to use when you have an interpreter at a wedding
The Attorney-General's Department's Marriage Law and Celebrants Section announces a significant update: a new Certificate of Faithful Performance by Interpreter. This change and changed form for 2024, results from modifications to Commonwealth Statutory Declarations,...
Fresh Faces in Celebrancy: Melissa Edwards’ Energetic Entry
In this vibrant episode of the Celebrant Talk Show, host Josh Withers welcomes the enthusiastic Melissa Edwards, a newly minted celebrant who completed her Certificate IV in Celebrancy with the Celebrant Institute. As part of our series on fresh celebrants, Melissa...
Marriage law reform and change in 2024
As of June 12 2024 remote witnessing of Notice of Intended Marriage forms is now law and you can visit this page for an update. Rounding out my 2024 prediction series of blog posts we know for sure that change is on the horizon for the old Marriage Act of 1961. This...
Weddings are getting smaller and more intentional
I am excited to forecast that 2024 will be hailed as the year of the intentional wedding. This is a shift that has been brewing for a while but is now taking center stage. It's a trend that aligns perfectly with our ethos at the Celebrant Institute – the belief in...
Prices are going up: 2024 is the year for your price to go up
As wedding celebrants, we've weathered the storm of the pandemic, continuing to offer our cherished services amidst unprecedented challenges. However, it's time to acknowledge a critical aspect of our business that many of us have overlooked since before the pandemic:...
Red-team your celebrant business
With new celebrants entering the market every month, your marketing, sales, enquiry, and booking process need as much attention as your ceremony production and delivery do. I want to introduce the concept of red-teaming to your business. You've probably heard of...
AI can allow you to express yourself meaningfully
In the evolving world of wedding planning, the role of a celebrant is continually transforming. Today's celebrants are not just facilitators of a ceremony; they are storytellers, advisors, and now, thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI), they are becoming content...
The rise of the expert and the death of “whatever you want”
Go to any wedding celebrant's website and there's a 50% chance that somewhere on the front page they'll say something like "your wedding your way" which is lovely and kind. Of course, the customer is always right as Harry Gordon Selfridge taught us, but the customer...
Social networking is getting small while social media is going big time
The digital era is witnessing a significant transformation in how we connect, communicate, and consume content. In the realm of social networking and media, a paradigm shift is underway. Traditional social networking is increasingly migrating to more intimate spaces...
Blogging is coming back!
In 1997 the term “web log” was shortened to blog and ever since common people like you and I have had the power to write and publish on the internet. For the longest time it was the only way you shared your mission, your life, your opinion, your story.
How to Celebrate and Not Hyperventilate with Megan
Embark on a celebrant's journey with Megan Studman and Josh Withers in the Celebrant Talk Show! From certification to conducting her first wedding, Megan's story is a fascinating dive into the world of celebrancy. Learn about the challenges and joys of becoming a...
From Dietitian to ‘I Do’s, a new celebrant’s story
In this episode of the Celebrant Talk Show, Josh Withers interviews Amy McNeilly, a recent graduate from the Celebrant Institute. Amy, who works as a clinical dietician, pursued celebrancy to engage more with people, inspired by a celebrant she admired. The training...
MLCS & celebrant associations/networks meeting 6 December 2023
As of June 12 2024 remote witnessing of Notice of Intended Marriage forms is now law and you can visit this page for an update. Josh and I spent Wednesday in Canberra at the biannual meeting between the Marriage Law & Celebrants Section (MLCS) of the...
Meet a Certificate IV in Celebrancy graduate, Lachie Grisold
In this exciting episode of the Celebrant Institute's Celebrant Talk Show podcast, join your host, Josh Withers, as he continues his series of insightful interviews with recent graduates and new celebrants. This episode features a conversation with Lachlan "Lachie"...
Marriage statistics 2022
It's marriage statistics release day, which as many of you know is my favourite nerdy day of the year! So here's my annual rundown of the marriage statistics for 2022. You know how in Victoria in particular we were all run off our feet catching up with all the COVID...
Legislation regarding remote witnessing of NOIMs!
For the latest news on the remote witnessing of Notice of Intended Marriage forms visit this page. On the 15 November 2023, an omnibus bill was presented to Parliament that included a number of proposed amendments to the Marriage Act 1961. Important: this bill has not...
Embracing DMARC: A Must-Do for Celebrants
With the digital sphere becoming more integral to our work, it’s crucial we stay abreast of changes that impact how we connect with our couples and our industry. Today, I want to demystify a term that’s been floating around and is about to become even more significant: DMARC.
Digital drivers licenses as ID, a guide for celebrants
As more Australian states start delivering digital drivers licenses it’s important for Australian marriage celebrants to know if they can use digital drivers licenses as ID when solemnising marriages.
How to get featured in the media
If you've ever heard my story of going full-time as a wedding celebrant you can skip the next three paragraphs. I'd already been plugging away at celebrancy, not getting quite as much traction as one would like, for four years. One year earlier I'd done my first...
Collecting email addresses at a wedding fair with a QR code and ChatGPT
Luke emailed me yesterday as I was about to solve for myself the problem he identified: What software would you recommend to use for a marketing list? Again are there any zaps or workflows in setting up the marketing list?
Great question Luke! I’ve been toying around in this realm for a while and have regrettably landed on the most expensive solution around: Active Campaign. I’m going to show you how I created a Zapier zap to collect email addresses at a wedding fair and get ChatGPT to send each person an email instantly after they scanned the QR code and entered their email address. It was such a smooth and professional workflow, I’m really happy with it. But before I show you how I created that I want to talk about email marketing for a moment. Email marketing is amazing and horrible. It’s amazing because people who identify with you and how you roll can and will give you their email address, and you have the opportunity to bring value back to their inbox via marketing emails. It’s horrible because trying to land in someone’s actual email inbox and not their spam folder is an arduous exercise that even yours truly finds hard, and tiring, and annoying. So you’ll try the cheaper products, then you’ll try MailChimp, and the rest of them, and marketing folklore tells us that if you are serious about this you end up on Active Campaign. so that’s where I am. Whenever someone enquires with me, books with me, or if I interact with them at an open day or wedding fair, that email address heads into my Active Campaign contacts list and I try my hardest to bring them immense value and joy. Not spam. So let’s have a look at this zap to collect emails at a wedding fair.
So You Want to Marry Your Friends or Family: The Real Costs and Alternatives to Becoming a Celebrant
Are you thinking about becoming a marriage celebrant just to officiate at your friends’ weddings? That’s a beautiful sentiment, but there’s a lot you need to know and consider before taking this route.
Authenticity and honesty as a celebrant
Be yourself as a celebrant, authentic, honest, and open, and you’ll attract clients who are just like you, making your life a whole lot easier!
Why the World Looks to Australia for Wedding Industry Inspiration: 50 years of Celebrancy
To celebrate fifty years of the Marriage Celebrants program in Australia, Josh Withers looks at how the movement has moved the entire industry forward.
How to use ChatGPT to sent instant replies to wedding enquiries
If you've seen people using AI in their business and you're wondering how you could use it in yours, here's a demonstration on how I'm using ChatGPT to reply to wedding enquiries with emails like this. Before you do steps like this you want to map out a succinct and...
Six AI chat prompts celebrants can use to make fresh content today
Want to start playing with AI chat in a way that will make sense to your celebrancy practice and business? Here’s five prompts you can ask to get a unique insight into your business today.
Start playing with generative AI
The best way to understand computers forever is that they work on a GIGO system. Garbage in, garbage out. Whatever you put in gets computed and is spat back out at you. If it’s garbage in, you get garbage out. So here are a few things you can try to get your hands dirty this week, some ways to put some garbage in and see what comes out.
Get AI-generated summaries of your video calls
2020 brought us many gifts, but for so many the lasting gift is video calls. We had them before 2020 but they’re very normal to have today. So when I found this new tool that records, transcribes, and then summarises your video calls I was coloured curious.
Open up the old internet and just toss some stuff in there
Josh wrote an article here on the Celebrant Institute website and received lots of feedback on it, and Sarah had some thoughts on it. Here's the link to the edited article, and the archived version from before this podcast episode. Link to listen in new page or in...
How to become a wedding celebrant in Australia
A how-to guide for people wanting to become a wedding celebrant. It’s easy. You just need to want the best job in the universe, you need to believe that getting and being married is important and awesome + some public speaking skills wouldn’t go astray.
Celebrant, help wedding vendors not hate you
Be awesome at your job, do your job, only your job, not other people’s job, and don’t make it hard for them to do their job.
Marry From Home – is it legal for Australian couples?
Stephanie celebrant asks: I think many of us have seen and have been contacted by "Marry From Home", who are Advertising "Legal" online Weddings from anywhere in the world!? As Zoom weddings are not permitted in Australia and the company is based in the USA, would...
It’s time to update and modernise the Marriage Act of 1961
As of June 12 2024 remote witnessing of Notice of Intended Marriage forms is now law and you can visit this page for an update. Over sixty years ago the Australian people were gifted one of the most progressive and liberating pieces of marriage legislation the world...
How to become a celebrant
How many times do we all hear it from a friend, a wedding industry colleague, or someone at a wedding, that they think they'd make a great celebrant and they want more information on it. After being asked the question a thousand times ourselves, Sarah and I developed...
I didn’t have a backup! Happy World Backup Day
As a wedding celebrant, you know better than anyone else how important it is to be prepared for the unexpected. From weather conditions to late vendors, to a family member showing up late, there's always something that can throw a wrench into even the most carefully...
Chat and AI is going to change your entire business
Four points that you should take away from this article: 1) The power of the first-mover and the advantages you can take from being one. 2) Social media is both broadening and shrinking. Broadening into wider broadcast-style models like we used to know as TV and radio, and shrinking into smaller group chats like Wavelength or even iMessage/WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal groups. 3) Generative AI is a new tool for you to use to do your work. 4) AI chat is going to replace the traditional search engine.
Love is patient, as should you business be
I was thinking about 1 Corinthians 13:4 to me recently. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." If you're a wedding celebrant you've probably heard it a thousand times before. A speaker I know once said, "Love is patient,...
My couple are breaking up, can I just not register their marriage?
Marie asks: I married a couple last night and when I got home registered the marriage and ordered their marriage certificate. This morning I woke up to a string of texts from the bride to not register the marriage and that she no longer wants to be married to him. What do I do? Or what do they do?
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