Weddings with Cara Hodge Archives - Page 5 of 5

Surprise Vow Renewal Ceremony as featured on Polka Dot Bride

on December 16, 2013 · 1 Comment

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

I am so excited to share this story of a sweet surprise vow renewal ceremony – with a twist!

The twist being that it wasn’t the guests that were surprised it was the bride and groom who had absolutely no idea that their photo shoot was about to turn in to a vow renewal ceremony which not long after featured on the fabulous Polka Dot Bride blog.

Brisbane City Celebrants featured on Polka Dot Bride

I first heard from Melissa when she contacted me via my Facebook page where she inquired in to my availability to be their Celebrant for their wedding in the garden gazebo at the Glen Hotel.

I excitedly confirmed my availability and a few days later we met at a local coffee shop where we discussed the kind of wedding that would perfectly reflect them as a couple and as a family as they have 3 beautiful daughters together.

I love it when couples are eager to involve their children in their wedding day, there are many different ways to involve children of all different ages in weddings. I discussed various ideas with Melissa and Aaron and one of my ideas that they loved was the ‘rings blessing’ where each daughter would place a kiss on the wedding rings before they were exchanged to give their blessing to their mum and dads marriage.

Before we knew it their wedding day had arrived, the romantic gazebo at the Glen Hotel set amongst a purpose built ceremony garden set the scene for their special day. Rain clouds were lingering and I recall the Events Manager asking Aaron to make the final call of if the ceremony should proceed to take place outside, or be relocated indoors. Aarons thoughts were immediately with his bride and he responded by saying he wanted Melissa to have the ceremony she has been dreaming of, so he instructed the ceremony to proceed in the ceremony gardens as planned.

The ceremony flowed perfectly, there wasn’t a drop of rain and the super cute flower girls looked divine and completed their roles of blessing the wedding rings with perfection!

While Melissa and Aaron enjoyed a fantastic wedding day, when it came to collecting the wedding photos they were shocked to find out their photographer seemed to have significantly increased the price of their package from what was initially agreed, perhaps this was covered in the small print of their contract, I’m not sure but either way the amount their photographer was demanding was simply out of their reach and simply just not do-able for them meaning the couple ended up with no professional wedding photos, not even a sneak peek!

This also meant they didn’t have professional photos of their family to treasure from this special day.

Myself and Melissa stayed in touch via Facebook and when her 1^st wedding anniversary came and went she had no wedding photos to share on her page, it was then that she explained to me what had happened and how upset she was not to have any wedding photos.

While you only have 1 wedding day and they can never get that day back, my mind raced and I contacted a reputable photographer that both myself and Jamie had worked with on a number of occasions, Deb from Boots Photography, and also a family member Anne who runs the Rose Room High Tea Café in Noosaville to share Melissas story and see on the off chance if they would be interested in doing a shoot with Melissa and her family.

The reason Anne came to mind to contact was because Melissa has a love and passion for vintage and retro, as does Anne with every item you find on the table at her High Tea café being carefully selected and from a former era.

Beside themselves with excitement I received immediate responses from both Anne and Deb they had been planning to do a styled shoot with Anne’s beautiful china and vintage furnishings and they were only too happy to work the shoot around Melissa and Aaron, they Deb had the brainwave – why not surprise them with a vow renewal on the day to make the day that bit extra special!

Melissa and Aaron’s Surprise Vow Renewal Ceremony

Deb did a fantastic job enlisting a team of wedding professionals who were kind enough to donate their time and services to put this shoot together, while they were all in on the surprise vow renewal ceremony we had to keep it all super secret from our unsuspecting bride and groom.

The couple were thrilled to receive such stunning professional images by Deb of Boots Photography

The couple were thrilled to receive such stunning professional images by Boots Photography

Usually our couples have a huge amount of input in to their ceremonies and we always get their approval on the final ceremony before their special day. However under these circumstances I had to create the ceremony without the couples sign off, so I wrote their vows for them and couldn’t resist including their children with a rings blessing just like on their wedding day!

The day arrived and the vendors were buzzing around busily passionately creating their own special part of the day.

The couple had no idea their photo shoot was about to turn in to a surprise vow renewal ceremony.

The day commenced with Deb shooting various backdrops with the couple, then right on cue she led the couple over to the ceremony set up where she continued to shoot, suppliers gathered around the signal was given and a track from one of Melissas favourite bands the Foo Fighters played.

Surprise Vow Renewal Ceremony with Brisbane Celebrant Ciara Hodge

Surprise Vow Renewal Ceremony with Brisbane Celebrant Cara Hodge

I surfaced from the acreage property dressed appropriately in a vintage style dress and with Melissa and Aaron already in their places under the lace draped wedding arch, I was the one to walk down the aisle. It wasn’t until the music faded out and I whipped out my ceremony folder and said “SURPRISE” that Melissa and Aaron realised what was about to happen, they responded ‘Are we getting married again?’ hehe! Love them!

I commenced the ceremony requesting their permission to renew their vows to which they both happily agreed. The vow renewal ceremony was so much fun for everyone present, the girls kissed their wedding bands just like on the wedding day and as I pronounced them husband and wife for the second time, they shared a kiss while Aaron spontaneously threw his hat in the air as everyone roared with laughter and Deb captured the moment.

The couples children kissing the wedding bands to signify their blessing of the marriage…for the second time!

Surprise Vow Renewal Ceremony when the surprise was on the couple! with Ciara Hodge, Brisbane Celebrant

Surprise Vow Renewal Ceremony when the surprise was on the couple! with Cara Hodge, Brisbane Celebrant

We all enjoyed tasty treats whipped up by the resident Chef Jamie and a glass of celebratory champagne, except for Deb who continued to shoot the now re-married couple making the most of the beautiful afternoon sunset.

The ceremony was promptly snapped up and featured on the Polka Dot Bride blog which was a lovely way for all the deserving suppliers to receive recognition for coming together and giving Melissa, Aaron and their family not just a day to remember but this time beautiful photos to treasure.

Congratulations to the happy couple just married… again!

If you enjoyed hearing about this surprise vow renewal ceremony and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding or vow renewal ceremony, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

The Differences Between UK and Australian Weddings

on December 9, 2013 · 2 Comments

The Differences Between UK and Australian Weddings

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

We have just returned from the UK where we attended my brothers wedding. Knowing our involvement and passion for the wedding industry here in Australia, the moment the ceremony concluded we were bombarded with questions from fellow guests, “Was that the same as a wedding you would conduct in Australia?” “Did you check if they got all the legal bits right?” and the most common question “What’s the difference between a wedding in the UK and a wedding in Australia?” so for the benefit of UK couples getting married in Australia and vice versa, I have dedicated the following blog post to cover the main points of difference between each countries wedding traditions and formalities.

Neil and Jas at their wedding at Shendish Manor in the UK

Firstly to set the scene, my brother and his girl married in a beautiful old Manor House in Hemel Hempstead near London called ‘Shendish Manor’. The property sits on 160 acres of immaculately kept gardens, including a gazebo, golf course and 70 hotel rooms providing an abundance of photo opportunities and convenience for the guests.

This venue is licensed for civil ceremonies, bringing me to my first point of difference:

Where weddings can take place:

UK Wedding venues need to be licensed to conduct civil ceremonies, and in the UK you can only marry with a roof over your head.

As Registered Celebrants in Australia we are authorised to perform weddings ANYWHERE in Australia, and no ‘licensed venue’ or roof is required.

Weddings have taken place on top of Brisbane’s Story Bridge and Jamie has even performed a wedding in a terminal of Brisbane’s airport, a quirky choice of venue chosen by the couple as that was where they shared their first kiss!

The special day arrived and with much excitement a convoy of guest vehicles all pulled up at the venue and we made our way across the crunchy stone driveway to check in to our hotel rooms.

The bride and groom had booked a wing of the building that comprised of a room where the ceremony would take place. This room opened out to a lounge and bar area which joined on to the reception room. This was really great for early guests as it meant they could mingle in the lounge area, enjoy a sneaky pre wedding drink at the bar or simply take in the amazing old building which was full of character.

As Celebrants we were particularly interested in seeing how the ceremony was conducted, what really surprised us was this:

2. Being able to choose a Celebrant

In the UK you do not have a choice of Celebrant, you are assigned 2 Wedding Registrars on the day, one will present and do the talking while the second one will verify that the ceremony and documentation have met the legal requirements. We were interested to see them actually using an old fashioned ink stamp on their paperwork.

It is also worth mentioning that in the UK you can not book your Wedding Registrars any sooner than 1 year before your special day. While planning her wedding my super organised sister in law called the office at the earliest possible date, 1 year out for their wedding date, only to be told there were only 2 time slots still available that day, neither were the time they had planned to have their ceremony, but they quickly snapped up the better of the 2 time slots and locked it in.

Thankfully they were yet to have their invitations printed and the venue were able to work with the earlier ceremony time.

In Australia as with your other wedding vendors you have a choice of Celebrants, you can be as specific as you like with the kind of Celebrant you would like, many of our clients secure Jamie as their Celebrant as they envisage having a younger male Celebrant perform their ceremony.

In respect of the legal requirements there were a lot of similarities but one thing that that we did notice was that the first words that the bride and groom were to say:

3. Legal Wording

During a UK wedding the bride and groom have to verbally state that there is no legal impediment to their marriage

In Australia, this is not mentioned in the ceremony, instead before the ceremony takes place the bride and groom complete legal paperwork known as the ‘declaration’ stating there is no legal impediment to them marrying each other.

Interestingly the other required legal wording which we know as the Monitum and the mandatory vows are very similar almost word for word to that of ours in Australia.

4. Having a choice of ceremony wording

In the UK as the local registers come along to deliver the ceremony (as opposed to Celebrants like we have here in Australia), it was interesting to hear that generally they are provided with a ceremony script, or a choice of script a, b and c without the option to edit this or share your own story. Also for civil weddings in the UK there can be absolutely no religious connotations or references, one couple told us how they wanted the instrumental version of Robbie Williams ‘Angels’ as one of their ceremony songs, however this wasn’t allowed for this reason.

In Australia Marriage Celebrants give you freedom to choose, plan, design, edit or even write segments of your own ceremony. Personally we love creating ceremonies that are about our couples, and the bond they share. We specialise in non-religious weddings, however occasionally our couples indicate that they would like to include some religion such as a reading or prayer which we are only too happy to accommodate and include in their ceremony. We also don’t have any restrictions on what ceremony music couples choose, anything goes!

5. Photographing the marriage certificate

In the UK it is a legal requirement that the actual marriage certificate that the bride and groom can sign must not be photographed. So a secondary ‘mock’ certificate is provided for the purpose of photos.

In Australia, there is no legal restrictions on photographing the marriage certificate or any part of the wedding for that matter. That said photographers generally exercise discretion with publishing images from the marriage register as we all have a duty to protect our clients privacy and a lot of personal information of the couple is contained here, besides the couples certificate is a lot more photogenic!

6. Throwing of Confetti or Petals

In the UK they generally don’t allow rose petals or similar to be thrown as soon as the couple exit down the aisle much to my disappointment after I had torn the bouquet of roses I had bought my Mum a few days earlier to shreds! Mainly because weddings tend to take place indoors. Instead these are usually thrown as the couple exit the building or during their group photo.

In Australia, well particularly in Queensland where the vast majority of civil weddings take place outside the guests can throw rose petals as soon as the bride and groom make their exit as husband and wife, and likewise the flower girl can sprinkle petals down the aisle in front of the bride.

It is also worth mentioning that different ceremony venues have different rules and as a general rule confetti and rice is not favoured in QLD, flower petals or bubbles are generally preferred however it is always worth checking with your venue as they all have their own requirements.

After the ceremony concluded all the guest enjoyed a cocktail hour drink, while the typical cocktail hour drink in the UK is Pimms, this bride and groom choose warm mulled wine, a great choice of a cool winters day.

We all proceeded to head outside for group and family photos, while it was a lovely clear day especially with it being winter, it was cold! Brrr. The Photographer who had over 20 years experience shooting weddings in the UK was very mindful to direct guests back indoors as soon as she had finished with them before they started shivering!

7. Bar Tab/ Drinks at weddings

Typically in the UK several bottles of red and white will be provided on each table for the guests to enjoy while they dine. After which guests are responsible for purchasing their own drinks from a cash bar.

At weddings in Australia, there is generally a bar tab up to a set amount or a drinks package provided by the venue, with either selected drinks or all drinks available for guests.

8. Wedding Speech Wager

Finally I thought I would share this British wedding tradition with you, the wedding speech wagers involve everyone on your table placing a bet on the duration of the speeches from the first word of the first speaker to the last word of the last speaker, everyone notes their estimated time on a piece of paper, and places a couple of pounds on a glass, the winner or closest too takes all, it’s a great ice breaker for the table and fun too, especially if you win!

In summary I think it’s fair to say that while there are more tradition and formalities around civil weddings in England compared to civil weddings here in Australia, these traditions are also what make these weddings special and so fitting to the beautiful old buildings where these weddings take place. We loved every moment of this special day and were honored to be guests at this wedding.

Congratulations Jas and Neil x

If you enjoyed hearing about the differences between UK and Australian weddings and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

A Brisbane City Botanic Gardens Elopement with Cara Hodge

on October 17, 2013 · 1 Comment

A Brisbane City Botanic Gardens Elopement with Cara Hodge

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

It was such a beautiful day for love birds Julie and Terry to become husband and wife in a very intimate Brisbane City Botanic Gardens elopement at The Wedding Lawn.

The sweet couple traveled from Sydney to elope here in Brisbane, as they hold fond memories of their times together in Brisbane in the earlier days of their relationship. Not to mention the fact that we’ve barely had a drop of rain here in the last 3 months, so they were practically guaranteed clear blue skies and sunshine.

To assist with their elopement in Brisbane, I organised their 2 witnesses 2 lovely friends of mine who really enjoyed being a part of the couples special day. The happy couple wrote the sweetest vows which they read to each other before being pronounced husband and wife. Their huge smiles never left their faces and show just how happy and deeply in love this couple are.

The newlyweds were kind enough to invite us to join them for a celebratory drink at the Stamford Plaza Hotel before they made their way to Customs House for an intimate reception for 2.

Wishing you both all the very best for your future together and thank you for choosing me to be your Celebrant.

Ciara Hodge, Authorised Marriage Celebrant, Brisbane City Celebrants

If you enjoyed hearing about this Brisbane City Botanic Gardens Elopement and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

Deciding when to get married in Brisbane

on October 3, 2013 · 2 Comments

Deciding when to get married in Brisbane

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

So you’ve decided on a Brisbane wedding but you are unsure which month to have your wedding? Brisbane is such a great city to get married in, with over 300 days of sunshine and clear blue skies every year it’s no surprise outdoor weddings are so popular here in Brisbane.

Some couples choose the anniversary of the day they met or started dating to set their wedding date, others choose from their date from the dates available at their dream wedding venue.

While anytime is a good time to marry in Brisbane, here are a few ideas that may assist you with deciding when to wed.

January – Start the new year off with a bang by tying the knot on new years day, or let the celebrations continue over the long weekend with an Australia day wedding. Don’t forget humidity is high at this time of year, as is the risk of storms, so make sure you have a wet weather back up option for your ceremony.

February – Celebrate your commitment during the month of romance with a Valentines day wedding, perhaps take a trip down the river on a gondola to add to the romance on the day.

March/ April – Make the most of your time with family and friends by letting the celebrations continue over the Easter weekend

May/ June/July – Enjoy your wedding during the cooler months with the lowest rainfall and perfectly clear blue skies

August – The Ekka show lights up at night and makes a great backdrop for wedding photos on the bridge, or if you’re game why not have a little fun and jump on a ride or 2 dressed as bride and groom! Nearby wedding venues include Victoria Park Golf complex, Mirra and Cloudland.

September – Late September the jacaranda trees begin to bloom creating an amazing backdrop for wedding ceremonies and for wedding photos.

The Riverfire festival also takes place at this time of year with a huge fireworks display taking place over the Brisbane river. Some of the best vantage points where you and your guests can enjoy the spectacular fireworks show, also coincide with being some of Brisbane’s most popular wedding venues, including the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Cliffs Cafe, Riverlife, the Penthouse Suite at Quay West, Stamford Plaza, the Marriott Hotel, Mr & Mrs G’s and Venice Cafe on Eagle Street Pier, to name but a few.

October – The jacaranda trees are in full bloom, why not say your ‘I do’s’ beneath a huge old jacaranda tree in the Brisbane City Botanical Gardens on a carpet of purple flowers, or take a romantic stroll through the gardens for your wedding photo shoot, between your ceremony and reception.

November – Peonies! One of the most loved wedding flowers (and also Cara’s favourite) are in season. Many floral devotees will choose their wedding month around the time that their favourite flowers are in season.

December – Have a New Years Eve wedding and start the new year as husband and wife! Don’t forget humidity is high at this time of year, as is the risk of storms, so make sure you have a wet weather back up option for your ceremony.

If you enjoyed this article helping you choose when to get married in Brisbane, and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

In Love with the SURPRISE wedding

on May 20, 2013 · Leave a Comment

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

This surprise wedding was such a success and full of so much happiness, excitement and emotion I felt so inspired to jump on the blog and tell you about the exciting and fun surprise wedding I performed. I have intentionally included lots of little details to take in to consideration for anyone planning a surprise wedding.

Before I go on to tell you about the engagement party come surprise wedding that I performed, I have summarised what I believe are some of the key points that enabled this couples surprise wedding to be a success:

The couple sent engagement party invitations to all their guests which stated the time as ‘4pm sharp’ unbeknown to the guests the secret ceremony was scheduled to commence at 6pm, this gave a generous 2hr time slot to allow for any guests that may have been running late, and prevented any guests from missing the ceremony.
The couple kept the surprise very close. Only a very small select few people were ‘let in’ on the secret, it was even a surprise to the brides father who was told by the bride just minutes before the wedding took place. The less people you tell about a ‘surprise’ wedding, the more impact the surprise will have.
The outfit change. The couples engagement party theme was ‘Black and White with a splash of colour’ so the room was filled with a sea of black and white with some cheerful bright colours thrown in to the mix, the fiancé (or secretly the groom) wore black with a little electric blue on the pocket and the fiancée (or secretly the bride) wore a black cocktail dress teamed with a fabulous pair of electric blue pumps, which would have thrown any suspecting guests off the scent. Just before the ceremony was scheduled to start she slipped out the back to staff quarters and changed in to a gorgeous white number, but more on that later…..
Having the brides sister Emma, who happens to be the amazingly organised Wedding and Events Manager at the Port Office/ Fix Restaurant & Wine Bar on hand was also a huge asset and enabled the couple to pull off the surprise with military precision. While not everyone has their very own ‘Emma’ or Wedding Coordinator on hand, perhaps you know of someone that works in the wedding industry or is simply super organised and attentive to detail that you could enlist to help coordinate the surprise ceremony.
Having the vendors on board: As the Celebrant I slotted in well as a guest, the photographers were coworkers from the real estate agents where the groom works so as friends of the couple no one thought twice about them being there capturing images of their ‘engagement party’, and the band ‘Benjam’ executed their role to a T, they delivered the arrival of the bride song ‘Pachelbel’s Canon’ immaculately and right on cue. After the signing took place and the photographers and guests had their photos of the happy couple with their marriage certificate, just one glance and a little nod from me to Benjam at the other side of the room and they instantly faded out their song ready for me to declare the happy couple husband and wife for the very first time.
Last but certainly not least the wonderful connection and amount of love between the bride and groom was so incredible that their happiness and the happiness of everyone present for them, lit up the room creating an incredible atmosphere that I wish I could have bottled a little and taken it with me, not that I would know what to do with it!

Justine and Andrews Surprise Wedding at Fix Restaurant & Wine Bar, Brisbane City

Justine is super lucky to have Brisbane’s amazing award winning Wedding and Functions Manager, Emma as her sister. Emma was the Wedding Coordinator at Mt Ommaney Hotel for many years and to say she was loved by all her brides was an understatement, she won many bridal industry awards and not surprisingly when the Wedding and Functions Coordinator role arose at the Port Office Hotel, they snapped Emma up and in my opinion they scored well!

A couple of months ago Emma got in touch with me to see if I was available to perform her sisters wedding, I was extremely flattered that of the hundreds of Celebrants Emma has seen in action she thought of me for her sisters surprise wedding, I was thrilled that I was available and excited about being ‘in’ on the surprise.

Shortly after I met with Justine and Andrew, we completed the legal paperwork, I cited the necessary ID and we proceeded to discuss the kind of ceremony they would like which was simple and meaningful, not too long and light hearted with a little humour. They shared their amazing ‘chance meeting’ story with me and it felt so significant to their relationship I encouraged them to include this in their ceremony (which to the enjoyment of their guests I’m glad to report they did!).

We also talked about how we would pull off the surprise, as a Celebrant at a surprise wedding you need to have an alias, so we agreed I would pose as a co-worker of Emma’s if anyone asked (which thankfully for me they didn’t).

Shortly after we met I emailed the first draft of their customised ceremony to them, they decided to review this over a glass or 2 of wine during a weekend away in Melbourne, clearly the fresh Melbourne air and Sauvignon worked a treat as the ceremony that came back to me included such a brilliantly written story of how they met, their story is both funny and sweet. They also decided to write their own vows and did an equally fantastic job with this, they wrote 3 vows each to say to each other in turn. In line with their ceremony, their vows were also sweet, meaningful and funny!

Before we knew it their wedding day was here! Or their engagement party day as their guests believed. for a Celebrant a surprise wedding is super exciting, being one of the select few in on the surprise means keeping the secret close and also being really careful to keep the wedding documents (which would normally be neatly placed on a signing table), hidden well away. Luckily for me I didn’t have the task of sneaking my PA system in as the seriously awesome band ‘BenJam’ kindly let me use their cordless mic and I was super spoilt to have them on hand to adjust my volume and sound if necessary.

I arrived at the Port Office and got a great car park just outside, I didn’t want to arrive too early so I read through the ceremony a couple of times in the car before heading in. As soon as I walked through the door the wonderful atmosphere that I can only describe as ‘happiness’ hit me. Justine and Andrew are 2 really lovely people (with a cheeky sense of humour) that have chosen to have a surprise wedding as they simply want to be married. It is no surprise to me that 2 lovely people would be surrounded by such a vibrant, high spirited group of family and friends. Andrew spotted me as soon as I walked through the door, he was cheerful and surprisingly very relaxed for a groom to be (yes grooms get nervous too!)

He called Justine over and we greeted each other as if I was a guest, I was conscious not to say too much and we briefly spoke almost in code as very few people knew what was about to happen, and I had no idea who did or didn’t know. Emma popped up and being the super organised person she is (she uses differently terminology but I won’t go there!) she kept me posted on how the surprise was going to be executed and I joined her husband and the very few friends that were ‘in the know’ at a cocktail table.

Fix Restaurant and Wine Bar looked breath taking, with an amazing LED tree provided by Creative Loop which provided a unique glowing back drop for the ceremony. I introduced myself to the band ‘Benjam’ I had spoken to Benjam a couple of days prior to confirm microphone arrangements and they were very accommodating. I could instantly see he was equally as excited about the upcoming surprise as I was and he had every little detail covered.

A minute before the ceremony was set to start, Emma got on the microphone and introduced herself. She stated that speeches were about to commence.

Andrew casually wondered up and said “Do you need me up here?”

Emma replied “Yeah, I guess it’s your engagement party, so I guess you’ll be doing a speech too”

Then came the cue a select few of us were waiting for from Emma “Where’s Justine? Has anyone seen Justine?”

Right on cue the band played Pachelbel’s Canon, the doors at the back of room flew open and Justine who had changed from a black cocktail dress in to a cute white knee length sleeveless white dress, walked through the door on her Dads arm. The most amazing simultaneous gasp of over 100 guests filled the room. I got goose bumps and I’m pretty sure Andrew did too, perhaps along with a little nerves finally kicking in.

As Justine walked down the aisle towards her groom their eyes locked and smiles spread across their faces. In keeping with the surprise Justine only told her father what was about to happen, a few minutes before the ceremony took place, beaming with happiness when they reached where Andrew was stood, he gave his daughter and her groom to be a group hug. Justine handed the single long stem red rose she was holding to her father then he stepped to the side.

The music faded out and I introduced myself as a Registered Civil Marriage Celebrant, I then caught Justines fathers eye and asked “who gives this woman to be married to this man” proudly smiling (and still taking in what was actually happening), he replied “from a very surprised father, I do”.

The ceremony proceeded and the guests roared with laughter at the funny story of how Justine and Andrew met. They exchanged the sweet and funny vows they had written for each other and following the mandatory legal wording, I announced them as husband and wife to which the applause and cheers of their 100 guests filled the room!

I stepped to the side out of shot and they shared their first kiss as husband and wife while what looked like a sea of paparazzi of guests on the front row captured the moment.

I called the witnesses over to sign the marriage certificates, once these had all been signed I leaned over to the newlyweds and excitedly said “You’re Married!” to which Andrew fist pumped the air their witnesses cheered and they shared a celebratory kiss. After introducing them as Mr & Mrs to their guests, the room filled with cheering and applause once again (giving me goose bumps again!) and their ecstatically happy and super surprised guests proceeded to congratulate them.

The night was a huge success, they went from being engaged to being married and they succeeded to keep the surprise wedding a surprise and the atmosphere was that of a true celebration. I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to be a part of this special day and with the amount of love between Justine and Andrew I know they have such a wonderful future ahead of them.

If you enjoyed hearing about this exciting surprise wedding ceremony and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.