wedding_day – Dr Affie Adagio

Wedding to remember

I have often said that when a couple gets married that event needs to be a wedding to remember because it becomes a part of a lifetime memory. It doesn’t have to be a big wedding if the couple doesn’t want it to be and neither does it have to be expensive. Nevertheless there are circumstances where it is so moving to make it as traditional as possible. Here I give and example of how a wedding can be made just that.

Joe contacted me from overseas and
asked me to conduct his wedding
so after the formal arrangements
they also wanted to hire a gown and suit
and to have a photographer present
as well as a bouquet of flowers
for the bride
they were going to be here for a few days
then off to a fun honeymoon and back home
where they would have a reception
they came from a country where legal weddings
are not possible for various reasons
and in this way they will have the wedding and
the celebration making it a
wedding to remember their whole life

Wedding rings, photo by Dhiego Andrade, Pirapora, Brazil

Simple but sentimental ceremony

Getting married is important and there are those who want a simple but sentimental ceremony for their special day. The basic requirements need to be observed which are: who would you like to have present; where do you want this to take place; what are you going to wear; are you having a meal afterwards; and most importantly have you taken care of making an appointment with a celebrant to prepare a Notice of Intended Marriage at least 1 month and 1 day before the event – see the wedding ceremony checklist on this site.

Jessica and Harry are getting married soon
so they brought their papers for me to sight
and we spent a short time discussing what
sort of celebration they envisaged
it was to be at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair
with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House
in the background as they stood underneath
a huge Oak tree – a popular choice
I could see the excitement in their eyes
perhaps the lack of stress added to it being
a simple but sentimental ceremony

Wedding-ring 5, photo by Miroslav Sári?ka, Prievidza, Slovakia, http://ms-webdesign.sk

Wedding ceremony

On your special day, you choose the wedding ceremony according to your taste. A romantic ceremony in a park, on a beach, at a reception house, in your backyard, even at the Opera House on the steps. Another exciting part of having a celebrant formalise your marriage is that you choose whether it is a long script or one that is short and sweet. This choice enables you to create the ceremony that has meaning for both of you. Check the celebrant category on this site and get some ideas about what to choose.

the bride and groom wore black
and so did the guests
the marriage took place on the
wharf at the Opera House
they chose the short version
the sun was shining and a cool breeze
gently ruffled everyone’s clothes
then in the middle of the romantic ceremony
helicopters buzzed above, in formation
their mates on the FX team had organised that
and everyone waved at the sky
a day to remember that was

Getting married

Nowadays people have happy relationships without getting married. However, quite often such happy people make a decision to get married because they feel it would enhance their relationship. This can be a smooth uncomplicated process to organise if they work together and if they have similar tastes. The bride usually knows what sort of rings will please her, after all she will be wearing that jewellery every day of her life. So it is wise to have her be a part of the shopping exercise for both her engagement and wedding rings.

they came to me so I would conduct their wedding
my role was fairly simple once we completed the
legal Notice of Intended Marriage form
they needed help with organising the ceremony
as celebrants are not permitted to be wedding planners
the best I could do was give them examples of weddings
which I had experienced previously and this meant
that they had many choices to make from other
peoples ideas and experiences

Pure Gold, photo by Sanja Gjenero, Zagreb, Croatia, getting married

Special touch

Having invitations, no matter how simple, gives a wedding that special touch. Let’s think about inexpensive ones that can be created on your computer nowadays.? The colour of the paper can match your colour scheme. You can even have two sheets of paper, a hard one and a thin one on which the majority of the information is printed. You can become quite creative in your efforts or keep it simple yet sophisticated. As a celebrant I have seen many wonderful examples of creative wedding invitations.

they planned a simple wedding in
a cave on the river, with a few guests
but it mattered to them that
there would be invitations
that was the special touch needed
so they got textured paper in a
deep red colour and printed
the information on these invitations
it certainly did provide the finishing touch
to an amazing experience

Syron bush wedding

Choosing the place to celebrate a marriage is possible when you have a celebrant flexible enough to go wherever you want. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve conducted weddings in the most interesting places – in Sydney on land, on a beach, on the harbour and out in the country, in the bush. The place needs to have meaning for the marriage to be memorable for you. It need not be difficult nor expensive for the location of choice. Then again, sometimes, it does involve a bit of organising and expense, depending on your needs.

SBS showed the Syron bush wedding
which took place at Wilcannia
where originally Elaine Kitchener and Gordon Syron
had discovered their love and where they had
their bush wedding in November 2004
they flew me to Broken Hill and
after a 2 hour drive I joined them
and finally planned their ceremony
which took place on the banks of the Darling River
where the bride carried a bouquet of
Australian wild flowers and they
exchanged their vows that were
based on his Aboriginal culture
and her Jewish custom of
the groom stomping on a glass
wrapped in a hanky on the ground
the weather was perfect
and nature’s playground
was breathtaking

Wedding flowers

Wedding flowers are such a lovely touch for a marriage ceremony. Once a small bouquet was thrown by the bride for the single females to catch.? It was believed that whoever caught the bouquet would be the next to get married.? Nowadays it is possible to have an elaborate arrangement which the bride keeps and has framed as well as a smaller version to throw for the single women to try and catch.

my daughter has her wedding bouquet
which is dried, pressed and framed
hanging on a wall in her house
it is so gorgeous and it always
reminds me of the day they
celebrated their marriage
even though on the funny side
I had tripped and landed on
my knees as we were about
to have family photos taken
I often wonder what brought
me to my knees, or was it
just clumsy of me?

Basic wedding format

Weddings, whether formal or not, have a certain essential format. First, the couple need to find a celebrant and make a Notice of Intended Marriage at least 1 month and 1 day before the wedding date. If it is a religious ceremony then a church is the appropriate place. However, if a religious ceremony is not desired then a civil marriage celebrant who is appointed by the Attorney General’s Department is the appropriate person to conduct their wedding. At this initial meeting the wedding vows are considered.

Second, the couple chooses the venue and the type of ceremony required – this can be with some help from the celebrant. For the more detailed arrangements a wedding planner is ideal if the couple can afford it, otherwise, many people have managed without one.

Next to be considered is how many attendants and the outfits and flowers preferred for the bridal party – usually the bride’s choice in consultation with the groom. Sometimes small gifts are offered to the attendants for their participation. At some weddings each guest is given a memento of the occasion such as sugar coated almonds in a hanky, or a fresh flower.

The next decision is whether there will be a reception and where? Also the catering requirements such as a wedding cake – depending on the budget set. Flowers and decorations come into this category as well as entertainment. Sometimes close friends can provide entertainment or carry out readings for the ceremony which can be quite artistic. Usually, a photographer to take the stills or film the celebration can be a friend or a professional can be hired.

Here you have a basic format which can be added to or changed for individual preferences, and which is also an enjoyable process for the bride and groom.

Wedding 1, photo by Marcos Santos, Tatui, Brazil, getting married

Marriage in the Blue Mountains

Being in love is a wonderful time. In the beginning the lovers think alike, enjoy the same interests, want to spend lots of time together, and rarely disagree. They have passion in their lovemaking and the future looks perfect. So their wedding day needs to be ideal to celebrate such an important day. Some want their celebration to be by the sea, others prefer the country and my latest couple whose marriage is approaching want it to take place in the Blue Mountains.

“will you travel to the Blue Mountains for the wedding?”
“of course I will”, I replied
their smiles indicated their delight because
to them a marriage in the Blue Mountains meant
going back to where they had originally come from
that was important to them as it took them
back to their roots
however, there are others who want to
celebrate their wedding in the Blue Mountains
because as city folk they loved the ambiance of
the Blue Mountains and the atmosphere there
some have had their photos taken after the marriage
at one of the lookouts with the beautiful surroundings
undeniably a day to remember and the closest to heaven