Saturday, September 25, 2010

A Gift that never ends

Godparents and Grandparents are usually very much part of a Baby Naming Ceremony, and quite creative when it comes to giving a gift to the child in a Baby Naming Ceremony. They strive to give a gift which is not only memorable, but which will be a keepsake for the child as she or he grows up.

Godparents have been known to give a baby girl a charm necklace with one charm, with the idea that a new charm will be added on each of the child's birthdays.

One grandparent started the child on it's financial future by buying the child a portfolio of shares to which will be added others as time goes by.

Then there are the hobbyist who have given the child a collection of stamps, or a first edition book of a favourite author.

One grandmother, who had been a collector of dolls since she herself was a child, gave her first grandchild her collection of dolls.

As the naming ceremony was taking place in the grandparents' home, I was invited to view the collection. It was housed in a room whose walls were literally covered with dolls and puppets, while more dolls and puppets were suspended from the ceiling.

I can't begin to visualise what this collection will look like in twenty years' time.

Find more about how to celebrate a Baby Naming ceremony, and many other great moments in your life, in 'Celebrating Love's Special Moments' on Amazon and Smashwords


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Sunday, September 19, 2010

Carry me - Butterfly - Denise Dyson


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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Renewal of Vows - When to Have One

Conducted a very happy Renewal of Vows Ceremony.

The husband and wife were living in a community which they found very friendly. Had established a very comfortable home. And the school in which they had enrolled their children was very supportive.

They felt they had a lot of things to be grateful for as a couple and as a family so decided to express their gratitude with a renewal of vows ceremony.

Invited guests were family and friends, most of whom had attended the couple's wedding, including bridesmaids and groomsmen. The ceremony took place at the home where they had been married, the site decorated with numerous wedding photographs of the couple and their wedding attendants.

There is a suggestion that couples renew their wedding vows for two reasons. In the first instances, like my present couple, they want to publicly acknowledge how lucky they are to have found each other.

The other reason is that there are cracks in the marriage and the couple hope that a renewal of vows might help them to get over their current problems.

I have only had three enquiries from problem couples. In the first instance, the couple split up before deciding on a date for the ceremony. The second couple cancelled before we got together for our first appointment. And in the third instance, I met up with the couple to find that while I had instant rapport with one of them, I just couldn't connect with the other one. My feeling was that whatever had kept them together to this date, was no longer there. Several days later I had a phone call to say that they've decided not to go ahead with the ceremony. I wasn't surprised.

Has there ever been a troubled couple who has had a renewal of wedding vows ceremony and went on to enjoy a happy married life?

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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

How to Celebrate a Divorce

Divorce ceremonies are beginning to make headlines.

In Japan four out of ten marriages end in divorce, and the couples who manage to end their marriage with decorum, celebrate their divorce with a divorce ceremony.

The ritual begins somewhat like a wedding, with the couple being driven to the ceremonial site. They arrive separately, of course.
The divorce ceremony site is something like a wedding reception centre where the couple invite some of their closer friends. There is food, and music, and the divorce ceremony itself. Part of the divorce ritual includes the ceremonial destruction of the wedding ring.

The ring, standing on its edge, is placed on some hard surface. The ex husband and the ex wife, standing together as if about to cut a wedding cake, each place a hand on the handle of a hammer instead.

With as much strength as they can muster, they bring the hammer down on the wedding ring again and again until it actually breaks.

At this stage, I guess, everyone cheers and claps as they do when the couple have cut the wedding cake.

The ceremony ends with everyone sitting down,  ex husband and ex wife at separate tables with their backs to each other, and reach for their chop sticks and glass of bubbly.

If you're thinking of a closure to your divorce, check out my book 'Celebrating Love's Special Moments' which will give you hints on this, and many other celebrations.

Find it on Amazon and Smashwords


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Saturday, September 4, 2010

Baby Naming Sand Blending Ceremony

Searching for accessories for a Baby Naming Ceremony, found some glass containers perfect for the family sand blending.

Although I know you can get both coloured sand and the glass accessories on the Internet, I usually go to my favourite second-hand stores such as Lifeline, Endeavour and St. Vincent de Paul.

Apart from the cost, which is a fraction of that of new containers, items purchased at the second-hand stores are sometimes both unique and antique.

But just as important is the fact that any money the shops receive serves a good cause, and I have the hope that in a small way I'm conserving our resources.



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Monday, August 30, 2010

Bridal Expo

Attended several Bridal Expos on the weekend.

Apart from viewing what is available in the Bridal Industry, met up with a number of marriage celebrants. Some were local, some I've met at Civil Marriage Celebrant Association meetings, and some from the 2010 Ongoing Professional Development  (ODP) course.

From the various dialogues both with marriage celebrants and other providers of Bridal services, here are some things to consider if you're thinking of becoming part of a Bridal Expo.

  • What would work for you - one or two highly expensive Bridal Expos per year or half a dozen local inexpensive Bridal Expos?
  • Could you share the expense by having another celebrant part of your exhibition? Will the organisers allow you to do that? Apparently some won't.
  • How much advertising will the organisers of the Bridal Expo be undertaking?
  • What incentives will the organisers be offering to draw the crowds - bag of samples, prizes, entertainement, fashion shows?
  • Is the Bridal Expo venue noted for weddings? If so, perhaps conacting with the propriators might be a bonus in itself.
  • Is there a limit on the number of exhibitors from the one industry?  You don't mind some competition. But it has to be reasonable.
What is probably underestimated in a Bridal Expo, is the valuable contacts possible with other exhibitors. Celebrants find wedding couples being referred to them by Photographers, Beauticians, proprietors of Wedding Venues and Bridal Clothing that they've spoken to at the Bridal Expo. 

Where do you find Bridal Expos? Where else? On the Internet.

For more on Bridal Expos and other marketing hints, check out my book 'How to be a Profitable Celebrant: Practical Hints on Running a Profitable Celebrancy Business' at your local Library.



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Friday, August 27, 2010

Wedding Rehearsal

Watched 'A Touch of Frost' on Channel 7 last night. The episode included a wedding rehearsal where the minister had the couple repeat the wedding vows.

It is unusual, if not unlikely, that the actual text of the wedding ceremony is rehearsed.

I continue to be impressed by the lack of authenticity in the research by those writing about wedding protocol.

For example, Australian bridal magazines talk about marriage licence - which simply do not exist in Australia, and as far as I know, never have.

Then there's the advice given by an Australian bridal magazine - 'lodge your intention to marry.....with the relevant government body such as the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.' And another misleading comment.

What actually happens is that the couple are given the notice by the celebrant or the minister who is to marry them, and it is the celebrant or the minister who lodges the notice with the relevant government body not the bride and groom.

The couple don't need to go anywhere near the Registry Office, unless they are actually getting married there.




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