Did you realise that nearly 60 per cent of weddings in Australia are now performed by marriage celebrants? Celebrants have doubled in the past five years to almost 6000 and, unlike the UK, numbers of couples getting married in Australia have steadily increased over the past ten years – 26,000 in Queensland alone in 2008.
Celebrant marriages are increasingly popular, partly because it’s as easy as putting your name on the electoral role, also the cost of a formal church wedding with reception and all the trimmings is now about $30,000. It may also be that fewer people are literally wedded to the church, whatever the denomination.
The Hinterland Times spoke to several celebrants on the Range to find out what’s behind the rush to say “I do”.
Celebrant Janelle Wellstead
Getting married is as easy as hiring an authorised celebrant. “There are hundreds on the Coast”, says Helene Duval, “and they will solemnise marriage anywhere, any time and in just about any way the couple want, so long as it is legal.”
Religion remains important to many celebrant weddings but personal relevance is important as Janelle Wellsteed has found, “Couples are taking the approach that they want to have a celebration that reflects them. I perform many weddings that have religious verses and feel very comfortable performing them near a babbling brook or in grandma’s garden.”
Kari agrees. “Today we have the freedom to choose a ceremony that reflects us, who we are, what we want to show, and what we don’t.”
Ian Stevenson says most couples want some control over the content of their ceremony and personalised to suit them. “Civil celebrants also allow a wider variety of locations to be used, which also adds to the sense of occasion for couples.”
Audrey Lyttle agrees, adding that couples,“can have a personalised and customised ceremony that will remain a very special memory for them throughout their married life. They can also involve their children and family members.
Eighty per cent of my marriages are in the hot sun outdoors
Celebrant Ian Stephenson
Traditionally, the village priest or minister gives guidance to intending couples. Authorised celebrants also take this guidance role seriously. Whilst they are not counsellors they will hand out brochures and DVDs and guide couples to professional counselling services such as Relationships Australia and Couple Education.
Wedding ceremonies are less serious and stuffy than they were say 30 years ago. Ian Stevenson says, “ceremonies these days allow couples to be relaxed and include humour if they so choose.” Audrey Lyttle agrees, “Marriage ceremonies have a less regimented format and are a lot more relaxed and joyous occasions.”
A wide variety of locations have been added to the traditional church as a place to get married. “Eighty per cent of my marriages are in the hot sun outdoors”, says Helene Duval, “with the other 20 per cent held at wedding venues on the Range and in home gardens. “Couples have’nt changed much” says Audrey Lyttle, “in simply wanting their wedding to be the happiest day of their lives wherever the ceremony is being held.” Janelle Wellsteed says couples want this feeling to extend to their families by being married in a beautiful area like the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Kari adds that many multicultural traditions these days are included, with families and couples often making up their own mixed rituals.
Celebrants agree that most couples want a short ceremony, particularly bridegrooms. “I must admit the groom is usually happy for his bride to have it her way, as long as it is short”, says Helene Duval. Apart from the legal requirements, couples want a variety of personal touches. “These include light readings”, says Ian Stevenson “and sometimes other ceremonies such as the Sand Ceremony and Butterfly Release”.
In a sand ceremony each of the participants has a different colour sand, usually in wine glasses, which is poured into a glass container, large enough for all the participants’ sand. The layers of different colour sand are kept by the couple as a symbol of the blended family or couple.
“Many couples don’t realise just how creative they are allowed to be,” says Kari, “from simple and elegant to detailed and elaborate, to warm and wacky.”
Audrey Lyttle adds with an Irish smile that many people in Australia have a connection with Ireland, so only an Irish celebrant can add that special touch to their wedding.
I have conducted many beautiful and memorable weddings
Celebrant Audrey Little enjoys outdoor ceremonies
All celebrants have ceremony requests that raise their eyebrows, such as the one by Ian Stevenson where the couple were married on horseback and had their dog as the ring bearer. Kari says, “I can marry a couple whilst floating on their surfboards, under a rainforest canopy, in a private garden, or on a mountain. I am happy to wed couples under a full moon, in the middle of the night, or before breakfast. As a celebrant I can accommodate the wishes of the couple to create the atmosphere that best suits them. “
“I have conducted many beautiful and memorable weddings”, says Audrey Lyttle, “but the most unusual was a beach wedding in Nhulunbuy when I was flown out by helicopter to Twin Eagles, a beautiful tropical beach in Arnhem Land.”
Whatever the wedding mix it is a time for creating memories
There’s little doubt couples want to be different to their parents when it comes to their wedding day. But, says Ian Stevenson, “they want guidance as to how to juggle their own wishes and their families expectations.It is possible to do both of course.”
Whatever the mix, weddings are a time for creating memories, and not just for the bride and groom.Kari’s story is typical of the precious moments of the wedding day shared by celebrants. “A little boy came up to me after a ceremony and asked if he could please be the “Broom”, because it looked like so much fun. How could I resist?”
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