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Services
As civil celebrants we offer
a variety of services from marriage ceremonies, to renewal of vows
to baby namings and to funerals. We always bring a warm professionalism
to our roles and our extensive experience allows us to be very flexible
in accommodating many different styles and requirements.
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Marriage
Ceremonies
“Marriage, according to Law in Australia, is the
union of a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily
entered into for life.”
The Marriage Act.
The style, content and format of a Marriage Ceremony depend very largely
on the personalities and preferences of each couple. However, there
are important legal requirements that are mandatory for all couples.
For your peace of mind, you should know that we are both well-versed
in this and all other relevant aspects, to ensure compliance with the
Marriage Act and directives of the Attorney General’s Office
in Canberra.
A Marriage Ceremony can be as formal or informal as required by each
couple. We welcome and encourage their input and ideas so that the
ceremony is uniquely theirs. It need be neither too long and dull nor
too-brief and meaningless. It should reflect something of the characters
and personalities of the Bride and Groom and should be a happy, friendly
and meaningful service, a sense of occasion: dignified and free of
gimmickry.
We are quite at home in all the recognised venues in and around Adelaide
and surrounding areas, from the Barossa Valley to McLaren Vale areas;
from the Fleurieu Peninsula, to the Mid-North and beyond. We are also
familiar with the great majority of popular outdoor locations in and
outside the metropolitan area and often help couples find “just
the right” place for their ceremony.
There is nothing easier than sitting together for an informal chat
in our home where we can discuss your needs and ideas and answer all
your questions, at no cost and without obligation. We are happy to
put our experience and expertise at your disposal and look forward
to helping in any way we can and you will be pleasantly surprised at
how reasonable our fees are!
For more information on the various legal requirements of marriage,
click here and check out the legal section of our links page.
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We are recognized in the profession for bringing a genuinely
personal touch to all of our engagements.
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Reaffirmations
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Renewal of Vows “The real act
of marriage takes place in the heart It's a choice you make, not
just on your wedding
day, but over and over again.”
Barbara De Angelis (American researcher on relationships and personal growth)
More and more couples are celebrating meaningful anniversaries by renewing
the vows they took when they were married. In this kind of ceremony,
a couple’s
family and close friends are usually invited to share in the joy and justifiable
pride that a Bride and Groom feel, after ten or twenty years (or more or less)
of married life. Some couples do this every five years!
Sons and daughters and other family members, as well as friends who may have
attended the wedding ceremony, are often invited to participate in the Reaffirmation
which is at once a light-hearted, happy event and a warm, touching experience.
Whilst there are no legal implications, no Government documents and the like
to contend with, the Reaffirmation service is, in many ways, quite similar to
a Wedding Ceremony, celebrating, as it does, the union of a couple as Husband
and Wife.
Frequently, these ceremonies are arranged in private homes, function rooms or
at restaurants and sometimes as surprises to attending guests, adding a little
extra sparkle to an anniversary dinner.
At a meeting sometime before the event, we take note of and discuss preparation,
format and content of the service. This takes into account the couple’s
history and usually re-creates something of the general feeling and atmosphere
of the original wedding ceremony. The exchange of vows, selected readings and
toasts are incorporated as highlights of a truly satisfying, joyful celebration
of love.
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Baby-namings
“A
carefully chosen name for our baby is a reflection of the love, pride
and joy that welcome him/her into our homes and our hearts.” SLB
Whereas
a Christening or Baptism celebrates a child’s entry into the Christian
faith, a baby-naming is usually a secular ceremony held to officially
welcome a child into the wider community, with family and friends present.
The ceremony, often held in the parents’ home, celebrates the safe
arrival of the baby into the family. As in all other celebrations, a
pre-event meeting is usually held, in this case with the child’s
parents, to enable us to write a personalised service for the baby.
In this happy, unpretentious celebration, the names chosen by the
parents are bestowed on the child. The participation of the father
and mother
and others helps to make this a memorable occasion which is recognized
and documented in a presentation certificate at the close of the
ceremony.
Like a Christening or Baptism, especially chosen friends or relatives
usually take part in the service, as Godfathers and Godmothers (also
known as Mentors or Sponsors etc.). At some stage during the service,
they usually hold the child to demonstrate the bond they acknowledge
and formalise in their appointed roles.
Family and friends, young folk, old folk, all come together in a
party-like gathering, bringing token gifts for the guest of honour,
to celebrate
his / her safe entrance in the community.
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Funeral
& Memorial Services “Tis better
to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Tennyson
In
modern times, a funeral or memorial service is often seen as an opportunity
to celebrate the life of a lost loved one. As each person is unique,
so is the ceremony which honours his / her memory and celebrates his
/ her life. Favourite pieces of music; hymns; family photographs; readings
from the scriptures or secular poetry can play an important part in
focusing on the person’s journey on earth.
We are well-known by the majority of the recognised, better Funeral
Directors and, through them, have been privileged for several years
to conduct
funeral services for many bereaved Adelaide families. In gentle consultation
with the family, we help prepare eulogies, plan visual presentations,
music selection, participation of speakers, all of which go to make
the occasion free of worry and tension, in fitting tribute to a lost
loved
one.
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