Shakespeare wrote, "If music be the food of love, play on".

Music creates moods and evokes memories. The right choice of soundtrack can add so much to your special day. It creates the feeling and atmosphere for your ceremony and celebration.

Here's a list of songs and music to inspire you. We have arranged them by type to make your choices easier for you.  Sometimes people choose ‘their” song, but if you don’t have one, or it’s not appropriate for your wedding song, here is a magnificent list to suit all tastes. Most are available to listen to on You Tube.

There is music listed from Classical to Jazz, Modern Pop Songs, Old School Love Ballads, Rock and R&B, Boy Bands to Alternative.

For a standard wedding, commitment or renewal of vows you will generally need to have about 4 special songs. One song  for the walking in, two songs for the signing of the certificates and one song for walking out or the end of the ceremony. You will also want to think about pre-ceremony music and music for the reception or celebration after the ceremony.

Have fun listening, we did.

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Thankfully your bridal party will be of great help when preparing for your wedding. When they accept their roles in the wedding party, they are also accepting to help the bride and groom. We've listed below the traditional duties of a wedding party. Feel free to ignore this list, or change it to suit your situation, after all, there are no rules saying you have to follow traditions if you don't like them. If you have any other suggestions or ideas to add to this page, please email us – [email protected]

Your duties await…

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12 to 6 months before the big day:

• Decide on a date.
• Make an appointment with Celebrant.
• Determine a budget.
• Compose a guest list.
• Set time, location of Ceremony, Rehearsal & Reception Venue.
• Choose Professional Photographer / Videographer.
• Shop for wedding gown: Several fittings will be required. Some gowns will need to be ordered well and truly in advance.
• Obtain Floral & Music estimates; book services if possible.
• Register with gift registry.
• Select bridal party.
• Pick a honeymoon destination: (renew passports & inoculations.)
• Begin selection of a Caterer/Reception venue
• Set a date to order dresses for bridesmaids.

5 months before the big day.

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There are so many things to remember when planning your wedding, so here is a handy checklist to keep you organised!  Just cross out anything you don’t need or want for your ceremony.

Cherish Ceremonies Ph: 07 3807 3025 or 0403 582 667    

E: [email protected]

Wedding Checklist

So of course this list may have elements you are not using and there may be things to add to the list too. If you notice anything missing, please contact us to let us know so we can add your great idea to our checklist!

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GUEST BLOG by Jacqueline Gilchrist

The main thing to realize here is that bridal bouquets are a perfect symbol of your love for the married couple. So if you are responsible for arranging the bouquet, you must be able to properly coordinate the color scheme to match with the overall arrangement and backdrop so that it does not look out of place. 

Image courtesy of http://www.creativitiweddings.com/

Over here, I will discuss the beauty and origin of the Tulip and how it is utilized by humans the world over.

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You can have a beautiful Wedding day and it not break the bank balance.

As Celebrants we see a large variety of different ideas for the big day.  Just because your day costs a lot of money, doesn’t mean it’s going to be your perfect dream Wedding.

It can still be very special but with a twist which puts your own personal stamp on the day and makes it more like your personality or style. You can theme your wedding to blend with a hobby such as 50’s dancing, or disco. We will write another blog soon on themed weddings we have seen.  Look out for that one if you are really interested in themes.

Do you want a cheap wedding, but don’t want it to look cheap?

We’ll start at the beginning of the planning.

Except for people who really need to know, when planning your wedding, try and keep the word ‘wedding’ out of your purchases. Sometimes just that one word adds a whole lot more money to the purchase.

There may be some things which you just don’t want to miss out for your wedding, if you are saving money in other areas, it won’t matter quite so much.

Celebrant

As Celebrants we do believe that you should spend a reasonable amount of money to hire a great Celebrant.  Celebrants are not created equally, and a very cheap Celebrant can ruin your day.  A good Celebrant will create a ceremony that is beautiful and meaningful for you and your guests to remember and enjoy forever. Those words which are said are a reflection of your hopes and your dreams for the future of your relationship. Therefore they are an important foundation. As is their presentation, the sound of their voice and of course a warm and friendly personality.

Photographer

Hire a professional photographer.  I have seen many Brides and Grooms very upset after their Wedding to find out that their friends did not do a good enough job of capturing their wedding. Sometimes you can be lucky, but guests generally do not know when to get those fabulous shots which last the lifetime of the relationship, the ones you want to show loved ones, frame and put on the wall and keep for future generations.

One of our next blog posts will cover the way to get the best photos from your wedding.

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Personalising your Marriage Ceremony

As modern marriage celebrants in South East Queensland, we find a lot of people are looking for a ceremony that really represents and reflects them. There is no greater expression of your love than to commit to be together for the rest of your lives so we encourage our couples to provide some information about their love story and of course select wording for the ceremony that they identify with. At Cherish Ceremonies we have an easy to use, extensive wedding ceremony manual that has content for all the different sections you might like to include in your wedding ceremony.

Ceremony Wording

You are not restricted by the wordings provided.  There are a few paragraphs that are compulsory by Australian law, however, the majority of the ceremony is for you to include the wordings that best reflect you and your relationship.

What Words Make Our Wedding Legal in Australia?

A marriage celebrant must say:

“I am duly authorised by law to solemnise marriages according to law.  Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter.

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 couple must say as part of their marriage vows:

“I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, [name], take thee, [name], to be my lawful wedded wife (or husband)”

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We often get asked what the difference is when it comes to celebrants, charges and inclusions.

The fee of course completely depends on the celebrants experience, presentation, inclusions, equipment & professionalism.

We know celebrants who charge over $1000 and others (very inexperienced) who crazily charge less than the registry office, but you must remember when it comes to celebrants you really get what you pay for. There are many celebrants, but not as many who are professional celebrants! Quite a lot of people have the qualification, but have very little experience and are really just celebrants as a hobby so they can perform ceremonies for friends and family. These celebrants do not have much experience and you can tell! Some charge extra for travel, themed dress, providing a PA, personalising the ceremony etc.

Your wedding is an important event in your life & your ceremony is a major part of it!

Check out the celebrants experience, knowledge of the legal requirements, inclusions, how the ceremony is written, personalised & prepared, their presentation, the sound of their voice & a really important one, do you like them and feel really comfortable with them.

We hope that helps! If you want to know anything else you should ask the celebrant for more information!

All the best for the big day!

An Amazing Surprise Renewal of Vows & 30th Wedding Anniversary

In January 2013 I was given the honour and pleasure of performing a surprise Renewal of Vows ceremony! It was arranged by Sharon for her husband Bill for their 30th wedding anniversary!

It was a small group of close family and friends who thought they were coming  along for dinner to celebrate Sharon & Bill’s anniversary!