How to Pick a Ceremony Type for your perfect wedding

Use this handy table as a guide of what to expect from one of my ceremonies. This may help you decide what type of ceremony you want. Then contact me for my current pricing.

CEREMONYLEGAL PAPERWORK ENSUREDTIME ALLOWEDWHEN AND WHEREHELP WITH VOWSUNITY CEREMONYGUESTS ALLOWED
Big white wedding 💒 Yes20 minute ceremony – allow up to 45 minutesAny day, time or locationYesYesNo limit
Small weddingYes15 minute ceremony – allow up to 30 minutesAny day, time or locationYesYesUp to 20 guests
ElopementYes10 minute ceremony – allow up to 15 minutesMonday – Thursday – Bribie Island, Sunshine Coast onlyYesYesUp to 10 guests
       
Coffee table (legals only wedding)Yes3 minute ceremony – allow 5 minutesMonday – Thursday – Bribie Island, Sunshine Coast onlyYesNo2 x witnesses
Renewal of VowsNo legal paperwork10 minute ceremony – allow 20 minutesMonday – Thursday – Bribie Island, Sunshine Coast onlyYesYesNo limit
Commitment CeremonyNo legal paperwork20 minute ceremony – allow up to 45 minutesAny day, time or locationYesYesNo limit
Marriage Celebrant Lynette Maguire explains different wedding ceremony types

Some notes

I arrive 30 minutes prior to your ceremony (with the exception of the coffee table wedding and the renewal of vows where I arrive 20 minutes prior). The other times mentioned are the times that you’d expect me to be leaving, and you’ll be organising your group photo or ordering your lunch. So, it’s just an idea of the maximum ‘time required’ guide for a stress free laid back time.

These details are a guide only – if you’re not sure – shoot me an email or a text – I’m one of the lowest maintenance celebrants (people) you could meet, so I’m super flexible.

Do I do more than one wedding a day? Yes, I sure do if there’s a nice spacing between them. There seems to be a ‘thing’ about this and some celebrants say they conduct only one wedding a day so they can ‘focus solely on you’ – I think this is ridiculous and probably shows a lack of admin skills. On my Weddings in a Box days, I marry up to 10 couples per day – What can I say, I’m organised. If you want me to ‘focus solely on you’ ALL day, it will probably set off my ‘bridezilla’ alarm and I’ll say no anyway lol.

Do I travel – yes … but … there’s a cost associated. Fly me somewhere – I’m cool with that.

Bride and groom holding hands and walking down a pathway away from the camera
Rob and Claire had a delicious big white wedding full of big laughs at Yandina Station – have the wedding you want

Hope this helps!

How to have a non-traditional wedding & why it’s a good idea

I’ve had a spate of weddings lately that have just made me smile! I love my goth weddings, my Star Wars weddings and anything a bit out of the ordinary.

I’m talking a Harry Potter wedding at the Sunshine Castle, complete with Luna the owl delivering the rings; a Transformers’ wedding complete with awesome photoshopping; and a few super hero weddings (hmm me in lycra might be a problem – is there a middle aged size 12 super hero?)

wedding guests running from Optimus Prime
In Sami’s vows “you are my Optimus Prime”

RSVP – No, I’m not coming to your wedding

So, I was a bit saddened by a recent comment on a bridal Facebook page, something along the lines of ‘some of my guests aren’t coming because they don’t like my theme’ (goth/purple/black).

WTF? You’re kidding right?

Batman marries Catwoman
Shhh I married batman and cat woman – Having a non-traditional wedding is heaps of fun

Cookie cutter weddings are everywhere – anyone can have one of those – but to step outside the norm and embrace your personalities is the bombdiggity. If people don’t come to your wedding because of it, you don’t want them there in the first place! It’s a real field leveller. Celebrate our wedding our way or bugger off!

Simples!

A curly blonde haired Darth Vadar
A curly blonde haired Darth Vadar

Because, it’s actually not about the theme or the colour or what dress you wear – it’s about celebrating the bride and groom’s relationship in a way that is important to them. Yes, I know a lot of mothers sometimes interfere and bulldoze their way through the wedding planning but seriously, don’t let them. They’ve had their day, you should have yours.

Batman reading his vows as Supergirl laughs out loud and The Hulk (Lynette Maguire Marriage Celebrant) looks on
Yes, I married SuperGirl to Batman – that’s me as The Incredible Hulk.

Here’s ideas – these come from my real weddings

Think about what you both like to do – what defines you in your life and figure out a way to incorporate that into your wedding. If you’re not game enough to do a totally themed wedding – here’s some cool ideas from some of my weddings that might get your creative juices flowing:

Bride dogs
Bride horses
Bride snake (complete with a black tie)
Bride bearded dragon
Bridesmen and Groomsladies
Origami invitations
Bash a Piñata to get the rings (OMG! Funniest thing you’ve ever seen!)
Have the rings delivered in a remote control car, an eagle or an owl
Have a GoPro wedding


Or, Suspend your rings in jelly (yes, really!)
Have shots instead of the traditional champagne toast and start an anniversary tradition
Have your wedding in a theatre or at a football field or a zoo
Have a wedding where everyone sits in a circle – including the B&G and celebrant
Surprise weddings are awesome (surprise for the guests, not the couple, lol that’s illegal)
Spin the bottle to decide on witnesses
Hand out raffle tickets and draw two winners (witnesses)
Beach wedding – the bride wore a white bikini and veil, the groom wore white boardies and a top hat

A frilly neck lizard named Grommet wearing a bow tie is ring bearer
Grommet the ring bearer

So, if you have a niggling idea, give me a call or shoot me a message and we can chat through the pros and cons and work out the best way to make it happen. You’d be surprised at the sort of stuff and weird ideas I’ve made happen.

Lynette, we want to book you as our celebrant

Check my availability

Okay, so first things first – shoot me an email or a give me a call or a text to see if I’m available for your date and time. If I’ve got another commitment on that day, I may ask you if you’re flexible with your start time.

I’ll email you back with some propaganda about what I do and why you should book me, along with my price. If you’re happy with everything, then you have two choices:

  1. Set up a meeting (in person, phone or zoom) so we can chat and see if with click
  2. Book me sight unseen – this is actually how most of my clients go – it’s all about gut instinct and most couples know straight away if I’m for them.
Happy bride with two bridesmaids holding Australian native bouquets
A Sandstone Point elopement with all fun of a relaxed back yard wedding

If you want to book, send me an email

Next, email me and tell me, “Lyn, we’d love you to be our celebrant” and I’ll email you back saying “yay.” I’ll include my booking form which I ask you to complete (the top half only) and then email it straight back so I can get you pencilled in. In my email to you, I’ll include my terms and conditions (they’re pretty standard in the industry, but if you have any questions then please ask)

I’ll also send through the booking fee details – remember that until the booking fee is paid, you’re not locked in – if another couple book your date or pay their booking fee before you, then the booking will be theirs.

Sorry! Basically, it’s snooze and you lose.

I’ll send through an email saying you’re booked in and I always suggest that you join me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest blah blah blah … I’m better on some platforms than others (not enough hours in the day) – this way we can get to know each other so we’re not strangers on your wedding day.

Note: I will not ‘add’ you or send heaps of emails or messages because that will just make me ‘stalker celebrant’ – not cool! But you’re welcome to spam me as much as you like 🙂

Bride and groom walking on top of a hill carrying see through umbrellas and groom carrying the bouquet while bride holds her train
Emma and Josh married at beautiful One Tree Hill, Maleny

Getting your legal stuff out of the way

Next on the ‘to do’ list is getting the pesky NoiM done – and to do this I’ll ask you to enter your details into my software and this generates all your legal paperwork – do it early and get it out of the way. I’ll also need to sight some original ID – usually drivers’ licences, birth certificates and divorce/death certificates if relevant and you can scan these through which is cool.

I get your kids to sign the back of your marriage certificate

The ceremony design meeting

About 2-3 months prior to your wedding we catch up for a ceremony design meeting which is always loads of fun. I’ll bombard your inbox with examples of vows, some homework, and a heap of other stuff so you’re up to speed with ceremony stuff and you’re clued up for when we meet. The meeting can take between 1 to 1.5 hours depending on how decisive you are or how chatty we get lol.

I’ll teach you how to write kickarse vows. Truly! Kickarse 🙂 Even people who say they can’t write, end up proud of their vows 🙂 It’s not hard when you know how – and my job is to teach you.

If I don’t have all aspects of your ceremony (eg. vows, readings etc) by a week before your ceremony, I WILL start stalking you 🙂 I’ll send you a confirmation email a week before your wedding running through what we’d spoken about at the ceremony deign meeting and seeing if anything has changed (it’s usually cool if it has.)

Pre ceremony fun
Jeremy and his guy gang get their Charlie’s Angels on

Rehearsals

Rehearsals: Yep, they’re available, but I find most of my couples don’t particularly want them. If you’re having a huge bridal party, it’s probably best to have one. It’s more about where to stand, rehearsing with the music, etc than actually reading your ceremony, so you can do it all without me. Let me know if you’d like a rehearsal! If I an’t get to your venue when you want a rehearsal, you have the option of facetiming me in, or meeting me somewhere close to where I live for a rehearsal in a park.

Bride on windy beach smelling her bouquet while dress blows around her
Do the work before your wedding and check out tides, sunsets and weather wedding celebrant Bribie Island and Sunshine Coast

You get married and have the best day of your life

Next you get married and have the best day of your life.

bride and groom laughing while walking back down the aisle to a sea of confetti
Using eco-friendly confetti is a great way to keep your wedding planet friendly

Applying for your Marriage Certificate

If you’d like me to lodge the Application for a Marriage Certificate into Births Deaths and Marriages for you, you’ll need to complete the form and give me back the original before your wedding (they won’t accept a scanned copy or photocopy). If I lodge it with your registration papers you won’t need to supply the ID they ask for (they trust I’ve done all that) – if you forget, then you can apply at any time but you’ll need to attach a certified copy of your driver’s licence and other ID (it’s all on the form).

Logo Lynette Maguire Award winning marriage celebrant
wedding celebrant Bribie Island Sunshine Coast