Rebels' Guide

I was interviewed by Candice Barnes at WAToday for an article on Married At First Sight, the new dating experiment TV show coming to Channel Nine that I’m a wedding celebrant on! Luckily for me, the outrage from the gay community, Christian community and the marriage celebrant community has been drowned out only by the outpouring of support from people that understand there is more than one way to fall in love and more than that, that marriage is a daily decision. This might be shocking news for those that hope to hold a wedding and then never need to do anything more for their relationship: a wedding maketh not a marriage. You can read the article on WAToday , Brisbane Times , Sydney Morning Herald , or below. For a show about the happiest day of one’s life, Married At First Sight sure has generated a lot of anger, especially given that the televised ceremonies aren’t even legally-binding. At first, Brisbane-based marriage celebrant Joshua Withers felt the same way. ...

I just read this article on Offbeat Bride and had to share it. There’s some really good points to think about when a friend is doing something, photography for example, that you’d normally pay $6000 for, for free. Read the whole article here , but I liked these little pull quotes: It is now almost four months since my wedding, and though I have lots of pictures from my friend-vendor (aka “friendor”) of the wedding party posing, some from before the wedding, and a couple from afterwards, I still have not seen a single picture from her from the ceremony. Not. A. Single. One. This wouldn’t be that big of a deal except that we asked for an unplugged wedding ceremony from our guests, so NO ONE ELSE took pictures for those 20 minutes. And goddammit, I want to see my ceremony. That’s why we did the damn thing! This is my gift for my friend’s wedding. They’re saving money by having me do this, so they’...

I just met with Stefan and Sarah who wanted to assure me that they wouldn’t drink before their wedding ceremony because another marriage celebrant at a different wedding had told all of those bridesmaids and bride at a different wedding that they weren’t allowed to have any alcohol in their system at the marriage system. This is bullocks. The truth Two people being married in Australia must be consenting and willing. That’s it. Nothing in the law says anything about a BAC or alcohol directly. Under section 23B of the Marriage Act a person’s consent to a marriage is not real if one of them is mentally incapable of understanding the nature and effect of the marriage ceremony, if the consent is obtained by duress or fraud, or one of the parties is mistaken as to the identity of the other party, or the nature of the ceremony performed. The Marriage Act Guidelines say: Other consent issues that arise on the day of the marriage ceremony can include, for example,...

Have you been struggling with your wedding budget? These money-saving  tips are thanks to  and by,  The Onion  … and in case you don’t realise straight away, they are a joke. Enjoy! Start thinking early about where to trim costs. Gradually fall out of touch with family and friends for a decade prior to the ceremony. Be sure to book the venue at a time when rates are typically lower, such as 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Go digital! Online invitations are a great way to save money and create the forgettable, disposable air you want your marriage to have. Think practically about what gifts you’ll need as a newlywed couple. Consider opening a registry at your local bank. Instead of hiring a DJ, don’t. Should expenses exceed your budget, remember that there’s nothing wrong with displaying Indian or even Congo peacocks in your wedding menagerie. Personalise your reception by enlisting a close friend to take the pictures, design the invitations, arrange the flowers, drive the shuttle bus...

If you click this link to the Channel Nine website you can find out which celebrant you know might be on television real soon! 9jumpin.com.au/show/married-at-first-sight/latest/pretx/credits/ Here’s a promo video for the show, coming soon on Nine – or you can watch on Facebook https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcIsb2gpUXA

You might remember years ago I hosted the world’s first Twitter wedding. Well Ikea have stepped up the game and have launched the extremely gimmicky, but a little bit cool and futuristic ‘ Wedding Online ‘. It’s all in Swedish, as is the video below. I’m betting on this remaining a gimmick for 2015, but it won’t be long until a) the government needs to clarify ‘presence’ and b) this is a service offered by a non-furniture store. More on that below. Can you host a wedding online? The Commonwealth Marriage Act of 1961  states that ” A marriage shall be solemnised by or in the presence of an authorised celebrant who is authorised to solemnise marriages at the place where the marriage takes place” and that “A marriage shall not be solemnised unless at least 2 persons who are, or appear to the person solemnising the marriage to be, over the age of 18 years are present as witnesses.” There is other important stuff about ...

Once upon a time, a boy met a girl, she gave him her hand & he held it tight. Together, they set off down the unknown path in front of them. Sometimes they walked slowly; sometimes at a quicker pace. Sometimes they ran so fast it felt kind of like flying. Whenever he lost his footing , she steadied him and whenever she tripped, he helped her back up. Whenever she grew weary, he’d carry her. Sometimes they didn’t know which direction to go, but though they would occasionally lose their way, they never lost each other. They wandered contentedly and lived happily, forever and always side by side. Poem by Kathy R. Jeffords. Buy the print off Etsy here.

The television news shook the Brisbane wedding industry this Easter weekend as Nine News reported that The Bridal Centre had closed down. The shop had made a Facebook post , but it’s since been removed and a new Facebook page rallying the troops/brides has emerged. Luckily for hopefully many, the dressmakers, suppliers, and other dress shops are coming through to supply , help , and support customers that have been left in the lurch. And keep in mind it is the Easter long weekend, so by the time the work week is back in action we’re hoping that many brides will be dressed. But: There’s a really important lesson to learn here. Well, there’s two. 1) The wedding dress isn’t a uniform that all brides need to slip into so that they’re properly married. It carries no super powers and aids in no way to your marriage being everlasting. It does however play a really important role in making you feel really freaking ...

The television news shook the Brisbane wedding industry this Easter weekend as Nine News reported that The Bridal Centre had closed down. The shop had made a Facebook post , but it’s since been removed and a new Facebook page rallying the troops/brides has emerged. Luckily for hopefully many, the dressmakers, suppliers, and other dress shops are coming through to supply , help , and support customers that have been left in the lurch. And keep in mind it is the Easter long weekend, so by the time the work week is back in action we’re hoping that many brides will be dressed. But: There’s a really important lesson to learn here. Well, there’s two. 1) The wedding dress isn’t a uniform that all brides need to slip into so that they’re properly married. It carries no super powers and aids in no way to your marriage being everlasting. It does however play a really important role in making you feel really freaking ...

This will be a short but exciting blog post. Short, because there’s no use repeating what everyone else is saying. Mic.com blew the trumpet, and Bustle added GIFs, you can order it online here and there’s a Kickstarter for the next issue ! Feminism and weddings might not seem like a match made in heaven, with all the focus on female beautification and old-time traditions rooted in gender norms (engagement rings, anyone?). Then there are the modern standards promoted by the wedding industry, from the heteronormative engagement photo trends to the lily-white airbrushed models populating bridal magazines. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Liz Susong, 27, and Carly Romeo, 29, are the latest women making the case for feminist weddings — specifically, a feminist wedding magazine. -Mic.com If we all took a second to think about the cover of a bridal magazine, our collective imaginations would likely stir up the same image: A slim, Cau...