About Emma
Hello! Well if you are reading this, then you are clearly planning a celebration!
(or you just love weddings as much as I do!)
Either way, congratulations!
Let’s start the Celebration!
Your ceremony starts the party! It sets the beat and tone for the rest of your amazing day…and gets you and all your guests in the right mood for a wonderful celebration. It is so important that you feel excited, relaxed, and confident that your celebrant is going to prepare and deliver the exact ceremony you imagine… which is where I come in!
How did I get here?
It was in 2010 that I was authorised to be a “celebrant”…and I get asked all the time how and why this came to be such a huge part of my life! Throughout my many years of planning weddings and events, I had the pleasure (most of the time) of witnessing celebrants do their “thing”…and this instilled in me a passion to create interesting, fun, natural, relaxed and memorable ceremonies…ceremonies that were a little different to the ‘norm’! This, combined with a friend’s encouragement to “marry her” (to her fiancé, not to me!) and my career change evolved!
I marry couples from all walks of life, and growing up on the Mornington Peninsula has provided me with a genuine love of this amazing region and beyond. I am lucky enough to meet new people, learn their story, deliver this story to the ones they love and announce them married every single week!! And apart from living and loving life in Mount Martha and enjoying time with my family; (my husband and my three little boys who are growing too fast!) – this is and has been my full time job for around 10 years now (lucky me!). I feel pretty blessed to be able to do something I love so much every single day.
What exactly do I do?
Short and sweet or formal and traditional – the main focus of the ceremony is YOU. I love taking the time to get to know “you” as a couple and to create and deliver a ceremony you’ll love!
I have delivered short sweet legals only ceremonies in back yards in the presence of as few as 2 witnesses, as well as traditional, extravagant, lengthier occasions at large venues in the presence of up to 600 guests! (yes…600!) All are equally important, memorable, meaningful, fun, and most importantly all are about you.
There is nothing I love more than standing in front of a beautiful guest group and seeing a sea of engaged eyes and listening ears as I tell your story…guests with happy tears and genuine smiles. In fact, I love it so much I do tend to get a little bit excited at times and can’t help but do little hoppy jumpy dancing thing towards the end of the ceremony when I get to the “announcement” bit! When I watch the video snippets that couples send me of their day I realise just how genuinely excited for them I really was! (And let’s be honest…how silly I look – but that’s OK!).
I am told I exude joy at a ceremony, and that is because I truly feel it. Involving the guest group and inviting them to feel that contagious love, fun and positive energy too is so fulfilling. And an absolute privilege.
Would you like to chat?
We can meet and chat over the phone initially, then perhaps in person over a coffee or a vino. I can run you through a general outline of the ceremony, providing you with a handbook that will probably save the day! Yes I will write your ceremony from start to finish (the fun bit!) with as much input from you as you like! We’ll fill in the legal bit and probably end up chatting about a friend of a friends wedding that your Auntie attended…or more likely your upcoming holiday or the best reality junk on Netflix…weddings definitely highlight what a small world it really is (and it helps that I do love a chat!).
I can be contacted as many times as you wish throughout the planning, and usually at the first meeting we will discuss arrangements and perhaps sign the NOIM (the important form!) or I can pencil the date for you. If you’d like to meet again, this is no problem, and I am also happy to meet you at your venue for a rehearsal before the day if you wish – although this is certainly not essential, candid organic ceremonies are quite often the best.
I am a stickler for crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s, so it is no problem to liaise over email or phone before the day to ensure everything is ready to go.
What are you waiting for?
I honestly feel like I have the best “job” in the world and I am in my element ‘marrying’ people. The buzz is hard to describe, and is something I look forward to every week! When I hear that guests have asked a couple “is Emma an old friend of yours?” or “the celebrant was awesome, was she a relative?” I know I have done my job right! Connection, storytelling and genuine enthusiasm is everything, and is something I am proud of. I can’t wait to chat to you!
