Jessica & Charlie's winery wedding

From the moment I met Jessica & Charlie I knew their wedding was going to be a wonderful and special occasion and one that I was extremely excited to be involved in.   They are such a beautiful, warm and loving couple, it's hard not to feel like you are in the company of  long time friends in their company.  

Their wedding was set on the beautiful Lindenderry Estate with their ceremony held with spectacular views of the surrounding rolling hills and vineyards of Redhill.  The perfect setting for a picturesque wedding.

As Jessica and the girls put the finishing touches on getting ready, guests mingled and were entertained by the sound of a wonderful duet as they anticipated the brides arrival.

Jessica's dress was timeless and she looked such a breathtakingly beautiful bride on the arm of her very proud Dad Bill as she made her way down the stunningly long 50 metre aisle.  Her smile clear to see from a distance.  

Charlie who was surrounded by his supportive and fun groomsmen looked really happy to see his beautiful bride make his way towards him.

Jessica and Charlie stood together at the top of the aisle surrounded by their nearest friends and family. Their ceremony was a real and honest celebration of their love and the respect they have for each other. 

Jessica’s aunty Jenny contributed to the ceremony by reading the beautiful “Blessing of hands”.

Jenny, gently held her own hands over Jessica and Charlie's clasped hands as she read the beautiful blessing. So much poignance and power in the gesture of a touch. 

"These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.

These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other" 

Standing alongside their bridal party., through the ceremony we heard stories of Charlie's romantic proposal and of the qualities they have come to admire in one another. 

In a beautiful and heartfelt moment of exchanging their vows and rings a few tears rolled down Jess’s face 

The newlyweds were met with such a great applause and excitement as I introduced them to their family & friends for the first time as husband and wife.  

This wedding had it all.  It was filled with timeless, stylish, personal touches, laughter, tears and smiles.

Jessica & Charlie I am truly grateful for the pleasure and honour of officiating your wedding.  I loved getting to know you and I am sure you will continue to make each other very happy for many years to come.  

Thank you to Damien Bowerman photography for capturing the day so perfectly. 

Celebrant  Fiona Garrivan
Photography Damien Bowerman
Venue  Linderry Estate
Dress  Luci DiBella
Hair   Tyla Milller Wedding Hair Specialist
Makeup  Voila Makeup Artistry by Claire Williams
Charlie's Suit Rhodes & Beckett
Flower girls David Jones

Mel & Jays beautiful Montsalvat Wedding

This is a wedding that was truly beautiful.

From our first coffee, to the moment I had the pleasure of introducing Mel & Jay, as husband and wife for the very first time, I had so much fun.

Mel & Jay decided to hold their wedding ceremony at Montsalvat - a beautiful old English artist colony in Eltham.  The wedding ceremony was held in the Upper Gallery,  followed by the reception in the Great Hall, home of rich wooden tables, leadlight windows, polished slate floors, wrought Iron Candelabras and a beautiful big fireplace.  This is the beautiful venue for a wedding at any time of the year but it was perfect for a winter wedding.

As Jay mingled with the guests - Mel arrived with her bridesmaids in a classic Chevrolet wedding car with such understated style and elegance.

Father-daughter shots at weddings are always pretty special and look how incredibly happy Mel's dad - Bernard looks walking down the aisle with his beautiful daughter on his arm.

Guests enjoyed hearing the story of how they felt the spark of romance ignited while travelling through Europe and how after many months of long distance love Mel moved to Perth to be with Jay.
They laughed as we heard stories of how Jay proposed.  Like all the best proposals, it was utterly simple and completely intimate.

Exchanging their vows in front of the beautiful stained glass windows was simply magically

Niki from  Niki photography captured their celebration and she did it beautifully.

A beautiful wedding and a beautiful couple.  Thank you Mel & Jay I loved every minute.

A backyard wedding like no other

I am not really sure where to start to introduce this wonderful couple or their totally amazing wedding... 

When I first met Chris and Kristen I knew instantly that they were a great couple and that I would enjoy working with them.  

But I had no idea what was ahead........

Back at our first meeting they told me that they were thinking of having their wedding in the back yard on their property in the Yarra Valley. This sounded great to me but I hadn't seen their backyard.  Apparently their friends and family who had seen their newly acquired back yard thought they were mad and there was no way that it could be pulled off. 

But after getting to know this pair - I can't believe we ever doubted them. 

This dynamic duo set to work. They cut trees, built fences and garden beds, a dam, a fountain, retaining walls and a carpark!!!  They made all the tables and chairs themselves from the trees they cut down and they even brewed their own beer to be served at the wedding.  There was nothing this couple didn't think off or make themselves.  Every element of the day had been touched by Chris and Kristen's creativity.  
The results of all their hard work transformed this simple backyard into a beautiful rustic reception space.  

Their plans for their wonderful backyard wedding started after Chris spent many weeks under their house in his mancave reading a manual and designing and creating Kristen's beautiful handmade engagement ring.  What a man...... 

When Kristen arrived there was no signs of the hard work from the previous months and weeks.  She arrived looking so serene and beautiful in her beautiful Lace dress. 

One of my favourite moments from their ceremony is when Chris caught a glimpse of his beautiful bride making her way towards Chris on the arm of her very proud dad, to the sounds of David Gray - Be Mine.

The ceremony was held in a secluded and naturally beautifully part of their garden

Their wedding was a reflection of their individual personalities and tastes - laid back, relaxed and very personal.

The reception was held under a canopy surrounded by fairy lights lighting underneath a jacaranda tree. The setting itself was incredible and with a few simple rustic elements it became a beautiful reception space. 

That evening as I walked away from their wedding the thought in my head was - wow! It is incredible what can be created out of love and creativity. 

Huge congrats to Chris and Kristen on their beautiful wedding day. A big Thank you to incredibly talented Tahnee from Pictures by Tahnee for sharing her work with us today. If you like Tahnee's work from today's gorgeous wedding pop over to her website and say hello

Celebrant: Fiona Garrivan

Photographer: Picturesbytahnee

Amy & Aaron's beautiful dusk wedding ceremony

It was fate and mutual friends that brought Amy & Aaron together exactly 10 years earlier.  And what better way to celebrate such a significant date than to have a wedding

Family means everything to this beautiful couple and they wanted an intimate wedding to celebrate with close family and friends.

There was a lot of emotion present when Amy arrived on the arm of her proud dad walking her down the aisle to the beautiful song Marry your daughter by Brian McKnight

Their beautiful ceremony was filled with so much emotion and joy.  Guests laughed and cried as we listen to stories of how Amy had to accept Aaron's strange rituals for good luck for his beloved football team Man-United.

Their wedding style was classic with many beautiful touches, including 100's of little tealights surrounding the bride and groom adding to the atmosphere and romance of their dusk wedding ceremony.

Family is number one priority for this little family and their upmost concern about the day wasn't in the details of the wedding but for their two beautiful girls - Sienna and Harper, who made the cutest little flowergirls

Some of my favourite photos captured by Yasmin from Yasmin Rose photography are some of these great shots in the city amongst the Graffiti Art of the city Lanes 

There was so much love and sincerity in this wedding.  It was heart-warming and a joy to witness as Amy and Aaron declared their commitment to each other.

Their ceremony was very much like them - relaxed and so much fun. It had so many personal and special moments that made it very personal.  This amazing couple planned the whole wedding within 3 months and it was perfect. 

Amy & Aaron it was such a honour to be part of your special occasion and I wish you and your beautiful family many years of happiness.  Thank you for inviting me to share in your special day.  

Thank you to Yasmin Rose Photography for sharing these beautiful images.  

Celebrant: Fiona Garrivan

Photographer:  Yasmin Rose Photography

Why do we do, what we do, when we say "I do"

For hundreds of years we have been following and implementing many wedding traditions without really knowing the reasons behind these deeply instilled rituals.

What traditions you want to accept and what to reject is up to personal preference but to help you decide here is a list of the most commonly known traditions and the fascinating facts behind them.

 Giving away the bride

This very popular tradition of the father giving away his daughter is a very antiquated tradition dating back to the days when women were their father’s property until they get married. 

Christians also viewed this tradition as fulfilling the verse in Genesis 2:24.  “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they will become one” Today a father giving away his daughter is a symbol of his blessing and support of the marriage.

http://www.zimbio.com/

For many reasons it is not necessary for anyone to give the bride away.  Why not walk hand-in-hand down the aisle together or the bride can walk down the aisle by herself. 

The Wedding Ring

The wedding ring has been worn on the third finger of the left hand since Roman Times. The Romans believed that the vein in that finger runs directly to the heart. The wedding ring is a never-ending circle, which symbolizes everlasting love.

www.weddingbeauty.com

As an alternative, a love letter exchange is a romantic ceremony, that will serve as a lasting reminder of the commitments made to one another. Heartfelt letters, encapsulating your thoughts and feelings are symbolic - locked away during the ceremony in a wine box to be revealed several years into your marriage.

The letters describe the good qualities you find in one another, the reasons you fell in love, and the reasons for choosing to marry.

The letters are sealed in individual envelopes and the couple does not see what the other has written.

You have created your very own “romantic” time capsule to be opened on your 5th wedding anniversary.

Pintrest.com

Tossing the bouquet

This tradition stems from England.  Back in the day, women were known to rip pieces from the bride's dress and flowers in an effort to obtain good luck.  To escape from the crowd, the bride would toss her bouquet and run away.  Today the bouquet is tossed to single women with the belief that whoever catches it will be the next to marry

www.merledress.blogspot.com.au/

There are lots of alternatives to this tradition but one of my favourites is the idea of the Anniversary dance.   Instead of forcing your single friends to fight for your bouquet, why not consider honouring the couple that has been married the longest at the wedding.  The DJ invites all married couples to the floor to dance.  The DJ will then eliminate each couple one by one starting with “if you have been married less than a day, leave the dancefloor (obviously the bride and groom are the first to leave).  Through the process of elimation, the couple that has been married the longest are presented with the bouquet. 

lanierstar.com

Not all wedding traditions are necessary or meaningful.  Today, most couples seem less focused on adhering to tradition, expressing their individuality and creativity through different elements of their wedding.  The most important thing with a tradition is that it means something to you.    You do the things that feel right and make you happy on your wedding day. 

Weddings without worries

Nerves on your wedding day are totally normal and natural. In fact, I always say to Brides and Grooms to expect butterflies and a rush of adrenaline.

Ethicalweddings.com

Getting married can be overwhelming. And for a lot of people there are so many stressful decisions and expenses.  This coupled with the excitement of the day can lead to an overwhelming feeling of nervous tension.

In my experience, the longer the groom and the guests are waiting on the brides arrival, the more that nervous tension can escalate.

For most people tears and laughter are a great way to release nervous tension.  Suppressing tears can lead to even more anxiety so I encourage to you let it go.

Jasmin Star Photography

As a celebrant, I like to open the ceremony with a lighthearted introduction.  Laughter not only reduces tension, but when laughter is shared it binds people together, increases happiness and imtimacy  in the ceremony.  With the injection of a small amount of humour, there is an instant change of mood.

Crash Taylor photography 

The hardest part is the anticipation of waiting for the ceremony to begin.  Once the ceremony has started take a moment to take a breath and take it all in because you will want to remember this moment for the rest of you life.  .