Choosing the Location for Your Ceremony

Choosing the Location for Your Ceremony

Where are you holding your ceremony – at a beach, a vineyard, a garden or in a bushland setting?  Or do you have an indoor location such as a community hall you can decorate yourself and then use for your reception, or a spacious room in a heritage building, or is your ceremony location part of the reception venue?

You might have a very clear idea of where you want to hold your ceremony, but if not, these questions might help you to consider some options.

  •  Is your ceremony to be held outdoors or inside?
  • What are your options if weather on the day prevents you from holding an outdoor ceremony?
  • When do you advise guests if the location needs to change at the last minute?
  • Is your ceremony to be held during daylight hours or at night?
  • Will the space accommodate the number of planned guests?
  • Do you need approval from a local council, or other permission, for your ceremony location?

While celebrating your love is the focus of your special day, consider how the choice of ceremony location may impact on your guests:

  • Will they need to travel long distances between the ceremony location and reception venue?
  • Will there be seating available?
  • Will extremes in weather be an issue?
  • Does your location mean that guests should consider appropriate footwear?
  • Are there clear directions to the location for your guests?

A visit to your planned location may also give you an idea of what to expect on the day in relation to conditions such as lighting or noise, and may prompt thoughts about other considerations including the proposed time for your ceremony.

Legal Requirements for Your Wedding Vows

shutterstock_119704648 - Jan Vlcek

Legal Requirements for Your Wedding Vows

The wedding vows are a central part of your wedding ceremony – this is where you ‘lawfully’ take someone to be your husband or wife and tell them of your commitment to them personally and to your relationship together.

It is important that you know that there is a legal requirement for you to say certain words at the start of your vows.  You are legally required to say:

“I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, [name], take thee, [name] to be my lawful wedded wife (or husband)”.

There are limited ways you can change this wording.  An alternative would be:

“I ask the people here present to witness that I, [name], take you, [name] to be my lawful wedded spouse”.

You do not have to use your full name in this statement, but your full name (including any ‘middle’ names) must be used at some point during the ceremony.  Often your full names are used at the beginning of the ceremony, that way it is very clear who is marrying whom.

Nicknames or abbreviations of your name are not allowed when making the legal statement, but they can be used elsewhere in the ceremony.  For example, if your name is Nicholas but you are known as Nick, then during the legal statement you must use Nicholas, but elsewhere throughout the ceremony you can be referred to as Nick.

After the legal statement, you can then add your own personal touch to the vows (to be covered in a later blog post).

Testimonials

  • Our written ceremony was perfect – it was clear that Rosemary understood what we wanted and delivered. On the day, the ceremony was above and beyond what we expected. We would definitely recommend Rosemary’s services to other couples planning their wedding.

    K and B

  • Rosemary was a friendly, helpful, thoughtful and professional celebrant who helped us create a ceremony that was perfectly suited to us. She was helpful throughout the whole process of planning and went over and above at the rehearsal and ceremony to make sure everything went smoothly.

    Anisa

  • Rosemary is a very calm, personable and professional celebrant. She helped us continuously in the lead-up to our outdoor wedding, ensuring our ceremony was wonderfully smooth. Of the many highlights of our wedding day, the ceremony was definitely one of them!

    Jaime and Nigel

  • For us, the ceremony was the most important aspect of our day and Rosemary helped us to find the right words to express our love and commitment to each other. Many people commented on how moving they found the ceremony and how well it reflected us as both individuals and as a couple. We would highly recommend Rosemary to anyone seeking a celebrant sensitive to and able to respond to the clients requirements.

    Karen and Grant

  • We’ve had great feedback about how lovely our ceremony was. Thank you for making this memorable not only for us but for our families and friends as well.

    Ruby and Mike

  • We really appreciated the work that you put into making the service just right for us – a great way to start our life together as husband and wife.

    Mark and Anna

  • Thanks for making our day so special for us. The ceremony was absolutely what we wanted and meant so much to us.

    Sandra and Terry

  • Rosemary was always very friendly and most helpful in providing suggestions. We were very happy and everyone commented on how wonderful the ceremony was.

    Laura and Tim